Jeff Donnell

Jeff Donnell

Donnell in In a Lonely Place (1950).
Born Jean Marie Donnell
(1921-07-10)July 10, 1921
Windham, Maine, U.S.
Died April 11, 1988(1988-04-11) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active 1942–1988
Spouse(s) William Anderson (1940–1953)
Aldo Ray (1954–1956)
John Bricker (1958–1963)
Radcliffe Bealey (1974–1975)
Children Michael Phineas (b. 1942)
Sarah Jane (b. 1948)
Parent(s) Harold and Mildred Donnell

Jeff Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American film and television actress.

Early years

Born Jean Marie Donnell, she grew up in South Windham, Maine. As a child, she adopted the nickname "Jeff" after the character in her favorite comic strip, Mutt and Jeff.[1] To avoid gender confusion, she was sometimes billed as "(Miss) Jeff Donnell."

Donnell graduated from Towson High School, Towson, Maryland, in 1938 and attended the Leland Powers School of Drama in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, she studied at the Yale School of Drama.[1]

Career

Donnell was signed to a contract by Columbia Pictures while she was active with the Farragut Playhouse in New Hampshire, and she made her film debut in My Sister Eileen (1942).[2] She later had roles in some RKO films.

She was not a major star, but she did have a lengthy film and television career in various supporting roles, including the role of Gidget's mother, "Dorothy Lawrence", in Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome.[2] She also played Hannah Marshall in the Gidget television series.[3]:391 She portrayed Mrs. Bennett in Julia,[3]:548 and in 1966 she made five appearances on Dr. Kildare as Evelyn Driscoll.

For three seasons, she portrayed George Gobel's wife, Alice, in The George Gobel Show (1954–1957) on NBC-TV,[3] and she played Ethel on the Matt Helm TV series.[3]:667

Her other notable appearances in movies and television include:

Death

Donnell died of a heart attack on April 11, 1988, aged 66. Her sudden absence from General Hospital, on which she had a recurring role as the Quartermaines' housekeeper at the time of her death, was explained away by the writers as her character having won the lottery and quit her job.

References

  1. 1 2 Wade Ballard, "The Jeff Donnell Story"
  2. 1 2 Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 198–199. ISBN 9781557835512. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
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