Cheerio Meredith (born Edwina Lucille Hoffmann; July 12, 1890 – December 25, 1964) was an American

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

. She was described in a 1963 newspaper article as having "a face like a wrinkled rosebud."

Early life

Meredith was born in 1890; her mother was an

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

ist in the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

movement, and one of her grandmothers was an evangelist. Meredith made her own debut on stage with a monologue at age 3. The name Cheerio resulted from her cheerful attitude as a child. As a teenager, Meredith sought to play older characters. At age 15, she asked a producer to give her the part of an old woman, and he made her a witch in the play.

Film and television

Films in which Meredith appeared included ''Brand of Courage'' (1958), ''The Long Count'' (1962), '' The Fat Man'' (1951), ''

I'll Cry Tomorrow ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955) is a biopic that tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and struggles with alcoholism after the death of her fiancé. It stars Susan Hayward, Richard ...

'' (1955), ''

I Married a Woman ''I Married a Woman'' is a 1958 American comedy film made in 1956, directed by Hal Kanter, written by Goodman Ace and starring George Gobel, Diana Dors and Adolphe Menjou. The picture was produced by Gobel's company Gomalco Productions. ''I Mar ...

'' (1958), ''

The Legend of Tom Dooley ''The Legend of Tom Dooley'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Ted Post and starring Michael Landon, Jo Morrow, Jack Hogan, Richard Rust, Dee Pollock and Ken Lynch. It was based on the 90-year-old folk song " Tom Dooley", which had been ...

''(1958), ''

The Three Stooges in Orbit ''The Three Stooges In Orbit'' is a 1962 American comedy science fiction film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the fourth feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Ho ...

'' (1962), and''

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm ''The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm'' is a 1962 American fantasy film directed by Henry Levin and George Pal. The latter was the producer and also in charge of the stop motion animation. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of ...

'' (1962).'''' On television, Meredith portrayed Lovey Hackett on ''

One Happy Family ''One Happy Family'' is an American sitcom television series where newlyweds Dick and Penny Cooper live with both her parents ("The Hogans") and grandparents ("The Hacketts") all in the same house together that aired from January 13 until June 23, ...

'' (1961). She also was seen regularly on '' The Ames Brothers Show'' (1955) and had the role of Emma Brand (later Emma Watson) on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

.'' Mary Lou Gedman wrote about Meredith's role on the Griffith show, "During her two-year stint on the show, she only appeared in six episodes but somehow, to the American people, she made a lasting impression." She also had roles in other programs such as ''

December Bride ''December Bride'' is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network from 1954 to 1959. It was adapted from the original CBS radio network series of the same name that aired from June 1952 through September 1953. Overview ''Dec ...

'', ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Product ...

'', ''

The Tom Ewell Show ''The Tom Ewell Show'', also known as ''The Trouble With Tom'', is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1960-61 television season. It depicts the challenges a husband and father faces as he resides in a household otherwise c ...

'', and ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

.''

Personal life and death

Meredith was twice married and had four children, three of whom acted on Broadway before going into other careers. The fourth became a producer of plays. In December 1964, "after a long illness", Meredith died at the

Motion Picture Country House and Hospital The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temp ...

in Woodland Hills, California. She was 74 years old. Meredith was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Cheerio 1890 births 1964 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses American television actresses