Fran Ryan
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- November 29, 1916
- Died
- January 15, 2000 (aged 83)
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fran Ryan (November 29, 1916 – January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Fran Ryan began performing at the age of 6, at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre, in Northern California. She attended Stanford University for three years, and during World War II was a member of the USO entertaining troops. She performed comedy, singing and acting on stage in California and Chicago but was not to launch her television career for two decades. Her small screen debut came in an episode on Television's Batman, in 1966, followed by a bit part in Beverly Hillbillies. Ryan's best known television role was as Aggie Thompson in The Doris Day Show (in its first incarnation plotline theme), though the gig only lasted a few months. This role was cut short because she was offered the 'replacement' role on the hit series Green Acres as Doris Ziffel from 1969-1971. Fran was to replace Barbara Pepper, who by then was in poor health. Sadly, Miss Pepper died just five months later of heart ailments, on July 15, 1969. Ryan also starred on the long running TV Western series Gunsmoke during its twentieth and final season as Miss Hannah (Cobb). In 1987, she reprised the role of Miss Hannah in the TV movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. Fran Ryan played the role of Sister Agatha in the soap opera General Hospital in (1979). She also did voices for cartoons such as Hong Kong Phooey, Mister T and Little Dracula. Fran starred on some TV shows for children like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1975 as Gertrude Grouch, and in 1970s children's show The New Zoo Revue as Ms. Goodbody, the 1980s TV series No Soap, Radio as Mrs. Belmont, the short lived 1980s CBS TV series The Wizard as Tillie Russell from 1986-1987. Her last regular TV role was on The Dave Thomas Comedy Show. She starred in many feature films, including Flush (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), Take This Job and Shove It (1981), Pale Rider (1985), Chances Are, and in her scene-stealing cameo in 1981's Stripes, as a tortured cab fare to Bill Murray as the cabbie, in the opening scenes of the comedy film. Ryan made guest appearances on TV shows ranging from Batman, Adam-12, CHiPs, Quantum Leap, Night Court, Baywatch to The Commish. Fran Ryan was often compared to actress Marjorie Main; they looked similar to one another. Ryan died on January 15, 2000, at age 83. She is buried in the family plots alongside her mother, at the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, in Hayward, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Fran Ryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Suture
Movie · as Mrs. Lucerne
River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene
Movie · as Hattie Clandell
The Commish
TV · 2 eps
Little Dracula
TV · 26 eps
Thanksgiving Day
Movie · as Lois
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Movie · as Miss Grundy
Tiny Toon Adventures
TV · as Grandma (voice) · 1 ep
The Bradys
TV · 1 ep
The Dave Thomas Comedy Show
TV · 5 eps
The New Adam-12
TV · as Ida Collins · 1 ep
Out Cold
Movie · as Arlene
Nick Knight
Movie · as Jeannie
Chances Are
Movie · as Mavis Talmadge
Baywatch
TV · 1 ep
Quantum Leap
TV · as Dorothy Jaeger · 1 ep
Lucky Stiff
Movie · as Ma
Murphy Brown
TV · as The Asp · 1 ep
Empty Nest
TV · as Mrs. Kramer · 1 ep
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
Movie · as Hannah
Quiet Cool
Movie · as Ma
Stewardess School
Movie · as Fainting Lady
Fuzzbucket
Movie · as Mrs. Langendorf
