Barbara Billingsley (born Barbara Lillian Combes; December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010)[1] was an American film, television, voice, and stage actress. (1980), as a passenger who could "speak jive." [6], After attending Los Angeles Junior College for one year, Billingsley traveled to Broadway, when Straw Hat, a revue in which she was appearing, attracted enough attention to send it to New York City. Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, declared after her death: “She will be missed by all of her family, friends, fans and most especially by me.”, Just three days after her passing, actor Tom Bosley also died. The tombstone and grave site of Barbara Billingsley Mortensen, born as Barbara Lillian Combes, December 22, 1915 in Los Angeles, California. About. Now in her 90s, Billingsley recently completed a role on NBC's sitcom "My Name Is Earl ". Before she became a successful actress, Barbara once worked with a magician. Barbara was a member of the Unity Church, a New Thought Christian organization. Parents. And a lot of people, you know, when they see her talk jive talk, they always say she can do other things besides be a mom on Leave It to Beaver. They were married until Kellino's death in 1956. She made her final onscreen appearance in the 2003 television movie Secret Santa. In 1998, she appeared on Candid Camera, along with June Lockhart and Isabel Sanford, as audience members in a spoof seminar on motherhood. Billingsley was the surname of her first husband. Billingsley was born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles, California. Billingsley died of polymyalgia at her home in Santa Monica, California, on October 16, 2010, at the age of 94. June Cleaver was […] [citation needed]. Her second husband was director Roy Kellino, who died just months before she landed the June Cleaver role. I have watched “Leave it to beaver” all my life. In the follow-up year, Billingsley co-starred opposite Natalie Trundy and Dean Stockwell in a film titled – ”The Careless Years.”, In the same year, Barbara appeared on the series – ”Make Room for Daddy” in the episode “Danny’s Date.”. During the 1940s, Barbara had several uncredited roles in major motion pictures. Lillian Agnes McLaughlin Combes 1891 – 1956. Contribute. Sep 11, 2020 - Explore Lacey Lynn's board "Barbara Billingsley", followed by 139 people on Pinterest. She also appeared in the subsequent revival of the series, The New Leave It to Beaver, from 1985 to 1989. She grew up in Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles Junior College before going to New York to pursue an acting career. She later married Roy Kellino, a director. I had two boys at home when I did the show. After her parents divorced when she was 4, Ms. Billingsley grew up in a single-parent home. The couple divorced on February 13, 1947. In the show, Billingsley often could be seen doing household chores wearing pearls and earrings. They were reunited on The New Leave It to Beaver. In 1959, she wed physician Bill Mortenson and the couple remained married until his death in 1981. Trevor Harris has returned home after 10 years as his wife is dying and he wants to ensure his children have a good home with Jill Garson instead of family patriarch Edgar Thorne. Image dated December 6, 1957. “Our family after I married Dr. Bill turned out to be like the Cleavers.”. [14] They had two sons and divorced in 1947. Then Roy died, and nothing came of that series.”. The series lasted one season. Barbara Billingsley (born Barbara Lillian Combes on December 22, 1922 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. The 1920 U.S. Federal Census for Los Angeles, California, documents the entire Combes household, including Lillian Combes as head of household, divorced, and with two daughters, Elizabeth, age eight, and Barbara, age four. In 1983, she reprised her role as June Cleaver in the Leave It to Beaver reunion television movie titled Still the Beaver in 1983. [16] Billingsley's third and final marriage was to William S. Mortensen. However, when Thorne is shot, Harris is charged. She married Glenn Billingsley, Sr. (1912–1984) in 1941. [citation needed], After the show's cancellation in 1963, Mathers remained her close friend. Complete Wiki Biography of Barbara Billingsley, which contains net worth and salary earnings in 2021. And in a lot of ways, just like All in the Family, we kind of stifled her, because her true talent didn't really come out in Leave It to Beaver. After her marriage with Sherman, she also changed her name from Combes to Billingsley.Gradually, the actress also involved in her husband's business work. Personal life. Barbara Billingsley was previously married to William Mortensen (1959 - 1981), Roy Kellino (1953 - 1956) and Glenn Billingsley (1941 - 1947). The actress had what she termed "a hollow" on her neck[2][7] and thought that wearing a strand of white pearls would lighten it up for the cameras. ”Husband Roy died on a Saturday, while we