Ellen Corby

Ellen Corby (June 3, 1911 - April 14, 1999) was an American character actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Walton" on the television series The Waltons.

Related Topics:
June 3 - 1911 - April 14 - 1999 - Character actress - The Waltons

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She was born Ellen Hansen to Danish parents in Racine, Wisconsin but grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An interest in amateur theater while in high school led her to Atlantic City in 1932 where she briefly worked as a chorus girl. She moved to Hollywood that same year and got a job as a script girl at RKO Studios. She held that position for the next twelve years and took acting lessons on the side.

Related Topics:
Danish - Racine, Wisconsin - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Atlantic City - 1932 - Chorus girl - Hollywood - RKO Studios

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Her career as an actress began in 1946 when she appeared as a maid in the film Cornered. Two years later, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress playing a lovelorn aunt in I Remember Mama (1948). Over the next four decades, she worked steadily in both film and television, often playing maids, secretaries, waitresses or gossips. She was a favorite in western films and had a recurring role as "Henrietta Porter" in the western television series Trackdown (1957-1959). Other television appearances included Wagon Train, The Rifleman, I Love Lucy, The Virginian, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Andy Griffith Show. Her most famous role came in 1972 when she was cast as "Grandma Esther Walton" on The Waltons. The role would win her three Emmy Awards as Best Supporting Actress.

Related Topics:
1946 - Academy Award - Best Supporting Actress - I Remember Mama - 1948 - Television - Western - 1957 - 1959 - 1972 - The Waltons - Emmy Awards

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She suffered a serious stroke in 1977 but recovered and went on to appear in several television films based on The Waltons. Her last appearance was in A Walton Easter (1997).

Related Topics:
Stroke - 1977 - 1997

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She died at the age of 87 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills CA. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Related Topics:
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital - Woodland Hills - CA - Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, California

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She was married to Francis Corby from 1934 to 1944.

Related Topics:
Francis Corby - 1934 - 1944

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Filmography

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