Florence MacMichael (April 26, 1919 – May 28, 1999) 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 ...

of stage, film and television, best known for playing Winnie Kirkwood in the television series ''

Mister Ed ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which orig ...

''.

Early life and education

MacMichael was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Mary ( née Wahl) and Roy A. MacMichael. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Career

MacMichael started out on local radio, local theater and

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 ...

shows. A major role in the Broadway play ''Out of the Frying Pan'' led to her first film role in its 1943 adaptation, ''

Young and Willing ''Young and Willing'' is a 1943 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Robert Benchley, and Susan Hayward. With a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp based on the play ''Out of the ...

''. Her later film credits include '' Woman Obsessed'' (1959), ''

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit ''The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Norman Tokar, with a screenplay by Louis Pelletier and starring Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Ellen Janov, Kurt Russell and Lurene Tuttle, as well as Fred Clark in ...

'' (1968) and ''

Welcome Home, Soldier Boys ''Welcome Home, Soldier Boys'' is a 1972 American drama film directed by Richard Compton and starring Joe Don Baker, Paul Koslo, Alan Vint, Elliott Street, Jennifer Billingsley and Billy "Green" Bush. Written by Guerdon Trueblood, the film was r ...

'' (1972). On television she played Florence Pearson in ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

'' (1960–61), Winnie Kirkwood in ''Mister Ed'' (1963–65) and

Barney Fife Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program ''The Andy Griffith Show'', portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Car ...

's girlfriend in two episodes of ''

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 ...

''. She also appeared in several episodes of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and guest-starred on ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (in " Mr. Bevis"), '' Bachelor Father'', '' Dennis the Menace'', ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Alcoa Premiere ''Alcoa Premiere'' (also known as ''Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire'') is an American anthology drama series that aired from October 1961 to July 1963 on ABC. The series was hosted by Fred Astaire, who also starred in several of the episodes ...

''. Also in an episode of ((The Tall Man)) "Millionaire McBean". MacMichael was active in local theater, both as an actress and director. She was the founder of the

Sierra Madre Sierra Madre (Spanish, 'mother mountain range') may refer to: Places and mountains Mexico *Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona *Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range in northeastern Mexico *S ...

Studio Players and also worked at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. In the late 1970s, she taught acting classes on the stage of the Pasadena Repertory Theater, located in

The Hotel Carver The Hotel Carver is a three-story Victorian Building with full basement at 107 S. Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California. It was built in the late 1880s as part of the Doty Block in the Old Pasadena district. According to sources at the Pasad ...

. She taught techniques of method acting. One of her exercises was to act like a slice of bacon frying in a hot skillet.

Personal life

MacMichael was married twice, first to Sebryn Myers and then to James McCoy. She had two children, a son and a daughter. She died at

Cambria, California Cambria () is a seaside village in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along California State Route 1 (Highway 1). The name Cambria, chosen in 1869, is the Latin name for Wales. Cambr ...

, at the age of 80.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:MacMichael, Florence 1919 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Maryland 20th-century American actresses