Jean Byron (December 10, 1925 – February 3, 2006) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for the role of Natalie Lane, Patty Lane's mother in
The Patty Duke ShowThe Patty Duke Show was an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker...
.
Born
Imogene Burkhart in
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
, she moved to
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was signed to
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
where she chose the name of Jean Byron as a stage moniker. In the 1950s, Byron appeared in several b-movies including
The Magnetic MonsterThe Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
and
Serpent of the Nile, in addition to guest roles on
The MillionaireThe Millionaire is a television drama anthology series that aired on CBS from January 19, 1955 to June 8, 1960, originally sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.. The series explored the ways unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse...
,
The Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. An online search reveals that the UCLA Film and Television Archive has 3 episodes of this forgotten program in its collection....
, and
Science Fiction TheatreScience Fiction Theatre is a syndicated science fiction anthology series. It was produced in the United States by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv....
.
Jean Byron (December 10, 1925 – February 3, 2006) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for the role of Natalie Lane, Patty Lane's mother in
The Patty Duke ShowThe Patty Duke Show was an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker...
.
Early life and career
Born
Imogene Burkhart in
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
, she moved to
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was signed to
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
where she chose the name of Jean Byron as a stage moniker. In the 1950s, Byron appeared in several b-movies including
The Magnetic MonsterThe Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
and
Serpent of the Nile, in addition to guest roles on
The MillionaireThe Millionaire is a television drama anthology series that aired on CBS from January 19, 1955 to June 8, 1960, originally sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.. The series explored the ways unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse...
,
The Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. An online search reveals that the UCLA Film and Television Archive has 3 episodes of this forgotten program in its collection....
, and
Science Fiction TheatreScience Fiction Theatre is a syndicated science fiction anthology series. It was produced in the United States by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv....
. Byron also served as spokeswoman for
Revlon-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the REVLON name....
and
LuxLux soap was first launched in the UK in 1899 as a flaked version of Sunlight soap. Subsequently it was launched in the US in 1916, and marketed as a laundry soap targeted specifically at 'delicates'. Lever Brothers encouraged women to home launder their clothes without fear of satins and silks...
products on
The Rosemary Clooney Show.
In 1959, Byron landed a semi-regular spot on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
's
The Many Loves of Dobie GillisThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is a situation comedy that ran on CBS in the USA from 1959–1963. The television series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis...
playing Dr. Imogene Burkhart, her real name. The following year, she starred in the short lived
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
,
Full Circle. In 1963, she won the role of Natalie Lane on
The Patty Duke Show. After the series ended in 1966, she continued appearing in guest roles on
BatmanBatman is a 1960s American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name, which starred Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, two crime-fighting heroes who defended "Gotham City". It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for two and a half seasons...
,
Marcus Welby, M.D.Marcus Welby, M.D. is a medical drama that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969 to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as the title character, a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
,
MaudeMaude is a half-hour American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978....
, and
HotelHotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
. Byron's last onscreen role was in the 1999
television movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights.
In additional to film and television roles, Byron also worked in regional theater. She portrayed Mama Rose in
GypsyGypsy is a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is usually referred to as simply Gypsy...
and appeared in a production of
Guys and DollsGuys and Dolls is a musical, with the music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon. It also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most...
.
Personal life and death
Byron was married to actor
Michael AnsaraMichael Ansara is a stage, screen and voice actor, best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, and as Commander Kang on three different Star Trek TV series.-Early life and career:...
from 1949 to 1956. The couple had no children and Byron never remarried.
On February 3, 2006, Byron died in
Mobile, AlabamaMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern U.S. state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 198,915 during the 2000 census...
, of complications following
hip replacementHip replacement, also hip arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe physical joint damage as part of hip fracture treatment.-History:The...
surgery.
Selected filmography
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1952 |
Voodoo Tiger |
Phyllis Bruce |
| 1953 |
The Magnetic MonsterThe Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
|
Connie Stewart |
| Serpent of the Nile |
Charmion (Cleopatra's handmaiden) |
| 1955 |
Jungle Moon Men |
Ellen Marsten |
| 1956 |
There's Always Tomorrow |
Miss Byron, saleswoman |
Uncredited |
| Johnny Concho Johnny Concho is a 1956 film starring Frank Sinatra, Phyllis Kirk and Keenan Wynn and directed by Don McGuire. Sinatra's role allowed him to play against type in his portrayal of the film's villain....
