Corinne Alexandra Conley (born May 23, 1929) is an American actress who spent the majority of her career in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, notable for having won the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists' Best Actress Award. Conley is known for her voiceover work in various films and television productions and is better recognized for voicing Rudolph's mother and presumably

Dolly for Sue ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' is a 1964 Christmas stop motion animation, animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, Videocraft International, Ltd. (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions) and currently distributed by N ...

in ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1964). Conley's acting career has spanned seventy years, receiving several nominations for her work. She has also made prominent and notable appearances in ''

Tales of the Wizard of Oz ''Tales of the Wizard of Oz'' is a 1961 animated television series produced by Crawley Films for Videocraft (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions). This is the second animated series produced by the studio and the first by Rankin/Bass to feature ...

'' as

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of its ...

(1961), '' Days of Our Lives'' as

Phyllis Anderson The following is an alphabetical list of characters (and their performers) from the NBC soap opera '' Days of Our Lives'', sorted by character surname. A ;Annabelle :Alisa Alapach (2016) ;Artemis : Kwesi Boakye (2007) ;Umar Abboud : Rick Fitts ...

(1973-1982), the ''

Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually ...

'' episode "Monster Blood" as Aunt Katherine (1996), ''

Quads! ''John Callahan's Quads!'' (or simply ''Quads!'') is an adult animation, adult cartoon produced by Nelvana. It was created by and based upon the work of John Callahan (cartoonist), John Callahan, who also created another Nelvana-produced cartoon, ...

'' as Sister Butch (2001-2002), '' A Christmas Horror Story'' as Aunt Edda (2015), and voicing multiple characters in the '' Watch Dogs: Legion'' video game (2020).

Acting career

For two years, she played the ingenue lead in ''

The Common Glory ''The Common Glory'' was an outdoor symphonic drama by Paul Green presented along Lake Matoaka on the campus of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, from 1947 to 1976, except for two years. The drama covered a span from the ...

'', an outdoor drama in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

. For four years, Conley portrayed Phyllis Anderson on the NBC-TV daytime drama '' Days of Our Lives''. She also provided the voice of Dolly Sue and Rudolph’s mother in the 1964 animated NBC-TV special ''

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...

''. Conley was a winner of the Canadian radio talent competition '' Opportunity Knocks''. Beginning in 1955, she was hostess of ''Open House'', a daily program on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. She played the female lead in CBC-TV's adaptation of the soap opera ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

''. Other Canadian TV programs on which she appeared included ''Playdate'', ''G. M. Presents'', and ''Portrait''. She also was heard on ''Crime Quiz'' on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

, and she made commercials for radio and TV. On Broadway, Conley portrayed Pearl Vambrance in ''Love and Libel'' (1960). Her other stage experience includes productions of the National Classic Theatre (NCT) in New York, which presented plays across the United States in colleges and high schools, and The Mountain Playhouse, Beaver Lake, and Vineland Summer Theatre, all in Canada. She also performed with the comedy duo

Wayne and Shuster Wayne and Shuster were a Canadian double act, comedy duo formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. They were active professionally from the early 1940s until the late 1980s, first as a live act, then on radio, then as part of ''The Army Show'' ...

across Canada. In an interview with ''Saturday Morning Rewind'' in 2013, Conley admitted to having no memory of voicing

during the production of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1964), but remembers voicing Rudolph's mother. She told the interviewer that the possibility of voicing Dolly is likely, but has no memory of it. According to several movie databases and websites, Corinne Conley is credited as Dolly for Sue and additional voices. In 2018, Conley defended the ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' TV film against claims of bigotry and bullying.

Personal life

Conley was born in New York and spent most of her youth in

Radford, Virginia Radford (formerly Lovely Mount, Central City, English Ferry and Ingle's Ferry) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2020, the population was 16,070 by the United States Census Bureau. For statistical purposes, the Bureau ...

. After graduating from high school in Radford, she graduated from the

University of Mary Washington The University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the Fredericksburg Teachers College, the institution was named Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washi ...

in Virginia. Conley married Bonar Stuart, whom she met when both worked with the NCT. They have two sons, Tony and Curtis.