were gardening.”, ”The Thursday before, I was up for the part of the mother in a series Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher were working on. In later seasons, she started wearing high heels to compensate for the fact that the actors playing her sons were getting taller than she was. She appeared as the "Jive Lady" in Airplane! Barbara Billingsley was in an on-screen matchup with Hugh Beaumont in Leave It to Beaver (1957).. Barbara Billingsley is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors from California and American television actors.. Gallery" 1957-1963 Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers. Billingsley divorced Glenn Billingsley, but kept his surname professionally. Thanks again. Barbara Billingsley (born Barbara Lillian Combes; December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010) was an American film, television, voice, and stage actress. Mortensen was the surname of her third husband. Barbara Billingsley, devoted sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend was called to be with the Lord on June 13, 2020. She was the straight woman, but she has an awful lot of talent. Aug 30, 2018 - Explore Oscar Guardado's board "Barbara Billingsley" on Pinterest. June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) is the wife of Ward Cleaver and the mother of two sons, Wallace (Wally) and Theodore (Beaver, the series' main character).She grew up in the Mayfield area and spent summers in Riverside, a community a few hours away, with her Aunt Martha Bronson, whom she says "practically raised her." Inspired by his friend’s wisdom, Charles began writing the song— which he later finished with Tony Wood—claiming the lyrics, “You’re in the grip of His grace, in the palm of His hand/Maybe the eye of the storm is the center of His plan. Barbara Billingsley was an American actress who played the same character (June Cleaver) on 6 different series – Hi Honey, I’m Home (1991), Baby Boom (1988), Still the Beaver (1983), Movie Macabre (1981), The Love Boat (1977), and Leave It to Beaver (1957). After the death of her second husband, Barbara married William Mortensen, a Santa Monica physician and widower, who was an old friend of the Kellinos. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie The Careless Years, acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best known role, that of June Cleaver, the mother in the television series Leave It … Oprah Winfrey once said that Barbara was her childhood television heroine. See Barbara Billingsley's full interview at http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/barbara-billingsley from the Archive of American Television. LOS ANGELES -- Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver, the quintessential 1950s sitcom mom on "Leave It to Beaver," and later did a memorable send-up of her white-bread image playing https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/barbara-billingsley She later remarried to Roy Kellino in 1953, but this marriage ended in 1956 with Kellino’s death. Robert J. McLaughlin 1910 – 1994. Barbara you where a great mom and how you got everything done keep up with 2 boys and spouse and even have friend over you will be missed rest in peace. However, the marriage ended in 1981 when Mortensen passed away. Throughout her thirty-five year acting career, she used the stage name of Barbara Billingsley. Maria Combes's birth and death dates are listed on the Social Security Death Index, accessed on ancestry.com on October 17, 2010. Barbara Billingsleytook on her new last name in 1941 when she married Glenn Billingsley. Directed by Jesse Hibbs. In 1956, she had a role in The Brothers (with Bob Sweeney and Gale Gordon). Her first husband, Glen Billingsley, was the father of her children, Drew and Glenn Jr. Billingsley was voted high school prom queen. "[10], Billingsley, however, questioned her character's reactions to the Cleaver children's misbehavior, basing her concern on personal experience as the mother of two sons. As a result, many of Beaver's crimes have been rewritten into something really heinous like lying about them, in order to give his mother a strong motive for blowing her lady-like stack. Glenn Billingsley was a restaurateur and a nephew of Sherman Billingsley, owner of the Stork Club. Is a modern art sculptor, and is represented exclusively by Karen Lynne Gallery in Beverly Hills. In 1959, Billingsley married William Mortensen. Peter was born on April 16, 1971, in New York City to English ancestry.. Billingsley explained her view on the enduring appeal of the Leave It to Beaver characters: "I think everybody would like a family like that. On October 16, 2010, Barbara had died of polymyalgia, at her home in Santa Monica, California, USA. The Smuggling Story)", Episode: "Eli Whitney Invents the Cotton Gin (May 27, 1793)", Game Show Participant / Celebrity Guest Star, Episode: "Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers", Episode: "Jerry: Portrait of a Video Junkie", Episode: "My Nurse Is Back and There's Gonna Be Trouble...", This page was last edited on 6 January 2021, at 09:39. His businesses included Billingsley's Golden Bull, Billingsley's Bocage, and the Outrigger Polynesian restaurants in Los Angeles, and a Stork Club in Key West, Florida, where the couple lived briefly following their wedding. The pearls would hide the scar from viewers, which made Billingsley more confident about her appearance. Barbara Billingsley (born Barbara Lillian Combes; December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010) [1] was an American film, television, voice, and stage actress. