Fran Ryan
Acting • Born 1916-11-29 – Died 2000-01-15
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fran Ryan (November 29, 1916 – January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Fran Ryan began performing at the age of 6, at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre, in Northern California. She attended Stanford University for three years, and during World War II was a member of the USO entertaining troops. She performed comedy, singing and acting on stage in California and Chicago but was not to launch her television career for two decades. Her small screen debut came in an episode on Television's Batman, in 1966, followed by a bit part in Beverly Hillbillies. Ryan's best known television role was as Aggie Thompson in The Doris Day Show (in its first incarnation plotline theme), though the gig only lasted a few months. This role was cut short because she was offered the 'replacement' role on the hit series Green Acres as Doris Ziffel from 1969-1971. Fran was to replace Barbara Pepper, who by then was in poor health. Sadly, Miss Pepper died just five months later of heart ailments, on July 15, 1969. Ryan also starred on the long running TV Western series Gunsmoke during its twentieth and final season as Miss Hannah (Cobb). In 1987, she reprised the role of Miss Hannah in the TV movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. Fran Ryan played the role of Sister Agatha in the soap opera General Hospital in (1979). She also did voices for cartoons such as Hong Kong Phooey, Mister T and Little Dracula. Fran starred on some TV shows for children like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1975 as Gertrude Grouch, and in 1970s children's show The New Zoo Revue as Ms. Goodbody, the 1980s TV series No Soap, Radio as Mrs. Belmont, the short lived 1980s CBS TV series The Wizard as Tillie Russell from 1986-1987. Her last regular TV role was on The Dave Thomas Comedy Show. She starred in many feature films, including Flush (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), Take This Job and Shove It (1981), Pale Rider (1985), Chances Are, and in her scene-stealing cameo in 1981's Stripes, as a tortured cab fare to Bill Murray as the cabbie, in the opening scenes of the comedy film. Ryan made guest appearances on TV shows ranging from Batman, Adam-12, CHiPs, Quantum Leap, Night Court, Baywatch to The Commish. Fran Ryan was often compared to actress Marjorie Main; they looked similar to one another. Ryan died on January 15, 2000, at age 83. She is buried in the family plots alongside her mother, at the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, in Hayward, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Fran Ryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
115 credits
The Long Riders
Movie • 1980
Mrs. Samuel
Private School
Movie • 1983
Miss Dutchbok
Quiet Cool
Movie • 1986
Ma
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
Movie • 1987
Hannah
Suture
Movie • 1993
Mrs. Lucerne
Hog Wild
Movie • 1974
Flora
River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene
Movie • 1993
Hattie Clandell
The Adventures of Nellie Bly
Movie • 1981
Mrs. Roman
Ghost Dancing
Movie • 1983
Judge
Johnny Belinda
Movie • 1982
Aunt Aggie McAdam
The Front Line
Movie • 1965
Haughty Customer
Americana
Movie • 1981
Colonel
Out Cold
Movie • 1989
Arlene
Stewardess School
Movie • 1986
Fainting Lady
Pale Rider
Movie • 1985
Ma Blankenship
Family Plot
Movie • 1976
Registrar Clerk (uncredited)
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Movie • 1969
Father of Hell Town
Movie • 1985
