Irene Tedrow(1907-1995)
- Actress
Denver-born supporting actress Irene Tedrow is another in a long line
of "I know the face...but not the name" character actors whose
six-decade career was known more for its durability than for the
greatness of roles she played. Born in 1907, she was a lady primarily
of the stage, beginning her acting career as a teen. She trained in
drama at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, PA, graduating with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in 1929. A slim, handsome woman in her early days, her
features grew more severe with age, which ultimately typed her as
puritanical meddlers and no-nonsense matrons practically from her
entrance into film in 1937. She seldom, if ever, found a meaty part,
appearing way, way down the list of credits, if at all. A founding
member of the Old Globe Theatre, she was featured in such classical
productions as "Richard III," "Hamlet" and "Henry IV, Part I." She
became a primary player on radio during the war years, notably for the
maternal role of Mrs. Janet Archer in the popular serial
Meet Corliss Archer (1950),
which she transferred to TV for one season. Her radio role lasted for
nine years (43-52). Irene appeared in hundreds of episodic guest
appearances for nearly 35 years in everything
Dragnet (1951),
The Andy Griffith Show (1960),
and
The Twilight Zone (1959) to
the more recent
The Facts of Life (1979),
St. Elsewhere (1982) and
L.A. Law (1986). Never a regular
series player, she is probably best remembered as the kindly Mrs.
Elkins who appeared occasionally on the
Dennis the Menace (1959)
sitcom. Over the years, Irene never abandoned the stage, gracing a
number of shows in her senior years including "Our Town" on Broadway,
plus "Foxfire," "The Hot L. Baltimore" and "Pygmalion." Continuing to
work as an octogenarian, she died of a stroke at age 87 in the Los
Angeles area.
