Actress Jean Byron Dies At 80 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 02-08-2006, 12:52 AM

Actress Jean Byron died Feb. 3 from an infection following hip replacement surgery in Mobile, Ala. She was 80.
Byron was best known as Patty Duke's mother Natalie Lane on "The Patty Duke Show." Born Imogene Burkhart in Paducah, Ky., she moved with her family to Louisville, Ky., where was briefly a singer and entertainer on a local radio show.

She moved to California during WWII, and studied acting while appearing on stage and radio. When she signed her first contract with Columbia Pictures, she adopted Jean Byron as her stage name.

In the 1950s, she was briefly married to actor Michael Ansara.

During the 1950s, she appeared in B-movies such as "Voodoo Tiger," "Serpent of the Nile" and "Jungle Moon Men." She was spokeswoman for Revlon and Lux products on the Rosemary Clooney show and was known as "the Lux Girl."

The role of Dr. Imogene Burkhart on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" was written for her by close friend and playwright Max Shulman. In addition to her recurring roles on "Patty Duke" and "Dobie Gillis," she appeared in dozens of other TV shows including "Batman," "Colombo," "Maude" and "Hotel."

A friend of Tommy Dorsey, she occasionally sang with the big band while she was filming in New York. She played regional theaters with Shirley Jones and Virginia Mayo, played Mama Rose in "Gypsy" and sang in "Guys And Dolls."

She made a final appearance in the 1999 reunion pic "The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights."

TV Knowledge Fan · 07-26-2006, 05:34 PM

...on "DOBIE GILLIS" that it was only natural that they work together on "THE PATTY DUKE SHOW". In fact, before CBS rejected the idea of the "DOBIE GILLIS" spinoff "ZELDA" in 1963, Jean played Zelda Gilroy's mother in the unaired pilot film [the reason why Sheila James never got her own series is because Jim Aubrey, the "Smiling Cobra" of CBS and its chief programmer AND president, found out that she was a lesbian, and declared both the proposed series AND her "dead" to the network].

02-08-2006, 12:52 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,414	Actress Jean Byron Dies At 80 Actress Jean Byron died Feb. 3 from an infection following hip replacement surgery in Mobile, Ala. She was 80. Byron was best known as Patty Duke's mother Natalie Lane on "The Patty Duke Show." Born Imogene Burkhart in Paducah, Ky., she moved with her family to Louisville, Ky., where was briefly a singer and entertainer on a local radio show. She moved to California during WWII, and studied acting while appearing on stage and radio. When she signed her first contract with Columbia Pictures, she adopted Jean Byron as her stage name. In the 1950s, she was briefly married to actor Michael Ansara. During the 1950s, she appeared in B-movies such as "Voodoo Tiger," "Serpent of the Nile" and "Jungle Moon Men." She was spokeswoman for Revlon and Lux products on the Rosemary Clooney show and was known as "the Lux Girl." The role of Dr. Imogene Burkhart on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" was written for her by close friend and playwright Max Shulman. In addition to her recurring roles on "Patty Duke" and "Dobie Gillis," she appeared in dozens of other TV shows including "Batman," "Colombo," "Maude" and "Hotel." A friend of Tommy Dorsey, she occasionally sang with the big band while she was filming in New York. She played regional theaters with Shirley Jones and Virginia Mayo, played Mama Rose in "Gypsy" and sang in "Guys And Dolls." She made a final appearance in the 1999 reunion pic "The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights."
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07-26-2006, 05:34 PM	#2
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	She worked so well with Bill Schallert... ...on "DOBIE GILLIS" that it was only natural that they work together on "THE PATTY DUKE SHOW". In fact, before CBS rejected the idea of the "DOBIE GILLIS" spinoff "ZELDA" in 1963, Jean played Zelda Gilroy's mother in the unaired pilot film [the reason why Sheila James never got her own series is because Jim Aubrey, the "Smiling Cobra" of CBS and its chief programmer AND president, found out that she was a lesbian, and declared both the proposed series AND her "dead" to the network].