Mother Maggie
Eyes of Fire
Movie • 1983
Sister (Calvin's Wife)
Deadly Game
Movie • 1977
Frieda Beezly
Thanksgiving Day
Movie • 1990
Lois
Scandalous John
Movie • 1971
Farm Woman
Goldie and the Boxer
Movie • 1979
Ethel
Straight Time
Movie • 1978
Cafe Owner
Lucky Stiff
Movie • 1988
Ma
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice
Movie • 1982
Beatrice's Mother
Nick Knight
Movie • 1989
Jeannie
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Movie • 1990
Miss Grundy
Fuzzbucket
Movie • 1986
Mrs. Langendorf
Christmas Mountain: The Story Of A Cowboy Angel
Movie • 1981
Flora
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Movie • 1975
Mrs. Stockley
Savannah Smiles
Movie • 1982
Farmer Wilma
Panic in Echo Park
Movie • 1977
The Million Dollar Duck
Movie • 1971
Mrs. Purdham (uncredited)
Long Way Home
Movie • 1975
Marvis Bidwell
Chances Are
Movie • 1989
Mavis Talmadge
Rocky II
Movie • 1979
Adrian's Nurse (uncredited)
Rebel Love
Movie • 1985
Granny Plug
Stalk the Wild Child
Movie • 1976
Ellen Mott
The Great Brain
Movie • 1978
Aunt Bertha
Stripes
Movie • 1981
Dowager in Cab
Tough Enough
Movie • 1983
Gert Long
The Sure Thing
Movie • 1985
Lady in Car
Big Wednesday
Movie • 1978
Lucy
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Movie • 1984
Millie Clark
Mickey One
Movie • 1965
Homeless Woman (uncredited)
Liza’s Pioneer Diary
Movie • 1976
Martha Stedman
Brainwash
Movie • 1983
Marie Davis
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
TV • 1973
Gertrude
Falcon Crest
TV • 1981
Cass
Murder, She Wrote
TV • 1984
Rose Mulligan
Night Court
TV • 1984
Ethel La Rue
CHiPs
TV • 1977
Nancy
The Rookies
TV • 1972
Green Acres
TV • 1965
Starsky & Hutch
TV • 1975
Landlady
Tiny Toon Adventures
TV • 1990
Grandma (voice)
Matlock
TV • 1986
Doris Curtis
Batman
TV • 1966
Chairlady
The Brady Bunch
TV • 1969
That Girl
TV • 1966
One Day at a Time
TV • 1975
Highway to Heaven
TV • 1984
Murphy Brown
TV • 1988
The Asp
Manimal
TV • 1983
Punky Brewster
TV • 1984
How the West Was Won
TV • 1977
Charlie's Angels
TV • 1976
Nurse Fager
Hill Street Blues
TV • 1981
The Commish
TV • 1991
The Bill Cosby Show
TV • 1969
Mrs. Beal
Laverne & Shirley
TV • 1976
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Mrs. Keller
Night Gallery
TV • 1970
New Zoo Revue
TV • 1972
Baywatch
TV • 1989
The Colbys
TV • 1985
Father Murphy
TV • 1981
The Waltons
TV • 1972
The Quest
TV • 1976
The Wizard
TV • 1986
Tillie Russell
The Bradys
TV • 1990
Mister T
TV • 1983
Daniel Boone
TV • 1964
Mrs. Jones
Hong Kong Phooey
TV • 1974
Carter Country
TV • 1977
McCloud
TV • 1970
Matt Houston
TV • 1982
Brothers
TV • 1984
Mrs. Murphy
The Dave Thomas Comedy Show
TV • 1990
Good Heavens
TV • 1976
Foul Play
TV • 1981
No Soap, Radio
TV • 1982
Devlin
TV • 1974
Grizzly Adams
TV • 1977
Gerty
When the Whistle Blows
TV • 1980
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
TV • 1969
Little Dracula
TV • 1991
It Takes Two
TV • 1982
Amazing Stories
TV • 1985
Mrs. Abbott
Nichols
TV • 1971
Minnie Dowd
Quantum Leap
TV • 1989
Dorothy Jaeger
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Hannah
Adam-12
TV • 1968
Mrs. Killian
Taxi
TV • 1978
Mrs. Elizabeth Weber
Charlie's Angels
TV • 1976
Belle Asher
Night Court
TV • 1984
Miss Crombie
The New Adam-12
TV • 1990
Ida Collins
Barney Miller
TV • 1975
Mrs. Hirsch, Homeless Woman
I Dream of Jeannie
TV • 1965
Switchboard Operator
The Second Hundred Years
TV • 1967
Mrs. Sanders
Hollywood Wives
TV • 1985
Nita Carrolle
The Partridge Family
TV • 1970
1st Wife
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
TV • 1976
Miss Adeline Jeeter
Empty Nest
TV • 1988
Mrs. Kramer