Irene Ryan (born Jessie Irene Noblitt; October , â€" April , ) was an
American actress who found success in vaudeville, radio, film,
television, and Broadway. Ryan is most widely known 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 (â€"), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in and .Ryan was born
Jessie Irene Noblitt on October , , in El Paso, Texas. She was the
second child and latter daughter born to Catherine J. "Katie" (née
McSharry) and James Merritt Noblitt. Her father was an army sergeant
from North Carolina, and her mother had emigrated from Ireland. Jessie
Irene was years younger than her only sister, Anna.Ryan began her
career at the age of , after winning $ for singing "Pretty Baby" in an
amateur contest at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco.At , she
married writer-comedian Tim Ryan. They performed in vaudeville as a
double act, known in show business as a "Dumb Dora" routine and
epitomized by George Burns and Gracie Allen. Known professionally as
"Tim and Irene" (and billed formally as Tim Ryan and Irene Noblette),
they starred in short comedies for Educational Pictures between and
. The films were usually vehicles for their vaudevillian dialogue,
with Irene as the flighty young woman who drives Tim to distraction.
Tim's frequent admonition "Will you stop?" became a catchphrase, and
then became the title of one of their shorts.
American actress who found success in vaudeville, radio, film,
television, and Broadway. Ryan is most widely known 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 (â€"), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in and .Ryan was born
Jessie Irene Noblitt on October , , in El Paso, Texas. She was the
second child and latter daughter born to Catherine J. "Katie" (née
McSharry) and James Merritt Noblitt. Her father was an army sergeant
from North Carolina, and her mother had emigrated from Ireland. Jessie
Irene was years younger than her only sister, Anna.Ryan began her
career at the age of , after winning $ for singing "Pretty Baby" in an
amateur contest at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco.At , she
married writer-comedian Tim Ryan. They performed in vaudeville as a
double act, known in show business as a "Dumb Dora" routine and
epitomized by George Burns and Gracie Allen. Known professionally as
"Tim and Irene" (and billed formally as Tim Ryan and Irene Noblette),
they starred in short comedies for Educational Pictures between and
. The films were usually vehicles for their vaudevillian dialogue,
with Irene as the flighty young woman who drives Tim to distraction.
Tim's frequent admonition "Will you stop?" became a catchphrase, and
then became the title of one of their shorts.
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