Filmography

*''Tit Coq'' (1953) - Rosie * ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' (1964) -

and Rudolph's mother *''

The Return of Count Yorga ''The Return of Count Yorga'' (originally titled ''Yorga Returns'') is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, and Craig T. ...

'' (1971) - Witch *''

The Night God Screamed ''The Night God Screamed'' is a 1971 American psychological thriller/horror film, independently made on a low budget by Lasky/Carlin Productions (producers Ed Carlin and Gil Lasky, with Lasky writing the screenplay). Due to the sensitivities conn ...

'' (1971) - Betty Coogan *''Mark Twain and Me'' (1991) - Saleswoman *''Final Judgment'' (1991) - Dr. Monroe *''Search for Diana'' (1992) - Dr. Woodhouse *''Deadly Matrimony'' (1992) - Genevieve Capstaff *'' Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story'' (1993) - Female Judge *''

Butterbox Babies ''Butterbox Babies'' is a film adapted from the book ''Butterbox Babies'' by Bette L. Cahill, which is based on the true story of the Ideal Maternity Home, a home for unwed pregnant mothers, during the Great Depression and Second World War. The ...

'' (1995) - Mrs. Chadaway *''

Salt Water Moose ''Salt Water Moose'' is a 1996 Canadian family film directed by Stuart Margolin. Filmed in Toronto and in Nova Scotia, it stars Timothy Dalton, Lolita Davidovich, Johnny Morina, and Katharine Isabelle. Plot The plot revolves around two kids who ...

'' (1996) - Grandma *''Cleveland Woods Last Day on Earth'' (short film, 1996) *''Her Desperate Choice'' (1996) - Jody's Mother *''The Care and Handling of Roses'' (1996) - Margaret *''The Defenders: Payback'' (1997) - Judge Turner *'' Dead Husbands'' (1998) - Mrs. Catcher *''Custody of the Heart'' (2000) - Connie *'' Franklin and the Green Knight: The Movie'' (2000) - Granny Turtle (voice only) *''Guilty Hearts'' (2002) - Mae Moran *'' RFK'' (2002) - Rose Kennedy *''Christmas Rush'' (2002) - Gramma Pat *''Big Spender'' (2003) - Rita *''

The Berenstain Bears ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (2003) - Grizzly Gran (voice only) *'' Love Rules!'' (2004) - Grandma Betty *''

Saving Emily ''Saving Emily'' (also known as ''Blood Trap'') is a Cinema of Canada, Canadian television film, made-for-television thriller film directed by Douglas Jackson (filmmaker), Douglas Jackson and broadcast in the United States at 11 October 2004 on ...

'' (2004) - Grandma Wilton *''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...

'' (2005) - Grannie (voice only) *''

Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure ''Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure'' (''Franklin et le trésor du lac'' in France and ''Benjamin et le Trésor du lac'' in Canadian French) is a children's animated adventure drama film released on September 6, 2006, based on the TV series '' ...

'' (2006) - Granny Turtle (voice only) *''Legacy of Fear'' (2006) - Mimi Wickersham *'' Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story'' (2006) - Maud *'' Nature of the Beast'' (2007) - Lucy Sullivan *''The Way It Used to Be'' (short film, 2009) - Rebecca *''Old Stock'' (2012) - Gloria *'' Cas & Dylan'' (2013) - Rose *''

WolfCop ''WolfCop'' is a 2014 Canadian comedy horror film written and directed by Lowell Dean, and starring Jesse Moss (actor), Jesse Moss, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Sarah Lind, Aidan Devine, Corrine Conley and Leo Fafard. The film's plot concerns an ...

'' (2014) - Mayor Bradley *'' A Christmas Horror Story'' (2015) - Aunt Edda *'' A Simple Favor'' (2018) - Librarian

References

External links

Corinne Conley
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conley, Corinne 1929 births American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Virginia 20th-century American actresses Living people American expatriates in Canada