Fintan Meyler, born Gertrude Anne Meyler (December 14, 1929, in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

- July 23, 2005) was an actress on stage, on television, and in films. Meyler was one of seven children. Her early education came at a convent in Dublin, before she began studying acting at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. She was chosen Miss Ireland in 1950, which led to her coming to the United States. Meyler never left. Eventually, she made her way to California. Her first TV role was on ''

Matinee Theater ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ...

''. Under the name Fintan Meyler, she starred in over 30 different TV shows. She portrayed memorable characters in shows, such as ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary an ...

'', ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' The Rebel'', '' Have Gun - Will Travel'' and ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

''. In the 1959 ''Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Howling Dog", she played Thelma Brent. Perhaps best known among her film roles was the "Hysterical Woman" in ''

Zero Hour! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Geof ...

'' in a scene that was memorably spoofed 22 years later in ''

Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams in their directorial debuts, and produced by Jon Davison (film prod ...

, then with

Lee Bryant Lee Bryant (born August 31, 1945) is an American actress. She played a hysterical passenger in the 1980 film ''Airplane!'', reprising the role in the 1982 sequel. She also appeared as Sam Waterston's wife in the 1977 conspiracy thriller ''Capri ...

in the part. She died of cancer in San Jose,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyler, Fintan Irish emigrants to the United States Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses 1929 births 2005 deaths Actors from County Wexford