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Irene Ryan (nÊe Noblette) was one of the few
entertainers who found success in vaudeville,
radio, film, and Broadway. Today she is most
widely known for her portrayal of "Granny" on the
long running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies
(1962-1971). She was nominated for an Emmy Award
for "Outstanding Continued Performance by an
Actress in a Series (Lead)" in 1963 and 1964.

Ryan was born October 17, 1902 in El Paso, Texas,
USA, and died April 26, 1973 in Santa Monica,
California, at the age of 70, due to a brain
tumor. Shortly before, she had suffered a stroke
on-stage during a performance of the musical
Pippin (musical)|Pippin. She is interred at the
Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica,
California.

Her career in vaudeville began by touring in an
act called "Tim & Irene", with her first husband,
Tim Ryan (actor)|Tim Ryan, who was also a prolific
actor in multiple media. In the mid-1930s they
made several short films based on the vaudeville
shows. Her first feature-length movie appearance
was a bit part in the 1941 in film|1941 Romantic
comedy film|romantic comedy Unfinished Business,
which starred Irene Dunne, Robert Montgomery
(actor)|Robert Montgomery, and Preston Foster. In
1943 in film|1943's Ann Miller musical Reveille
with Beverly she had another small part, notable
only in that it was her first time working with
her ex-husband Tim since their 1942 divorce.
Around this time she toured with Bob Hope's
renowned United Service Organizations|USO tours.
She later performed on NBC Radio's "The Bob Hope
Show", from 1948 to 1950.

Her first starring big-screen role was with her
Tim and Ann Corio, in Sarong Girl later in 1943.
Tim, Irene, and Corio teamed up again, along with
Charles Butterworth, in the Arthur Dreifuss film
The Sultan's Daughter in 1944 in film|1944. Also
in 1944, Tim and Irene were paired again, along
with Dona Drake and Robert Lowery in another
musical comedy, Hot Rhythm. In the following 17
years she had various roles in 25 movies,
including Bonzo Goes to College and Rockabilly
Baby, which also featured Les Brown and His Band
of Renown. It was also during this period that she
married (1946), and divorced (1961), her second
husband, Harold E. Knox.

The Beverly Hillbillies debut in 1962 in
television|1962 brought many new fans, as the show
jumped to #1 in the US in 3 weeks, a feat (as of
2004) not since matched. In 1965 she played Granny
in an episode of Mr. Ed, and appeared on the TV
game show Password game|Password. After the
series' run, she made two Love, American Style
appearances, the second one first aired
post-humously.

Her final acting role was also her first Broadway
role, as "Berthe" in the popular musical Pippin,
which included the show-stopping solo "No Time At
All". She was nominated for a Tony Award for her
performance.

Pallbearers at her funeral include Hillbillies
co-stars Buddy Ebsen and Max Baer, Jr., along with
Hillbillies creator Paul Henning. Having no living
relatives, she left her US$1,000,000 estate to
fund the Irene Ryan Foundation, which donates
scholarships to young theater arts students
involved with the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts|Kennedy Center's American College
Theater Festival.