Cheryl Holdridge
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Cheryl Lynn Holdridge ('' née'' Phelps; June 20, 1944 – January 6, 2009) was an American actress, best known as an original cast member of ''
The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...
''.


Early life

Holdridge was born in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A. Phelps, was a dancer who performed 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 ...
. Shortly after Cheryl was born, Julie moved with her new daughter to Burbank, California. In 1950, Julie married Herbert Charles Holdridge, a retired
Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
active in politics. He adopted Cheryl in 1953 and gave her his surname. Her stepbrother was diplomat John H. Holdridge, who served as
U.S. Ambassador to Singapore The United States Ambassador to Singapore is the official representative of the United States of America to the Republic of Singapore. The incumbent ambassador is Jonathan E. Kaplan since December 6, 2021, serving as the ambassador of the Embas ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. Holdridge grew up in
Sherman Oaks Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...
. She started dance lessons at an early age with Joyce Cole in
North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
, from whom she learned ballet and tap.


Career

Holdridge first performed professionally at the age of nine in the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
's version of ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...
'' in
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. Her first screen appearance was as an uncredited extra in the 1956 film production of '' Carousel''. She auditioned for
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' in the spring of 1956, and was hired for the show's second season. Though a good dancer, her weak singing voice kept her in the background of most musical numbers. A competent actress with a pleasant speaking voice, she was employed for two of the show's episodic serials: ''Boys of the Western Sea'' and ''
Annette Annette may refer to: Film and television * '' Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', 1950s television series * ''Annette'' (film), a 2021 musical film Other * Annette (given name), list of people with the name * Annette Island, Alaska * Tropical Stor ...
''. After the show's run ended, Holdridge returned to
Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) is a public high school in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. The school is home to a Residential Program and three Magnet Programs—Math/Science, P ...
and graduated from Grant High School with the winter 1961 class. She was cast in two episodes of '' Leave It to Beaver'' in 1959 as Gloria Cusick; she later played an occasional, recurring role as
Wally Cleaver Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. Wally is the thirteen-year-old son of archetypal 1950s suburban parents, Ward and June Cleaver and the older brother of the seven ...
's girlfriend, Julie Foster. She reprised her role as Julie Foster in two guest appearances in '' The New Leave It to Beaver'' in 1985 and 1987. From 1960, Holdridge made guest appearances on over twenty different shows, including ''
The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...
'', Wagon Train, ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', '' Bewitched'', ''
Bringing Up Buddy ''Bringing Up Buddy'' is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS during the 1960-61 television season. It depicts a young bachelor who lives with the two maiden aunts who raised him. Synopsis After Richard David "Buddy" Flower's parents ...
'', ''
The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Product ...
'' and '' Bachelor Father''. Holdridge retired from acting in 1964 to marry race car driver
Lance Reventlow Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a British-born American entrepreneur, racing driver and heir to the Woolworth fortune. Reventlow was the only child of heiress Barbara Hutton and her se ...
, to whom she was wed until his death in 1972. After the death of her third husband, Holdridge made a cameo appearance in the
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
feature film, ''
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''. In 2005, she appeared at
Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
for 50th anniversary celebrations of both the opening of the park and ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. She was cast in televised documentary specials about
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
(2005) and
Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress, and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 a ...
(2006), and also appeared in a special feature interview for a Disney
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.


Personal life

Lance Reventlow and Cheryl Holdridge's wedding portrait In May 1960, Holdridge went on a live tour to Australia with other former Mouseketeers. While there, she became involved with Lucky Starr, an Australian singer. She was later linked in fan magazines and gossip columns with many other celebrities, including
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. Holdridge's first marriage, on November 8, 1964, was to sportsman and playboy
Lance Reventlow Lance Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a British-born American entrepreneur, racing driver and heir to the Woolworth fortune. Reventlow was the only child of heiress Barbara Hutton and her se ...
. Reventlow, a pilot, died in 1972, in the crash of a small plane in which he was a passenger in
Aspen, Colorado Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Moun ...
. She had the title Gräfin von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow. Her second husband was Albert James "Jim" Skarda. They married in 1974. He ran a car rental service in
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...
. They divorced in 1988. She maintained a second home in Aspen and lived there for six months out of the year from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. Her third husband, Manning J. Post (1918–2000), a prominent California Democratic Party fundraiser and controller, was 26 years her senior. He died at the age of 82.


Death

Holdridge died at her Santa Monica home on January 6, 2009, from
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
, aged 64.


Filmography


References

13. Cheryl Holdridge Graduation picture, 1961 Grant High School https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/124952?page=31


External links

* *
Images of Holdridge from her appearance on ''Bewitched''




{{DEFAULTSORT:Holdridge, Cheryl 1944 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Orleans People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles American child actresses American environmentalists American women environmentalists American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from lung cancer in California Mouseketeers Van Nuys High School alumni Woolworth family Grant High School (Los Angeles) alumni Actresses from Los Angeles Racing drivers' wives and girlfriends