Therefore, at the time of her death, Barbara Billingsley had an estimated net worth of $2.1 million. However, when Thorne is shot, Harris is charged. In the show, Billingsley often could be seen doing household chores wearing pearls and earrings. However, this marriage ended in divorce in 1947. (1980), she's been a great comedienne all her life. (1980), before her final film role as Aunt Martha in the 1997 film version of Leave It to Beaver. [17] She is interred at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica.[18]. In 1959, Billingsley married William Mortensen. Loving sister to Ed (Jan) Billingsley, John (Michelle) Billingsley, Tom (Joan) Billingsley, Bernard (Patty) Billingsley, Forest Billingsley, Walter (Clarissa) Billingsley, and Michael (Vicky Ramirez) Billingsley. During the 50s, she appeared in: In 1955, Billingsley co-starred in the sitcom Professional Father, starring Beverly Washburn and Stephen Dunne. They were the owner of several well-known restaurateurs like Outrigger Polynesian restaurants in Los Angeles as well as a Stork Club in Key West, Florida. Trevor Harris has returned home after 10 years as his wife is dying and he wants to ensure his children have a good home with Jill Garson instead of family patriarch Edgar Thorne. I still enjoy it today at 64 years of age. They were married until November 18, 1956, when Roy died prematurely of a heart attack. He was born to Alwin Michaelson (a financial consultant) and Gail (Alwin’s Secretary), was introduced to the acting lifestyle early on in his life by his mother. And a lot of people, you know, when they see her talk jive talk, they always say she can do other things besides be a mom on Leave It to Beaver. The pearls, which in real life were Billingsley's trademark, were, in turn, her idea to have her alter ego wear on television. She later married Roy Kellino, a director. Prior to becoming the iconic perfect mom of the 1960s, she had roles on two other television series, as a doctor's wife on the quickly-canceled Professional Father , and as Gale Gordon 's girlfriend on The Brothers . Billingsley was born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles, California. Polymyalgia rheumatica is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in muscles. She appeared as the "Jive Lady" in Airplane! The actress had what she termed "a hollow" on her neck[2][7] and thought that wearing a strand of white pearls would lighten it up for the cameras. Barbara Billingsley, devoted sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend was called to be with the Lord on June 13, 2020. I have watched “Leave it to beaver” all my life. Mortensen was the surname of her third husband. The series lasted one season. Her parents divorced when she was around the age of four. And in a lot of ways, just like All in the Family, we kind of stifled her, because her true talent didn't really come out in Leave It to Beaver. (1980), as a passenger who could "speak jive." Before she became a successful actress, Barbara once worked with a magician. After Billingsley signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1957, she made her mark on TV as everyday mother June Cleaver in family sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Her mother, Lillian Combes, worked in a sweater factory for many years. They were married until Kellino's death in 1956. [5] After the divorce, Billingsley's mother began working as a foreman at a knitting mill. The couple divorced on February 13, 1947. In 1956, she had a role in The Brothers (with Bob Sweeney and Gale Gordon). In her personal life, Barbara Billingsley was a mother to two sons and married three times. However, the marriage ended in 1981 when Mortensen passed away. She and her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, a successful restaurateur, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr. 0:57. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/barbara-billingsley-33531.php "[11], After six seasons and 234 episodes, the popular series was canceled because of the cast's desire to move on to other projects, especially Mathers, who retired from acting to enter his freshman year in high school. Personal life. She is interred at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica. Actress Barbara Billingsley, best known for portraying the quintessential suburban American mom on the 1957-1963 U.S. television comedy "Leave It to Beaver," died on Saturday at age 94. One of television's most iconic moms, Barbara Billingsley was the effortlessly thoughtful and warm-hearted June Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" (ABC/CBS, 1957-1963). Billingsley retired from acting at age 87, after her final role on Secret Santa (2003). Billingsley was the surname of her first husband. [citation needed], Billingsley appeared in guest roles in The Pride of the Family, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Letter to Loretta, You Are There, and Cavalcade of America. Bill, To me Barbara was the very essence of June Cleaver…I loved her wholesome image and she will forever be known as “America’s Mom”. On the famous series, Billingsley had an onscreen husband … Barbara was friends with many actors, actresses, and celebrities, including: Billingsley earned most of her wealth from appearing in 95 movies and TV series. [16][17], Billingsley died of polymyalgia at her home in Santa Monica, California, on October 16, 2010, at the age of 94. She was the straight woman, but she has an awful lot of talent. Barbara Billingsley was in an on-screen matchup with Hugh Beaumont in Leave It to Beaver (1957).. Barbara Billingsley is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors from California and American television actors.. Billingsley was born Barbara Lillian Combes on December 22, 1915, in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lillian Agnes (née McLaughlin) and Robert Collyer Combes, a police officer. She also appeared in the subsequent revival of the series, The New Leave It to Beaver, from 1985 to 1989. The marriage ended after just six years. In later seasons, she started wearing high heels to compensate for the fact that the actors playing her sons were getting taller than she was. Contribute. Barbara Billingsleytook on her new last name in 1941 when she married Glenn Billingsley. "[10], Billingsley, however, questioned her character's reactions to the Cleaver children's misbehavior, basing her concern on personal experience as the mother of two sons. 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