Jeanne Bal (May 3, 1928 – April 30, 1996) was an American actress and model who worked primarily in 1960s

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

Early years

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

native, Bal was an only child, the daughter of Joseph Peter Bal (1899–1981), a

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

scenic designer, and Bessie Lee '' ''Bozeman'' '' Bal (1902–1967). She was raised in California, attending high school and junior college in Santa Monica. She worked as a fashion model for a year and a half.

Career

Bal was a regular cast member on the ABC comedy ''Sid Caesar Invites You'' (1958). In the 1959–60 season, she featured in the short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Love and Marriage "Love and Marriage" is a 1955 song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation ( ASCAP). Frank Sinatra versions "Love and Marriage" was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 televi ...

'', which ran during the 1959 season, as Pat Baker, the business partner of her father (

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom ''My Three Sons'' Demarest, w ...

), the founder of a failing music publishing company. In 1961, Bal became a regular on the sitcom '' Bachelor Father'', but left shortly afterwards. Her other television credits include four appearances on ''

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 ...

'', including the role of Dr. Linda Carey in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Angry Astronaut", and murder victim Vera Wynne in the 1965 episode, "The Case of the Telltale Tap". In 1963, she guest-starred as Melissa, an overly ambitious saloon girl, on ''

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 ...

'' in the episode "The Saga of Whizzer McGee." Bal also appeared in guest roles on ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

'', ''

Riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

'', and ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

''. In "

The Man Trap "The Man Trap" is the first episode of season one of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Marc Daniels, it featured design work by Wah Chang and first aired in the Uni ...

" (1966), the very first episode of the original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' series, she played a lethal shape-shifting alien which craves salt. On ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award in 1963. Synopsis The series follows ...

'' Bal portrayed Assistant Vice Principal Jean Pagano during the 1963–64 season. Initially, plans called for increasing her role for the 1964–65 season, promoting her to second billing on the show, but the producer instead cut the number of episodes in which she was to appear. The result was that she left the program. Bal's first stage appearance came in ''Gypsy Lady''. She also appeared on Broadway in the musical ''

The Gay Life ''The Gay Life'' is a musical with a book by Fay and Michael Kanin, lyrics by Howard Dietz, and music by Arthur Schwartz. Based on a cycle of seven short plays by Arthur Schnitzler, published in 1893 and first staged in 1910, ''The Gay Life'' foc ...

'', introducing the song "Why Go Anywhere At All?" During the run, Bal was given a different song to sing in the same spot, "You're Not the Type." Her other Broadway credits include ''Call Me Madam'' (1950), ''Great to Be Alive!'' (1950), and ''Alive and Kicking'' (1950). She also toured the United States in productions of ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''South Pacific'', among other shows.

Personal life

In October 1953, Bal married Ross Bowman, a stage manager for the show in which she was appearing.
In October 1963, she married Edward Richard Lee, an attorney.

Death

Bal died three days before her 68th birthday from

metastasized Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

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 a re ...

Filmography

* ''

Matt Lincoln ''Matt Lincoln'' is an American medical drama series which aired on ABC as part of its 1970-71 lineup. Based on a Universal made-for-tv movie called ''Dial Hot Line'',Harlan Ellison, review of ''Matt Lincoln'' in ''The Other Glass Teat'' (Pyr ...

'' ** episode Nina * '' Company of Killers'' (1970) — as Patricia Cahill * ''

'' ** episode Happy Birthday... Everybody — as Shirl Mathews * ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originate ...

'' ** episode The Great Necklace Caper — as Nurse Edith Crawford * ''

Hey, Landlord ''Hey Landlord!'' is an American sitcom that appeared on NBC during the 1966–1967 season, sponsored by Procter & Gamble in the 8:30-9pm Eastern time period on Sunday nights. It is notable for its casting director Fred Roos, who later became a pr ...

'' ** episode Instant Family — as Leslie Barton * ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

'' ** episode

— as Nancy Crater * ''

'' ** episode The Case of the Wrathful Wraith — as Rosemary Welch ** episode The Case of the Telltale Tap — as Vera Wynne ** episode The Case of the Angry Astronaut — as Linda Carey ** episode The Case of the Misguided Missile — as Helen Rand * ''

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

'' ** episode Teacher's Romance — as Georgia Grey * '' The Fugitive'' ** episode Tiger Left, Tiger Right — as Laura Pryor * ''

'' ** episode Alias Bill Hawks — as Alice Wells * ''

'' ** episode The Saga of Whizzer McGee — as Melissa * ''

The Dick Powell Show ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that ran on NBC from September 26, 1961, until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various dramas ...

'' ** episode The Third Side of the Coin — as Miriam Kent * ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'' ** episode Remember the Yazoo — as Annette Decatur * '' Bachelor Father'' — as Suzanne Collins (1961) * ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'' ** episode State of Shock — as Yvonne Lurie * ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

'' ** episode An Effigy in Snow — as Penny Foster * ''

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

's Thriller'' ** episode Papa Benjamin — as Judy Wilson * ''

'' ** episode Listen to the Nightingale — as Julie Lang * ''

Letter to Loretta ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...

'' — Herself/Host (1960) (NBC Playhouse version) * '' Diagnosis: Unknown'' ** episode The Parasite — as Dorothy Gordon

References

External links

* * 1928 births 1996 deaths American television actresses Deaths from breast cancer Actresses from Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American actresses {{US-theat-actor-1920s-stub