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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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She was married to Francis Corby from 1934 to 1944.

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Filmography

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June 3: June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining....

1911: 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar)....

1999: :For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album)...

Ellen Corby related Images and Photos (experimental)

Ellen Corby	Ellen Pompeo	Ellen Richards	Ellen Degeneres
Ellen Barkin - Switch	Ellen Degeneres: The Beginning (DVD)	Ellen Degeneres: Here And Now (DVD)	Ellen Terry as Portia
Ellen: DeGeneres Show, The: DVD-licious! (Dbl DVD) (Multi-Title)	Ellen Degeneres: The Beginning & Here and Now (DVD) (2-Pack)	Ellen Stouffer Paintings 2011 Wall Calendar	Ellen Stouffer American Sampler 2012 Wall Calendar