Beverly Washburn (born November 25, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

drama ''

Old Yeller ''Old Yeller'' is a 1956 children's novel written by Fred Gipson and illustrated by Carl Burger. It received a Newbery Honor in 1957. The title is taken from the name of the yellow dog who is the center of the book's story. In 1957, Walt Disney ...

'' (1957) and the American General Pictures horror ''

Spider Baby ''Spider Baby: or, the Maddest Story Ever Told'' is a 1967 American black comedy horror film, written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Bruno, the chauffeur and caretaker of three orphaned siblings who suffer from "Merrye Sy ...

'' (1967).

Early years

Washburn was born in

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' ...

, California, on November 25, 1943, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Washburn of Hollywood. She is the aunt of actress

Darlene Tompkins Darlene Tompkins (November 16, 1940 – July 18, 2019) was an American actress. Biography She was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 6,1940. Her birth name was Darlene Perfect, but her parents were divorced when she reached the age of five a ...

Career

Washburn began her career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...

, when she was 3 years old, appearing in ''

The Killer That Stalked New York ''The Killer That Stalked New York'' (also known as ''Frightened City'') is a 1950 American film noir directed by Earl McEvoy and starring Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin and William Bishop. The film, shot on location and in a semi-documentary styl ...

'' (1950) and

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

's ''

Here Comes the Groom ''Here Comes the Groom'' is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Based on a story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien, the film is about a foreign correspondent w ...

'' (1951). Her subsequent film credits included a supporting role in the

feature ''

'' (1957). By age 16, she had appeared in 10 films and more than 500 television programs. On television, Washburn portrayed Kathryn "Kit" Wilson, on ''Professional Father'', Shirley Mitchell on ''

Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing frie ...

'', and Vickie Massey on ''

The New Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...

''. She was also seen regularly on ''A Letter to Loretta'' and ''The Loretta Young Theater''. Washburn is the author of ''Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story, Take Two'', which BearManor Media re-released in 2013.

Filmography

Film

Partial television

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Washburn, Beverly 1943 births Living people American film actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American child actresses 21st-century American women