Fran Ryan
Acting
Born: November 29, 1916 · Los Angeles, California, USA
Died: January 15, 2000 (aged 83)
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
Rocky II
1979
Pale Rider
1985
Stripes
1981
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
Quantum Leap
1989
Batman
1966
Baywatch
1989
Tiny Toon Adventures
1990
Family Plot
1976
Murder, She Wrote
1984
The Sure Thing
1985
The Long Riders
1980
Photos (2)
Movies (45)
Rocky II
Adrian's Nurse (uncredited)
Pale Rider
Ma Blankenship
Stripes
Dowager in Cab
The Long Riders
Mrs. Samuel
Straight Time
Cafe Owner
Chances Are
Mavis Talmadge
Family Plot
Registrar Clerk (uncredited)
The Sure Thing
Lady in Car
Private School
Miss Dutchbok
The Million Dollar Duck
Mrs. Purdham (uncredited)
Big Wednesday
Lucy
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Mrs. Stockley
Stewardess School
Fainting Lady
Suture
Mrs. Lucerne
Tough Enough
Gert Long
Johnny Belinda
Aunt Aggie McAdam
Out Cold
Arlene
Fuzzbucket
Mrs. Langendorf
Hog Wild
Flora
Savannah Smiles
Farmer Wilma
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Miss Grundy
Quiet Cool
Ma
Eyes of Fire
Sister (Calvin's Wife)
Nick Knight
Jeannie
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
Hannah
Rebel Love
Granny Plug
River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene
Hattie Clandell
Scandalous John
Farm Woman
Mickey One
Homeless Woman (uncredited)
Long Way Home
Marvis Bidwell
Deadly Game
Frieda Beezly
Lucky Stiff
Ma
Brainwash
Marie Davis
Panic in Echo Park
1977
Goldie and the Boxer
Ethel
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
1969
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Millie Clark
Father of Hell Town
Mother Maggie
Thanksgiving Day
Lois
Stalk the Wild Child
Ellen Mott
Americana
Colonel
Christmas Mountain: The Story Of A Cowboy Angel
Flora
The Great Brain
Aunt Bertha
The Adventures of Nellie Bly
Mrs. Roman
The Front Line
Haughty Customer
TV Shows (65)
Murder, She Wrote
Rose Mulligan · 1 eps
Quantum Leap
Dorothy Jaeger · 1 eps
Baywatch
1 eps
Taxi
Mrs. Elizabeth Weber · 1 eps
Hill Street Blues
1 eps
Murphy Brown
The Asp · 1 eps
Falcon Crest
Cass · 1 eps
Adam-12
Mrs. Killian · 1 eps
The Waltons
1 eps
One Day at a Time
1 eps
Batman
Chairlady · 1 eps
Charlie's Angels
Nurse Fager · 1 eps
Charlie's Angels
Belle Asher · 1 eps
Night Court
Ethel La Rue · 1 eps
Night Court
Miss Crombie · 2 eps
Matlock
Doris Curtis · 1 eps
Green Acres
2 eps
I Dream of Jeannie
Switchboard Operator · 1 eps
The Partridge Family
1st Wife · 1 eps
Daniel Boone
Mrs. Jones · 1 eps
Starsky & Hutch
Landlady · 3 eps
Barney Miller
Mrs. Hirsch, Homeless Woman · 1 eps
Highway to Heaven
2 eps
Night Gallery
1 eps
Gunsmoke
Mrs. Keller · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Hannah · 5 eps
The Brady Bunch
1 eps
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Miss Adeline Jeeter · 15 eps
Matt Houston
1 eps
Empty Nest
Mrs. Kramer · 1 eps
Laverne & Shirley
1 eps
Amazing Stories
Mrs. Abbott · 1 eps
That Girl
1 eps
McCloud
1 eps
The Commish
2 eps
The Rookies
1 eps
Tiny Toon Adventures
Grandma (voice) · 1 eps
How the West Was Won
1 eps
Punky Brewster
1 eps
Brothers
Mrs. Murphy · 1 eps
CHiPs
Nancy · 2 eps
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
Dick's mother · 1 eps
Grizzly Adams
Gerty · 1 eps
Hong Kong Phooey
31 eps
The Colbys
1 eps
The Quest
Mag Wood · 1 eps
The Bill Cosby Show
Mrs. Beal · 1 eps
Nichols
Minnie Dowd · 1 eps
Manimal
1 eps
The New Adam-12
Ida Collins · 1 eps
The Wizard
Tillie Russell · 19 eps
Father Murphy
1 eps
Carter Country
1 eps
Little Dracula
26 eps
Hollywood Wives
Nita Carrolle · 1 eps
Mister T
30 eps
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Gertrude · 29 eps
Devlin
16 eps
The Second Hundred Years
Mrs. Sanders · 1 eps
Good Heavens
1 eps
It Takes Two
1 eps
When the Whistle Blows
1 eps
Foul Play
1 eps
The Bradys
1 eps
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1 eps