Eleanor Audley

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Eleanor Audley (born Eleanor Zellman; November 19, 1905 - November 25, 1991) was an American actress who had a distinctive voice in radio and animation, in addition to her TV and film roles. She is best remembered on television as Oliver Douglas's mother, Eunice Douglas, on the CBS sitcom, Green Acres (1965-69); and for providing Disney animated features with the villainess voices of Lady Tremaine in Cinderella (1950); and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959). She was known in her career for mostly playing characters with snobbish and mean attitudes. Audley provided the voice of Madame Leota, the spirit medium, from Disney's Haunted Mansion attractions.

Video Eleanor Audley

Early life

Audley was born Eleanor Zellman in New York on November 19, 1905. Her parents' names are unknown as are the details of her early years.

Maps Eleanor Audley

Career

She made her acting debut at age 20 in the 1926 Broadway production of Howdy, King. Other stage appearances include: On Call (1928); Pigeons and People (1933); Thunder on the Left (1933); Kill That Story (1934); Ladies' Money (1934); Susan and God (1937); and In Bed We Cry (1943). Audley worked extensively in the 1940s and '50s in Hollywood radio on such programs as Escape; Suspense; My Favorite Husband (as mother-in-law, Leticia Cooper); The Story of Dr. Kildare (as receptionist Molly Byrd); and Father Knows Best (as Anderson family neighbor, Elizabeth Smith). She played the stepmother in re-imaginings of the Cinderella story included in episodes of the series, Hallmark Playhouse, and the weekly western series, The Six Shooter, which starred James Stewart.

Audley's film appearances include: Three Secrets (1950); Gambling House (1950); Untamed (1955); Cell 2455, Death Row (1955); All That Heaven Allows (1955); The Unguarded Moment (1956); Full of Life (1956); Voice in the Mirror (1958); Home Before Dark (1958); The Pleasure of His Company (1961); The Second Time Around (1961); and Hook, Line and Sinker (1969).

In the animation film industry, Audley was best known for providing her distinctive voice to Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother, in the 1950 Disney film Cinderella; and Princess Aurora's evil fairy nemesis, Maleficent, in Disney's 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty. For those films, animators Frank Thomas and Marc Davis designed the characters' facial features and expressions to be closely similar to Audley. She was the live-action model for both characters. Audley had initially turned down the role of Maleficent because she was battling tuberculosis at the time.

In 1969, Audley's voice has been used as the voice of Madame Leota, the spirit of a psychic medium, in the Haunted Mansion attractions in Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

From 1954 to 1970, Audley appeared regularly on television, including: I Love Lucy; Crossroads; The People's Choice; Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Perry Mason; Dennis the Menace; Hazel; Pete and Gladys; The Real McCoys; The Twilight Zone; Mr. Lucky; The Dick Van Dyke Show (as Parent-Teacher Association head, Peggy Billings); The Beverly Hillbillies (as Potts School headmistress, Millicent Schuyler-Potts); Mister Ed (as Aunt Martha); and My Three Sons (as mother-in-law, Beatrice Vincent, which was her final role before retiring).

Audley was a series regular on the CBS sitcom Green Acres from 1965-69, playing Oliver Douglas's disapproving mother, Eunice Douglas, despite being only five months older than actor Eddie Albert who played her son. When the cast were reunited for a 1990 TV movie, Return to Green Acres, Audley, who suffered from failing health, could not appear.

Pictures of Eleanor Audley - Pictures Of Celebrities

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Death

Audley died from respiratory failure on November 25, 1991. She is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Eleanor Audley (voice of Maleficent, Lady Tremaine & Madam Leota ...

