Irene Ryan

**Irene Ryan** was an American actress and comedienne who appeared in vaudeville shows, film, television, and theatre. She is best known as “Granny” from *The Beverly Hillbillies*, a role she played from 1962 to 1971. She was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 27th Annual Tony Awards for originating the role of Berthe in Stephen Schwartz’s *Pippin*. She passed away on April 26, 1973.

## Pippin Credits

**Broadway** - 09/16/1972 - 03/10/1973 - Berthe

## Biography

IRENE RYAN (*Berthe*) made her show business début at the age of eleven and since then has appeared in every area of the entertainment field. For nine years she starred as Granny on the hit series *The Beverly Hillbillies*. Born Irene Noblette, she became a headliner at top vaudeville houses, including The Palace on Broadway. Teamed with Tim Ryan, whom she later married, Ryan and Noblette were among the top stars of the heyday of vaudeville and were equally successful on radio, known simply as Tim and Irene. Some of her numerous radio programs include *Carefree Carnival* with Meredith Wilson and the *Bob Hope*, *Rudy Vallee* and *Jack Carson* shows. Miss Ryan became a top Hollywood comedienne, appearing in such films as *Desire in the Dust*, *Diary of a Chambermaid*, *The Skipper Surprised His Wife*, *Dear Secretary*, *Ricochet Romance*, and *Meet Me After the Show*. Between film and radio assignments, Miss Ryan co-starred with Gertrude Niesen in the Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*. She has appeared in more than a dozen of the country’s top nightclubs and in soldout engagements in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. The Irene Ryan Foundation, a $1,000,000 fund established by the star to provide scholarships to noteworthy theater arts students throughout the country, was a dream fulfilled in 1971. In conjunction with the American College Festival, thirteen annual scholarships are presented.

## Death

Since her early leaving of Pippin in March of 1973, one month before her death, many rumors have surrounding the exact circumstances of her possible illness during her run as Berthe, specifically what happened during her final performance. Some have said that she collapsed on stage after No Time At All, due to a heart attack or stroke, others that it happened when she got backstage, and others that it happened immediately following the curtain call. However, accounts from the people who were actually there that day show that these theories are mostly exaggerated.

**John Rubinstein, August 1996**

Dear Irene Ryan did NOT die during a performance. Nor did she finish her contract. Here's the true story: Irene was lonely in New York City. She missed her life and her friends in LA where she had lived for many years, and the cold winter and the eight-show schedule undermined her spirit somewhat. But, trouper that she was, she never missed a performance. However, I started to notice that she was beginning to look weak, or listless. I sat and watched her big number on stage every night, and I saw that she began to cut down on her moves, and to generally diminish the amazing energy that she would normally put out every time (on opening night, she stopped the show cold, and I had to stand there for about eight minutes waiting for the applause to die down before I could go on!). One Saturday matinee, she looked particularly drained, and I got worried that she might be sick. I was having dinner with Fosse at my house between shows; so I went to Ben Vereen and asked him to contact Stuart Ostrow (the producer) and have him come to the evening show, and I would ask Bob to do the same. I told Bob that I thought perhaps Irene needed a vacation, even though contractually she didn't have one coming for some months; it might do her good to go to California for a while, and then finish up her contract when the weather was warmer. Bob said he'd take a look at her in the next day or two. When I returned to the Imperial for the evening show, the call had just come through from Kennedy airport: Irene was on a plane to Los Angeles. She had had her bags packed before the matinee, and right after the show, with the help of Walter Willison, my friend and standby, she had left for the airport right after the afternoon performance. Her standby, Lucie Lancaster, went on that night, and then continued to play the part until Dorothy Stickney took over some weeks later. Irene, upon landing in LA, was taken right to the hospital, diagnosed with malnutrition!! We all called and sent her cards and love and wishes to get better fast, but she basically wasted away over the next few days. I believe she actually died about three days later of some kind of heart failure. I have always thought that her behavior was like that of an old cat, who curls up under the bed and goes to sleep and just doesn't wake up. Irene knew (either consciously or not) that it was her "time". She stuck with her job as long as she could, and then, without fanfare, went home to die.