Shirley Mitchell | |
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 Mitchell in October 2008 | |
| Born | Shirley J. Mitchell (1919-11-04)November 4, 1919 Toledo, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Died | November 11, 2013(2013-11-11) (aged 94) |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | University of Toledo University of Michigan |
| Occupations | Radio, film, and television actress |
| Years active | 1941–2012 |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | Julian Frieden (1946–1974; divorced; 2 children) Jay Livingston (1992–2001; his death) |
Shirley J. Mitchell (November 4, 1919 – November 11, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress.
Mitchell was born in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Sam Mitchell & Mary Ann Daniels,[2] Jews who emigrated to America to escape the Russian Civil War. She also had a younger brother, Dr. Marvin Mitchell of Watertown, Massachusetts, with whom she was raised in Toledo, Ohio.
Following a move to Chicago, Mitchell appeared in the network radio broadcast ofThe First Nighter Program and played small parts in various soap operas, includingThe Story of Mary Marlin andThe Road of Life. After she moved to Los Angeles, she played oppositeJoan Davis andJack Haley inThe Sealtest Village Store. She also starred as Louella inThe Life of Riley and joined the cast ofFibber McGee and Molly as Alice Darling in 1943. She also played in Amos & Andy andThe Charlotte Greenwood Show.[3]
Her most prominent radio role was that of the charismatic Southern belle Leila Ransom onThe Great Gildersleeve beginning in September 1942. In the third season ofI Love Lucy, from 1953 to 1954, she appeared in three episodes[4] as Marion Strong, one ofLucy Ricardo's friends. She was the last surviving recurring adult cast member following the death ofDoris Singleton in 2012.
In 1961 she appeared in an episode ofThe Tab Hunter Show.
In 1962, she played Janet Colton in 13 episodes of the sitcomPete and Gladys, starringHarry Morgan andCara Williams, withPeter Leeds cast as her husband George Colton. Between 1963 and 1965, she made five appearances onPerry Mason, including the 1965 episode "The Case of the Carefree Coronary," when she played Marilyn David, the widow of a murder victim. In 1964, she played the role of murder victim Elizabeth Bain, although her character was only heard, not seen, in "The Case of the Woeful Widower."
From 1965 to 1967, she appeared as neighbor Marge Thornton onPlease Don't Eat the Daisies.[5] She appeared in several TV shows of the 1960s (likePetticoat Junction as Cousin Mae in 1968) and did voice-over work in subsequent decades. Mitchell voiced Laurie Holliday onHanna-Barbera's short-lived seriesThe Roman Holidays in 1972. She also appeared in an episode of the crime dramaThe Feather and Father Gang in 1977.[6]
In the late 1970s, Mitchell appeared withDon Porter in an episode ofThree's Company.
She became engaged to Dr. Julian H. Frieden by early October 1946, holding her engagement shower at the home of singerDinah Shore.[2] They married on November 23, 1946.[7]
By August 1955, they had two children, a girl (Brooke) and a boy (Scott).[8] Mitchell and Frieden divorced in August 1974. In 1992, she married songwriterJay Livingston, and the two remained married until his death in 2001.
Mitchell died of heart failure on November 11, 2013, aged 94.[4]
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Television portalIt's a boy for Dr. and Mrs. Julian H. Frieden of Hollywood. Mrs. Frieden is Toledo's Shirley Mitchell, well known television and radio actress. She already is the proud mother of a daughter.
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