Irene Ryan was successful prior to ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’
The actress made a name for herself before she was known as Daisy Mae Moses, AKA Granny Clampett.
Irene Ryan is best known for her comedic role of Daisy Mae Moses, AKA Granny Clampett on the hit television series THE BEVERLY HILlBILLIES from 1962-1971. Ryan portrayed her character as a wise-cracking, shotgun toting. moonshine making woman who lived by the code of the Tennesse Hills. Granny owned Confederate money and truly believed the south would rise again. The actress embodied the character of Granny body and soul and gave her fans many memorable moments. THE BEVERLYHILlBILIES can still be seen in syndication on cable networks and also streaming services such as Hulu and Roku.
Irene Ryan was nominated for Emmy’s for Outstanding lead actress in a Comedy role as Granny in 1963 and 1964. For many who enjoyed The BEVERLY HILLBILLIES the only face, and or role they can attach to Irene Ryan is her character of Granny. I’ve always wondered what more the actress achieved and what her early life was like. I’ve even pondered what she looked like in her younger years and outside of her persona as the root doctor from the hills. Thanks to the Internet long time fans can now find out information that once was not readily available.Ryan was born Jessie Irene Noblitt on October 17, 1902 and passed away at age 70 on April 26, 1973. The professional last name she used came from her first husband Tim Ryan who was her partner early on in her career. Prior to her popular role as Daisy Moses, Ryan was a comedienne who found success in radio, film, vaudeville, television, and Broadway. Her career actually began at the age of 11 when she won $3 in an amateur contest for singing “Pretty Baby” at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco.
When she was 20, Irene married Tim Ryan who was a writer-comedian. Together they performed in vaudeville as a double act and were known in show business as a “Dumb Dora” routine. They began their professional work together as Tim Ryan and Irene Nobelette and later were known simply as “Tim and Irene”. Between 1935 and 1937 the couple starred in 11 short comedies for Educational Pictures. These films were usually vehicles for the dup to showcase their vaudevillian dialogue. Irene was portrayed as a flighty young woman who drove Tim to distraction. Tim frequently asked his wife “Will you stop?”, and this became a catchphrase for the couple.
The Ryans divorced in 1942 without children and in 1943 Irene Ryan appeared in the country music film O, My Darling Clementine. In 1946 Irene wed Harold E. Knox, but they divorced in 1961, also without children. The actress continued working in motion pictures into the late 1940s and early 1950s, usually portraying fussy or nervous types of women. She made her first television sitcom appearance in January 1955, in an episode of The Danny Thomas Show on CBS.
In 1959 Ryan was on the ABC sitcom The Real McCoys, and also appeared in the 1960-1961 CBS sitcom Bringing Up Buddy. She was also in a 1962 episode of My Three Sons. In 1965, Ryan signed a two-year contract to perform at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1966, Irene Ryan portrayed Granny in the comedy Don’t Worry, We’ll Think of a Title, co-starring Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. She starred as Berthe in the Bob Fosse-directed Broadway musical Pippin, in 1972.Granny, ate healthy food and believed in clean living and country air, and using herbs as medicine. Irene Ryan on the other hand was a chain smoker. Her co-star Max Baer once stated that the entire cast was worried about her health because she smoked so many cigarettes. On March 10, 1973, during a performance of Pippin Irene Ryan had an apparent stroke. She died on April 26 of that year and the official cause of death was a brain tumor. Irene Ryan lives on not just in reruns of The Beverly Hillbilies, but in the hearts of those who have continued to enjoy the show close to 50 years.
