Gretchen Wyler (born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke; February 16, 1932 – May 27, 2007) was an American actress and dancer. She was also an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

advocate and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection. Gretchen Wyler

Biography

Early life

Wyler was born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Peggy ( née Highley) and Louis Gustave Wienecke, a petroleum engineer. She was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and opened her own dancing school there before going to

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 U ...

to pursue a career as a professional actress and dancer.

Acting career

She appeared on Broadway in six original productions: * '' Guys and Dolls'' as a dancer and as understudy for "Miss Adelaide" (1950–1953) * ''

Silk Stockings ''Silk Stockings'' is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath Leueen MacGrath (3 July 1914 – 27 March 1992) was an English actress and playwright and the second wife of George S. Kaufman, from 1949 until their divor ...

'' as "Janice Dayton" (1955–1956) * '' Damn Yankees'' as "Lola" as replacement for Gwen Verdon (1955–1957) * '' Rumple'' as "Kate Drew" (1957) * '' Bye Bye Birdie'' as "Rose Grant" as replacement for Chita Rivera (1960–1961) * '' Sly Fox'' as "Miss Fancy" (1976–1978) She also appeared at the 1964 World's Fair alternating with Chita Rivera in ''Wonder World''. The Michael Kidd/ Jule Styne extravaganza played at the outdoor amphitheater. Eventually she went west to Hollywood to pursue movie stardom, which eluded her, but did co-star in the sitcom '' On Our Own'' (1977-1978) and appeared on many television programs, ranging from '' The Phil Silvers Show'' (aka '' Sergeant Bilko'') to '' Naked City'' to '' Somerset'', '' Diagnosis: Unknown'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'', ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'', ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'', '' Remington Steele'', '' Falcon Crest'', '' Santa Barbara'', '' Punky Brewster'', '' MacGyver'', '' Who's the Boss'', ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

'', '' Friends'', and ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

''. She made a number of appearances as a panelist on the game show '' To Tell the Truth''; her last television appearance was on '' Chicken Soup for the Soul''. She appeared in Rick McKay's 2004 award-winning feature documentary, '' Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There'', in which she recounted her "aggressive" nature and an almost Eve Harrington-esque ambition, when she recalled trying on the star (

Yvonne Adair Yvonne Madeleine Adair (18 March 1897 – 17 December 1989) was a pianist, teacher and composer whose educational compositions still regularly appear in the graded pieces of music college examination boards. Some pieces were published under the pe ...

)'s outfits when she was merely second understudy in the pre-Broadway touring production of ''

''. When Adair collapsed in the middle of a show one night, and the first understudy (Sherry O'Neil) had surreptitiously gone to

to audition for another play (which Wyler knew), Wyler stepped in, and played the role when the show arrived on Broadway. Wyler had already filmed her appearance in McKay's sequel, ''Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age'' (2008) before she died.

Animal welfare activism

In 1966, Wyler began to work for

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevit ...

causes after visiting a dilapidated dog shelter in Warwick, N.Y.Gretchen Wyler official website
In 1972, she became the first woman to serve on the board for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In 1986, she was Vice Chairperson of The Fund for Animals. In 1991, she founded The Ark Trust, presenter of the annual Genesis Awards for animal protection; this event is now a program of The Humane Society of the United States. In 2005, Wyler was inducted into the U.S.

Animal Rights Hall of Fame The Animal Rights National Conference is an annual conference in the United States. Started in 1981 under a different name, since 2000 it has been organized by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). History In the 1970s, Alex Hershaft started not ...

for her dedicated career in animal advocacy. In 2007, the first Gretchen Wyler Award was given to Paul McCartney. Wyler was a vegetarian.

Death

Wyler died on May 27, 2007, aged 75, from complications of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

.Gretchen Wyler, 75, Actress and Advocate for Animals, Dies
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Filmography

References

External links

"Broadway: The Golden Age" - Wyler's last film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyler, Gretchen 1932 births 2007 deaths American female dancers Dancers from Oklahoma American animal welfare workers American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from breast cancer People from Camarillo, California People from Bartlesville, Oklahoma Actresses from Oklahoma City Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American actresses Singers from Oklahoma 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers 21st-century American women