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Barbara Billingsley, Mother on 'Leave It to Beaver', Dies at 94", "Barbara Billingsley, 94, Dies; Actress Was Model Mom on 'Leave It To Beaver, "Barbara Billingsley, Iconic TV Mom June Cleaver, Dead at 94", "Leave It to Beaver's Barbara Billingsley Loved Being America's Mom", "Barbara Billingsley, TV's June Cleaver, Dies at 94", "Santa Monica Consolidates Cemetery Prices", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbara_Billingsley&oldid=998637500, Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Barb's Friend at Maisie's Engagement Party, Episode: "The Long Beach Story (a.k.a. rest in peace. She began her career with uncredited roles in Three Guys Named Mike (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Invaders from Mars (1953) and was featured in the 1957 movie The Careless Years, opposite Natalie Trundy before appearing in recurring TV roles such as The Brothers. Billingsley had one regret about the show's lasting success: residual payments ended after six reruns in standard 1950s actors' contracts. On November 15, 1953, she got married to Roy Kellino. The younger actor considered Billingsley a mentor, a second mother, and a close professional friend: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Barbara was always, though, a true role model for me. Only one sibling, Elizabeth, is cited on 1920 and 1930 U.S. Federal Censuses, accessed on ancestry.com on October 17, 2010. [5] After the divorce, Billingsley's mother began working as a foreman at a knitting mill. She had one elder sibling, Elizabeth (1911–1992). She was sometimes credited as Barbara Billinsley. Glenn Jr married Karen Zappas in 1976, and are still together. [citation needed], After The New Leave It to Beaver ended its run in 1989, Billingsley appeared in guest roles on Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Empty Nest, and Murphy Brown. Barbara Billingsley (1915–2010) Actress | Soundtrack Trailer. She gained prominence in the 1950s movie The Careless Years, acting opposite Natalie Trundy, followed by her best known role, that of June Cleaver, the mother in the television series Leave It … Prior to becoming the iconic perfect mom of the 1960s, she had roles on two other television series, as a doctor's wife on the quickly-canceled Professional Father , and as Gale Gordon 's girlfriend on The Brothers . Genealogy for Barbara Lillian Billingsley (Combes) (1915 - 2010) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Barbara changed her name from Combes to Billingsley when she married Glenn. After Billingsley signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1957, she made her mark on TV as everyday mother June Cleaver in family sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Loving sister to Ed (Jan) Billingsley, John (Michelle) Billingsley, Tom (Joan) Billingsley, Bernard (Patty) Billingsley, Forest Billingsley, Walter (Clarissa) Billingsley, and Michael (Vicky Ramirez) Billingsley. Peter Billingsley was born on April 16, 1971, in New York. ... She and her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, a successful restaurateur, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr. She set a good example for what a wife could be. Empty Nest View Show Page. In 1934, she graduated from George Washington High School in LA, California. Hugh Beaumont had died the previous year of a heart attack, so she played his widow. [17] She is interred at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica.[18]. In her personal life, Barbara Billingsley was a mother to two sons and married three times. The following year, Billingsley had a recurring role in The Brothers (with Gale Gordon and Bob Sweeney), as well as an appearance with David Niven in his anthology series Four Star Playhouse. [13], Returning to TV work, she appeared on episodes of Mork & Mindy and The Love Boat. Barbara Billingsley was an American film, television, voice, and stage actress. She was a great actress. Barbara changed her name from Combes to Billingsley when she married Glenn. Billingsley gained prominence for her best-known role of June Cleaver, the mother in the television series Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963) and its sequel The New Leave It to Beaver (1983–1989). [citation needed]. 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