Matlock
TV · as Doris Curtis · 1 ep
The Wizard
TV · as Tillie Russell · 19 eps
Pale Rider
Movie · as Ma Blankenship
Father of Hell Town
Movie · as Mother Maggie
Rebel Love
Movie · as Granny Plug
The Sure Thing
Movie · as Lady in Car
The Colbys
TV · 1 ep
Amazing Stories
TV · as Mrs. Abbott · 1 ep
Hollywood Wives
TV · as Nita Carrolle · 1 ep
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Movie · as Millie Clark
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Rose Mulligan · 1 ep
Night Court
TV · as Ethel La Rue, Miss Crombie · 1 ep
Highway to Heaven
TV · 2 eps
Punky Brewster
TV · 1 ep
Brothers
TV · as Mrs. Murphy · 1 ep
Private School
Movie · as Miss Dutchbok
Ghost Dancing
Movie · as Judge
Eyes of Fire
Movie · as Sister (Calvin's Wife)
Tough Enough
Movie · as Gert Long
Brainwash
Movie · as Marie Davis
Manimal
TV · 1 ep
Mister T
TV · 30 eps
Johnny Belinda
Movie · as Aunt Aggie McAdam
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice
Movie · as Beatrice's Mother
Savannah Smiles
Movie · as Farmer Wilma
Shoot the Moon
Movie · as Judge (uncredited)
Matt Houston
TV · 1 ep
No Soap, Radio
TV · 5 eps
It Takes Two
TV · 1 ep
The Adventures of Nellie Bly
Movie · as Mrs. Roman
Americana
Movie · as Colonel
Christmas Mountain: The Story Of A Cowboy Angel
Movie · as Flora
Stripes
Movie · as Dowager in Cab
Take This Job and Shove It
Movie · as Mrs. Hinkle
Falcon Crest
TV · as Cass · 1 ep
Hill Street Blues
TV · 1 ep
Father Murphy
TV · 1 ep
Foul Play
TV · 1 ep
The Long Riders
Movie · as Mrs. Samuel
When the Whistle Blows
TV · 1 ep
Goldie and the Boxer
Movie · as Ethel
Rocky II
Movie · as Adrian's Nurse (uncredited)
Straight Time
Movie · as Cafe Owner
The Great Brain
Movie · as Aunt Bertha
Big Wednesday
Movie · as Lucy
Taxi
TV · as Elizabeth Weber · 1 ep
Deadly Game
Movie · as Frieda Beezly
Panic in Echo Park
Movie
CHiPs
TV · as Nancy · 2 eps
How the West Was Won
TV · 1 ep
Carter Country
TV · 1 ep
Grizzly Adams
TV · as Gerty · 1 ep
Family Plot
Movie · as Registrar Clerk (uncredited)
Stalk the Wild Child
Movie · as Ellen Mott
Liza’s Pioneer Diary
Movie · as Martha Stedman
Charlie's Angels
TV · as Nurse Fager, Belle Asher · 1 ep
Laverne & Shirley
TV · 1 ep
The Quest
TV · as Mag Wood · 1 ep
Good Heavens
TV · 1 ep
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
TV · as Miss Adeline Jeeter · 15 eps
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Movie · as Mrs. Stockley
Long Way Home
Movie · as Marvis Bidwell
Starsky & Hutch
TV · as Landlady · 3 eps
One Day at a Time
TV · 1 ep
Barney Miller
TV · as Mrs. Hirsch, Homeless Woman · 1 ep
Hog Wild
Movie · as Flora
Hong Kong Phooey
TV · 31 eps
Devlin
TV · 16 eps
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
TV · as Gertrude · 29 eps
The Rookies
TV · 1 ep
New Zoo Revue
TV · 67 eps
The Waltons
TV · 1 ep
Scandalous John
Movie · as Farm Woman
The Million Dollar Duck
Movie · as Mrs. Purdham (uncredited)
Nichols
TV · as Minnie Dowd · 1 ep
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
TV · as Dick's mother · 1 ep
Night Gallery
TV · 1 ep
McCloud
TV · 1 ep
The Partridge Family
TV · as 1st Wife · 1 ep
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Movie
The Brady Bunch
TV · 1 ep
The Bill Cosby Show
TV · as Mrs. Beal · 1 ep
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
TV · 1 ep
Adam-12
TV · as Mrs. Killian · 1 ep
The Second Hundred Years
TV · as Mrs. Sanders · 1 ep
Batman
TV · as Chairlady · 1 ep
That Girl
TV · 1 ep
The Front Line
Movie · as Haughty Customer
Mickey One
Movie · as Homeless Woman (uncredited)
Green Acres
TV · 2 eps
I Dream of Jeannie
TV · as Switchboard Operator · 1 ep
Daniel Boone
TV · as Mrs. Jones · 1 ep
Gunsmoke
TV · as Mrs. Keller, Hannah · 1 ep