Mona Bruns (November 26, 1899 – June 13, 2000) was an American actress on the stage, films, radio, and television. She appeared in such television series as ''

Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...

'', ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

'', ''

Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to ''Petticoat Junction'', the series was first broadcast on ...

'', and ''

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 ...

'', among others

Early years

Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, Bruns debuted as an actress when she was 15 years old. She was the sister of actress

Julia Bruns Julia Eliza Bruns (1895 – December 24, 1927) was an American stage and silent film actress and model. Bruns came to prominence for her work as a model. Her image was illustrated by artist James Montgomery Flagg in 1917. She appeared on num ...

Career

Bruns debuted in ''The Innocent Sinner'', after which she acted a year in stock theater. That was followed by a year in ''Capt. Kidd, Jr.'' She went on to act at the Greenwich Village Theater. In 1922 she began acting with the Bonstelle company in Buffalo, New York. She joined the Montclair Theatre Guild's company in October 1930. She appeared on

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 ...

with her husband,

Frank M. Thomas Frank Marion Thomas (July 13, 1889 – November 25, 1989) was an American character actor of stage, screen and television. He and his wife, actress Mona Bruns, both lived to 100 years old. He died the day before her 90th birthday; she died 11 y ...

. She appeared in the 1934 Broadway play '' Wednesday's Child'' as Miss Chapman with her son,

Frankie Thomas Frank Marion Thomas Jr. (April 9, 1921 – May 11, 2006), was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was ...

, playing "Bobby Phillips". He recreated this role in the 1934 film, '' Wednesday's Child'', necessitating their move to Los Angeles in the 1930s, where she and her husband acted in several films also. She played "Aunt Emily" in ''

The Brighter Day ''The Brighter Day'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on CBS from January 4, 1954, to September 28, 1962. Originally created for NBC Radio by Irna Phillips in 1948, the radio and television versions ran simultaneously from 1954&ndash ...

'', for eight years. After the show ended, she was asked to create the role of Emily Hastings on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's '' Another World''. She appeared on many popular television shows of the 1950s/60s.

Personal life

Bruns wrote an autobiography, ''By Emily Possessed''. She and her husband, Frank M. Thomas, were the parents of actor Frankie Thomas.

Death

She died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 2000 at the age of 100, and is interred next to her husband, who also died at 100, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood, California.

References

External links