Irene Ryan

Actress, Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies

What is Irene Ryan known for?

Born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette on October 17, 1902, in El Paso, Texas, Irene Ryan was a notable alumna of Valley Center High School, California. She was an American actress and comedian who found success in various domains such as vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. However, she is most remembered for her portrayal of Daisy May "Granny" Moses, the mother-in-law of Buddy Ebsen's character Jed Clampett on the long-running TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962–1971). This role brought her Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964.

Ryan's performing career began at the age of 11, when she won $3 for singing "Pretty Baby" in an amateur contest at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco. At 20, she married writer-comedian Tim Ryan and they performed in vaudeville as a "Dumb Dora" routine, known in show business for their comedic performance. They starred in 11 short comedies for Educational Pictures between 1935 and 1937. The Ryans had no children and divorced in 1942, although Irene kept the surname. She furthered her career by touring with Bob Hope, and was on his radio program for two years.

Also contributing to film, she played Edgar Kennedy's wife in two of his RKO short films in 1943, and appeared in the country music film "O, My Darling Clementine". Monogram Pictures reunited Tim and Irene for four feature films, the last being the 1944 musical feature "Hot Rhythm" with Dona Drake. In 1946, Irene married Harold E. Knox, who worked in film production.

Irene Ryan passed away on April 26, 1973, at the age of 70 in Santa Monica, California.