Anne Elizabeth Burr, later Anne Burr McDermott (June 10, 1918 - February 1, 2003), was an American actress, known especially for her work on stage and in radio.

Early life

Burr was born at Emerson Hospital in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the daughter of Eugene Palmer Burr, a manager of a rooming company, and Helen Isabel Cummings. Her parents resided in

Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer") , image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...

at the time. Shortly after her birth, Burr's parents moved to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, where they resided on Riverside Drive. By 1930, her family had moved to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, her father's home-state. Burr had one younger brother, Charles Edward Burr (born in 1920 and died in 1938).

Career

Burr made her theatrical debut in

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

before turning to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, making her debut there in ''

Native Son ''Native Son'' (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s. While not apologizing f ...

'' in 1941. She went on to appear in numerous Broadway productions through the 1940s, including ''

Detective Story Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

'' and ''

The Hasty Heart ''The Hasty Heart'' is a 1949 war drama film, an Anglo-American co-production starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd and directed by Vincent Sherman. The film is based on the 1945 play of the same name by John Patrick. ''Th ...

''. On radio, she appeared as Regina Rawlings on ''

Backstage Wife ''Backstage Wife'' is an American soap opera radio program that details the travails of Mary Noble, a girl from a small town in Iowa who came to New York seeking her future. Personnel Vivian Fridell had the title role from 1935 until the early 194 ...

'' from 1948 until 1949; and once her character was written out of the series, she returned again in a similar role as Claudia Vincent. She routinely had roles in such serials as ''

Big Sister Big Sister may refer to: *An older sister, see birth order *Big Sister (brothel), an online brothel in Prague *The Big Sister (Dexter's Laboratory), "The Big Sister" (Dexter's Laboratory), an episode of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' *"Big Sister," a son ...

'', ''

Wendy Warren and the News ''Wendy Warren and the News'' was a radio soap opera in the United States. It was broadcast on CBSSies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 746. weekday afternoons, June 23, ...

'' and ''

When a Girl Marries ''When a Girl Marries'' is an American daytime radio drama that was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington (who also was responsible for ''Pepper Young's Family'' and ''Rosemary''), it was th ...

''. From 1951 until 1958, she was Kate Morrow on the weekly drama '' City Hospital'', reprising the part on the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

from 1952 until 1953. She frequently appeared on '' Studio One'' with

Fletcher Markle Fletcher Markle (March 27, 1921 – May 23, 1991) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter, television producer and director. Markle began a radio career in Canada, then worked in radio, film and television in the United States. Films and television ...

from 1947 until 1948, and from time to time performed parts on other series, such as '' Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons'' and ''

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

''. On television, Burr was an original cast member on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s ''

The Greatest Gift "The Greatest Gift" is a 1943 short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern, loosely based on the Charles Dickens 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'', which became the basis for the film ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946). It was self-published a ...

'', where she played Dr. Eve Allen, one of the first female television doctors, and ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'', where she originated the role of Claire English Lowell, a role she played from 1956 to 1959. Burr also had roles on ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'', ''Studio One'', and '' Suspense''. Burr was briefly blacklisted during the Red Scare, but was nevertheless able to return to television soon thereafter. In 1959, following her departure from

, she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and retired from acting.

Personal life

Twice married, her first husband was Walter Darwin Coy (January 31, 1909 - December 11, 1974), who she married on March 26, 1942 in

. On June 21, 1953, she married her second husband Tom McDermott, a principal in

Four Star Television Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea, it was insp ...

, in

Old Lyme Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in Old Lyme and the ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Death

Burr died in

, of respiratory failure; her husband had predeceased her in 1990. At the time of her death, she was survived by her three children from her second marriage, Maggie, Burr, and Michael, as well as five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burr, Anne 1918 births 2003 deaths American stage actresses American television actresses American radio actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Boston 21st-century American women