Acting
Fran Ryan
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
Suture
Film · 1993
River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene
Film · 1993
The Commish
Series · 1991
Little Dracula
Series · 1991
Thanksgiving Day
Film · 1990
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Film · 1990
Tiny Toon Adventures
Series · 1990
The Bradys
Series · 1990
The Dave Thomas Comedy Show
Series · 1990
The New Adam-12
Series · 1990
Out Cold
Film · 1989
Nick Knight
Film · 1989
Chances Are
Film · 1989
Baywatch
Series · 1989
Quantum Leap
Series · 1989
Lucky Stiff
Film · 1988
Murphy Brown
Series · 1988
Empty Nest
Series · 1988
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
Film · 1987
Quiet Cool
Film · 1986
Stewardess School
Film · 1986
Fuzzbucket
Film · 1986
Matlock
Series · 1986
The Wizard
Series · 1986
Pale Rider
Film · 1985
Father of Hell Town
Film · 1985
Rebel Love
Film · 1985
The Sure Thing
Film · 1985
The Colbys
Series · 1985
Amazing Stories
Series · 1985
Hollywood Wives
Series · 1985
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Film · 1984
Murder, She Wrote
Series · 1984
Night Court
Series · 1984
Highway to Heaven
Series · 1984
Punky Brewster
Series · 1984
Brothers
Series · 1984
Night Court
Series · 1984
Private School
Film · 1983
Ghost Dancing
Film · 1983
Eyes of Fire
Film · 1983
Tough Enough
Film · 1983
Brainwash
Film · 1983
Manimal
Series · 1983
Mister T
Series · 1983
Johnny Belinda
Film · 1982
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice
Film · 1982
Savannah Smiles
Film · 1982
Shoot the Moon
Film · 1982
Matt Houston
Series · 1982
No Soap, Radio
Series · 1982
It Takes Two
Series · 1982
The Adventures of Nellie Bly
Film · 1981
Americana
Film · 1981
Christmas Mountain: The Story Of A Cowboy Angel
Film · 1981
Stripes
Film · 1981
Falcon Crest
Series · 1981
Hill Street Blues
Series · 1981
Father Murphy
Series · 1981
Foul Play
Series · 1981
The Long Riders
Film · 1980
When the Whistle Blows
Series · 1980
Goldie and the Boxer
Film · 1979
Rocky II
Film · 1979
Straight Time
Film · 1978
The Great Brain
Film · 1978
Big Wednesday
Film · 1978
Taxi
Series · 1978
Deadly Game
Film · 1977
Panic in Echo Park
Film · 1977
CHiPs
Series · 1977
How the West Was Won
Series · 1977
Carter Country
Series · 1977
Grizzly Adams
Series · 1977
Family Plot
Film · 1976
Stalk the Wild Child
Film · 1976
Liza’s Pioneer Diary
Film · 1976
Charlie's Angels
Series · 1976
Laverne & Shirley
Series · 1976
The Quest
Series · 1976
Good Heavens
Series · 1976
Charlie's Angels
Series · 1976
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Series · 1976
The Apple Dumpling Gang
Film · 1975
Long Way Home
Film · 1975
Starsky & Hutch
Series · 1975
One Day at a Time
Series · 1975
Barney Miller
Series · 1975
Hog Wild
Film · 1974
Hong Kong Phooey
Series · 1974
Devlin
Series · 1974
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Series · 1973
The Rookies
Series · 1972
New Zoo Revue
Series · 1972
The Waltons
Series · 1972
Scandalous John
Film · 1971
The Million Dollar Duck
Film · 1971
Nichols
Series · 1971
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
Series · 1971
Night Gallery
Series · 1970
McCloud
Series · 1970
The Partridge Family
Series · 1970
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Film · 1969
The Brady Bunch
Series · 1969
The Bill Cosby Show
Series · 1969
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Series · 1969
Adam-12
Series · 1968
The Second Hundred Years
Series · 1967
Batman
Series · 1966
That Girl
Series · 1966
The Front Line
Film · 1965
Mickey One
Film · 1965
Green Acres
Series · 1965
I Dream of Jeannie
Series · 1965
Daniel Boone
Series · 1964
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955