Eleanor Audley
Eleanor Audley ( Zellman) (November 19, 1905 – November 25, 1991) was an American actress with a distinctive voice and a diverse body of work. Audley was best known for her roles as aristocratic, somewhat villainous matrons. She played Oliver Douglas's mother, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom "Green Acres" (1965–1969), and provided Disney animated features with the voices of Lady Tremaine in "Cinderella" (1950); and Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). She had roles in live-action films, but was most active in radio programs such as "My Favorite Husband" and "Father Knows Best". Audley's television appearances include  those in "I Love Lucy", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Mister Ed" and "My Three Sons". Early and personal life. Eleanor Zellman was born in Newark, New Jersey on November 19, 1905. Her family had moved to West 86th Street in Manhattan, New York City, by 1917. Her parents, William David Zellman and Ruth Simmons, were Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants. Her father was born in Ukraine, immigrated to the United States in 1895, and became a naturalized citizen in 1916. He worked in the silk industry. Her mother was born in Prussia, and immigrated circa 1890. She  had a younger sister, Muriel. Zellman graduated from Hunter College High School in Manhattan in 1924. She began using the stage-name "Eleanor Audley" sometime before 1940. A Democrat, she supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. Career. Stage and radio. Audley made her Broadway debut in the 1926 production of "Howdy, King". Her other stage appearances included "On Call" (1928); "Pigeons and People" (1933); "Thunder on the Left" (1933); "Kill That Story" (1934); "Ladies' Money" (1934); "Susan and God" (1937); and "In Bed We Cry" (1944). Audley worked extensively in the 1940s and 1950s in radio , notably playing George Cooper's aristocratic mother, Mrs. Cooper, who typically looks down on her daughter-in-law, Liz Cooper on "My Favorite Husband", and the Anderson family's neighbor, Mrs. Smith on "Father Knows Best". In addition, Audley performed on radio as a series regular on "Escape", "Suspense" and "The Story of Dr. Kildare". She played the stepmother in re-imaginings of the Cinderella story that were included in episodes of the series "Hallmark Playhouse", and the weekly western series, "The Six Shooter", that starred James Stewart. Film and animation. Audley's first feature film appearance was in 1949 's "The Story of Molly X", where she played the non-credited role of a parole board member. Other film appearances followed, including: "Pretty Baby" (1950); "Gambling House" (1951); "Cell 2455, Death Row" (1955); "The Unguarded Moment" (1956); "Full of Life" (1956); "Spoilers of the Forest" (1957); "Home Before Dark" (1958); a cameo in 1959's "The FBI Story" (as the mother and slain victim of suspect Jack Graham); "The Second Time Around" (1961); and "Hook, Line and Sinker" (1969). In the animated film industry, Audley provided her distinctive voice to Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother, in the 1950  Disney film "Cinderella"; and Princess Aurora's evil fairy nemesis, Maleficent, in Disney's 1959 version of "Sleeping Beauty". For those films, animators Frank Thomas and Marc Davis designed the characters' facial features and expressions to be closely similar to Audley's. In addition to providing their voices, she served as the performance model for both characters for live-action referencing to help the animators. Audley had initially turned down the role of Maleficent because she was battling tuberculosis at the time. Audley provided the voice for Madame Leota—the spirit of a psychic medium—in the Haunted Mansion attractions  in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Television. Audley's first television appearance was in the pilot episode of "The Mickey Rooney Show" (also titled "Hey Mulligan") as Bessie, a terrible actress who stars in an awful TV show. From 1954 to 1970, she appeared regularly on television, including episodes of: "The People's Choice"; "I Love Lucy"; "Crossroads"; "The Real McCoys"; "Richard Diamond, Private Detective"; "The Twilight Zone"; "Dennis the Menace"; "Mr. Lucky"; "Perry Mason"; "The Tab Hunter Show"; "Pete and Gladys"; and "Hazel". Audley had recurring roles on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as the P.T.A head Mrs. Billings , on "The Beverly Hillbillies" as the school headmistress Mrs. Potts, on "Mister Ed" as Wilbur Post's aunt Martha, on "Pistols 'n' Petticoats" as Mrs. Teaseley, on "My Three Sons" as Mrs. Vincent, and on "Green Acres" as Oliver Douglas's disapproving mother, Eunice Douglas, despite being only five months older than actor Eddie Albert who played the role of her son. Death. Audley died from respiratory failure on November 25, 1991, at the age of 86. She is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.