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Work

Selected film roles

Cinderella (1950) - Lady Tremaine (voice)
Pretty Baby (1950) - Miss Karen Brindel
Gambling House (1950) - Mrs. Fern Livingston
Cell 2245, Death Row (1955) - Blanche
The Unguarded Moment (1956) - Mr. Pendleton's Secretary
Full of Life (1956) - Mrs. Kelly Jameson
Spoilers of the Forest (1957) - Mrs. Shelby Walters
Voice in the Mirror (1958) - Speaker at Soup Kitchen (uncredited)
Step Down in Terror (1958) - Mrs. Felicia Brighton
Home Before Dark (1958) - Mrs. Jayne Hathaway
Sleeping Beauty (1959) - Maleficent (voice)
The Second Time Around (1961) - Mrs. Katie Trask
Hook, Line and Sinker (1969) - Mrs. Maya Durham

TV roles

Radio appearances

"The Bishop and the Gargoyle" (NBC special, July 14, 1940)
Suspense (CBS, 1940s, not often credited), episodes include repeats of "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson" (both 1948)
Romance (CBS series, 1944-1954, not often credited), episodes includes "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Long Way Home"
Adventure Ahead (NBC Red, 1944)
Words At War (NBC Red, 1945)
The Eternal Light (NBC, 1945-1946)
Encore Theatre (CBS, 1946)
The Big Story (NBC, 1947)
Escape (CBS, 1947-1948), episodes include "Back for Christmas" and "The Man Who Could Work Miracles"
The Adventures of Ellery Queen (ABC, 1947-1948)
The Whistler (CBS, 1948-1950)
Lux Radio Theatre (CBS, 1948-1954)
Sealtest Variety Theatre (NBC, 1949)
My Home Town (NBC, 1949)
This is Your FBI (ABC, 1949)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective (NBC, 1949)
NBC University Theatre (NBC, 1949)
Pursuit (CBS, 1949)
The Hotpoint Holiday Hour (CBS, 1949), "The Man Who Came To Dinner"
My Favorite Husband (CBS, 1949 -1951) - Mrs. Leticia Cooper
The Story of Dr. Kildare (syndicated, 1949-1950) - Molly Byrd
Father Knows Best (NBC, 1949-1954) - Mrs. Elizabeth Smith
The Railroad Hour (NBC, 1949-1954)
The Life of Riley (NBC, 1950)
The Halls of Ivy (NBC, 1950)
The Adventures of Christopher London (NBC, 1950)
Screen Directors Playhouse (NBC, 1950-1951)
Night Beat (NBC, 1950-1952)
The Saint (NBC, 1950)
Family Theatre (Mutual, 1950-1951)
Hollywood Star Playhouse (CBS, 1951)
The Hallmark Playhouse (CBS, 1951), includes "The Story Of Cinderella"
The Six Shooter (NBC, 1953-1954) - Mrs. Abbey Ames
Fibber McGee and Molly (NBC, 1954-1955)
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (CBS, 1955-1960)
The CBS Radio Workshop (CBS, 1956-1957)

Theme parks

Haunted Mansion - Madame Leota (voice)
HalloWishes - Madame Leota (voice)

Discography

Walt Disney's Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1949, RCA/Camden) - Evil Queen
Walt Disney's Cinderella (1954, RCA/Camden) - Lady Tremaine
Disney Songs and Story: Sleeping Beauty (2012, Walt Disney Records) - Maleficent

Stage appearances

Howdy, King - "as guest in hotel", Dec 13, 1926 - Jan 1927
On Call - as "Mary Randall", Nov 9, 1928 - Jan 1929
Pigeons and People - as "Elinore Payne", Jan 16, 1933 - Nov 1933
Thunder on the Left - as "Ruth Brook", Oct 31, 1933 - Nov 1933
Kill That Story - as "Millicent", Aug 29, 1934 - Dec 1934
Ladies' Money - as "Claire Touhey", Nov 1, 1934 - Dec 1934
Susan and God - as "Charlotte Marley", Oct 7, 1937 - Jun 1938 - Dec 13, 1943 - Dec 18, 1943
In Bed We Cry - as "Claire Dangerfield", Nov 14, 1943 - Dec 23, 1944

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References

FAMOUS GRAVE TOUR - Mount Sinai #2 (Eleanor Audley, Ross Martin ...