Name
Elinor Donahue
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1937-04-19 (89 years old)
Place of Birth
Tacoma, Washington, USA
Biography
Mary Eleanor Donahue (born April 19, 1937), credited as Elinor Donahue, is an American actress, best remembered today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt, on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best.
Donahue achieved stardom for her role as the elder daughter, Betty, on the television family series Father Knows Best. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her younger brother, James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger sister, Kathy.
Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (1953–54). While in the first season of Father Knows Best she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Ray Bolger as a song-and-dance man. Thereafter, she was cast with James Best, Ann Doran, and J. Carrol Naish in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. Marshal. She also appeared as a new bride in the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956.
She played Georgiana Balanger in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace.[5] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives.
She was featured in 12 episodes of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as pharmacist Ellie Walker, even getting a mention in the opening credits. The character was intended to be a love interest for Sheriff Andy Taylor, but after one season (1960–1961), Donahue decided to ask for a release from her three-year contract.[6]
In 1963, Donahue was cast in an episode of NBC's short-lived modern Western series, Redigo, with Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo; then in 1964, she appeared as Melanie in "The Secret in the Stone" in the NBC medical drama dealing with psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy.
Additionally, on February 9, 1963, she played Letty May in the episode "The Burning Tree" on Have Gun Will Travel.
In the 1964–65 season, Donahue costarred as Joan Randall, the daughter of Walter Burnley, played by John McGiver, on the CBS sitcom, Many Happy Returns about the complaint department of a fictitious Los Angeles department store. She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford.
In 1966, she guest starred on the TV series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire."
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- 1990 Pretty Woman as Bridget
- 1978 Doctors' Private Lives as Mona Wise
- 1991 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare as Orphanage Woman
- 1977 Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas as Betty Anderson
- 1950 Singing Guns as Little Girl (uncredited)
- 1952 Love Is Better Than Ever as Pattie Marie Levoy
- 1950 Tea for Two
- 1996 Dear God as Elinor Donahue
- 1978 Police Story: No Margin for Error
- 1972 Gidget Gets Married as Medley Blaine
- 1947 The Unfinished Dance as Josie (as Mary Eleanor Donahue)
- 1948 Three Daring Daughters as Alix Morgan
- 1977 Mulligan's Stew as Jane Mulligan
- 1944 And Now Tomorrow as Janice
- 1951 Her First Romance as Lucille Stewart
- 1943 Mister Big as Muggsy
- 1969 In Name Only as Esther Garrity
- 1977 Dick Clark's Good Old Days
- 1983 Going Berserk as Margaret Anderson
- 1942 Girls' Town as Bit Role (uncredited)
- 1948 Tenth Avenue Angel as Cynthia (uncredited)
- 1946 Winter Wonderland as Betty Wheeler
- 1950 The Happy Years as Connie Brown
- 1983 Just an Overnight Guest
- 1977 The Father Knows Best Reunion as Betty Anderson
- 1959 Girls Town as Mary Lee Morgan
- 1983 High School U.S.A. as Mrs. Franklin
- 1950 My Blue Heaven as Mary (uncredited)
- 1943 Honeymoon Lodge as Janie Thomas
- 1949 An Old-Fashioned Girl as Maud Shaw (as Mary Eleanor Donahue)
- 1959 Imitation of Life as Lora's Friend
- 2016 Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault as Self
- 1984 No Earthly Reason as Mrs. Morrison
- 2004 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as Lady Palimore
- 2001 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within as Rebecca Quinn Dickinson
- 1960 The Andy Griffith Show ( 12 episodes ) as Ellie Walker
- 1984 Murder, She Wrote ( 1 episode ) as Connie Lewis
- 1966 Star Trek ( 1 episode ) as Commissioner Nancy Hedford
- 1994 Ellen ( 1 episode ) as Delores Warwell
- 1972 The Rookies ( 1 episode )
- 1970 The Odd Couple ( 17 episodes ) as Miriam Welby
- 1977 The Love Boat ( 1 episode ) as Rowena
- 1994 Friends ( 1 episode ) as Aunt Lillian
- 1985 The Golden Girls ( 1 episode ) as Katherine
- 1967 The Flying Nun ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Jennifer Ethrington
- 2003 Cold Case ( 1 episode ) as Esther 'Legs' Davis (2005)
- 1978 Diff'rent Strokes ( 1 episode )
- 1996 E! True Hollywood Story ( 1 episode )
- 1992 Eek! The Cat ( 112 episodes ) as Mom (voice)
- 1982 Hotel ( 1 episode ) as Louise
- 1974 Happy Days ( 1 episode )
- 1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman ( 9 episodes ) as Rebecca Quinn
- 1953 General Electric Theater ( 1 episode ) as Carol Madsen
- 1990 Get a Life ( 35 episodes ) as Gradys Peterson
- 1964 Many Happy Returns ( 26 episodes )
- 1963 Redigo ( 1 episode )
- 1962 The Eleventh Hour ( 1 episode )
- 1959 Dennis the Menace ( 1 episode )
- 1976 Battle of the Network Stars ( 1 episode )
- 1987 The New Adventures of Beans Baxter ( 17 episodes ) as Susan Baxter
- 1973 Police Story ( 2 episodes )
- 1954 Father Knows Best ( 203 episodes ) as Betty Anderson
- 1975 S.W.A.T. ( 1 episode )
- 1962 The Virginian ( 1 episode ) as Carole Cole
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode )
- 1966 Occasional Wife ( 1 episode )
- 1977 Mulligan's Stew ( 6 episodes ) as Jane Mulligan
- 1961 Dr. Kildare ( 1 episode ) as Sharon Calloway
- 1969 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ( 1 episode )
- 1953 Letter to Loretta ( 1 episode ) as Debbie Waring
- 1950 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ( 1 episode ) as Emily Vanderlip Foster
- 1977 The Love Boat ( 1 episode ) as Betty Anderson
- 1980 Condominium ( 2 episodes ) as Audrey Ames
- 1953 Letter to Loretta ( 1 episode ) as Janey
- 1977 CHiPs ( 1 episode ) as Elnor Donahue (uncredited)
- 1960 The Brothers Brannagan ( 1 episode ) as Diane
- 1975 One Day at a Time ( 1 episode )
- 1977 The Love Boat ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Van Buren
- 1974 Police Woman ( 1 episode ) as Ellie Tarlow
- 1991 Herman's Head ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Fitzer
- 1989 Coach ( 2 episodes ) as Lorraine
- 1957 Have Gun, Will Travel ( 1 episode ) as Letty Mae Stinchcomb
- 1958 77 Sunset Strip ( 1 episode ) as Laura Holt
- 1973 Barnaby Jones ( 1 episode ) as Judy Corbett
- 1962 The Merv Griffin Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1979 $weepstake$ ( 1 episode )