|
Pearl Lang |
| 1959 |
Invisible Invaders |
Phyllis Penner |
| 1963 |
Wall of Noise |
Mrs. Harrington |
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1954 |
City Detective City Detective is a half-hour syndicated crime drama starring Rod Cameron as 43-year-old Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The first of three consecutive Rod Cameron series, City Detective aired between January 1, 1953 and May 10, 1955...
|
Reesa
Jean |
2 episodes |
| 1955 |
The Millionaire The Millionaire is a television drama anthology series that aired on CBS from January 19, 1955 to June 8, 1960, originally sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.. The series explored the ways unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse...
|
Betty Jane Ryan/Bea Ryan |
1 episode |
| The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's television program which originally aired in 166 episodes on ABC from October 1954 until August 1959. It starred child actor Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a US Cavalry post...
|
Irene Larrimore |
1 episode |
| You Are There |
Caroline Lucas |
1 episode |
| 1956 |
My Friend Flicka My Friend Flicka is a 39-episode western television series set at the fictitious Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century. The program was filmed in color but initially aired in black and white on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from February 10, 1956, to February 1, 1957. It was a...
|
Barbara Schuyler |
1 episode |
| Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers is a television series broadcast in the United States by NBC during its 1956-57 season.In a period in which much of the programming on U.S. television consisted of Westerns, Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers could best be described as an "Eastern"...
|
Katherine Cheney |
1 episode |
| 1957 |
The 20th Century Fox Hour The 20th Century Fox Hour is an hour-long drama anthology series that was broadcast in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title Hour of Stars .-Characters and stories:During its...
|
Wilma Standish |
1 episode |
| 1958 |
Mickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
|
Miss Lewis |
1 episode |
| Jefferson Drum Jefferson Drum is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards and Eugene Martin on the NBC network that aired from April 25 to December 11, 1958.-Overview:...
|
Angela |
1 episode |
| Yancy Derringer Yancy Derringer is an American cult Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions...
|
Dorinda Ashton |
1 episode |
| 1959 |
The Dennis O'Keefe Show The Dennis O'Keefe Show is a 1959-1960 sitcom which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run, and was largely forgotten until a "Best Of" DVD release by Alpha Video during 2004. Certain episodes of the show can also be seen...
|
Miss Diffendorf |
1 episode |
| 1959-1963 |
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is a situation comedy that ran on CBS in the USA from 1959–1963. The television series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis...
|
Dr. Imogene Burkhart |
18 episodes |
| 1960 |
77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
|
Claire Donaldson |
1 episode |
Hawaiian EyeHawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
|
Karen Ward |
1 episode |
| Tightrope Tightrope was a 1959 half hour weekly CBS American television series produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in cooperation with Screen Gems. It starred Mike Connors as a police undercover agent called "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs...
|
Marla Keel |
1 episode |
| 1961 |
Hennesey Hennesey is a 1959–1962 television series starring Jackie Cooper as an onshore Navy doctor and Abby Dalton as a stunning nurse. The series was midway between a comedy and a drama, and featured such guest stars as Charles Bronson, Marty Ingels, Jack Cassidy, Soupy Sales, James Komack and Frank...
|
Gloria Grayson |
1 episode |
| Bus Stop Bus Stop is a 26-episode drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies...
|
Helen Adamson |
1 episode |
| 1962 |
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season. Starring motion picture star Robert Taylor, the series was produced by Four Star Television.-Synopsis:Taylor starred as Detective Capt...
|
Livona Hart |
1 episode |
| 1963-1966 |
The Patty Duke ShowThe Patty Duke Show was an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker...
|
Natalie Lane |
105 episodes |
| 1968 |
BatmanBatman is a 1960s American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name, which starred Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, two crime-fighting heroes who defended "Gotham City". It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for two and a half seasons...
|
Mrs. Lindseed, Mayor's Wife |
1 episode |
| 1971 |
Columbo |
Pat |
1 episode |
Marcus Welby, M.D.Marcus Welby, M.D. is a medical drama that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969 to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as the title character, a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
|
Dr. Koerner |
1 episode |
| 1972 |
McCloud |
Evelyn Reinhart |
1 episode |
MannixMannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is an Armenian-American private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors, an...
|
Helen |
1 episode |
| 1974 |
MaudeMaude is a half-hour American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978....
|
Housekeeper Applicant |
1 episode |
| 1975 |
S.W.A.T.----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city.-Synopsis:...
|
Nurse Marlowe |
1 episode |
| 1987 |
Hotel Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
|
Dorothy Anderson |
1 episode |
| 1999 |
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights |
Natalie Lane |
Television movie |
External links