Ann Tyrrell


Ann Tyrrell was an American stage, film and television actress. Tyrrell is best known for her roles in both of the Ann Sothern CBS sitcoms Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show.

Career

A native of Whatcom County in northwestern Washington state, Tyrrell won her first film role in 1949 at the age of forty as Miss Swanson in Bride for Sale. She and Ronald Reagan shared birthdays, but she was two years his senior.
In 1953, she appeared unbilled as Mary Tudor sister of Queen Elizabeth I in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer historical drama Queen Bess and in 1955, she appeared in the film Seven Angry Men with Raymond Massey and Jeffrey Hunter. Between film appearances, Tyrrell guest-starred in episodes of Adventures of Superman, The Adventures of Kit Carson, and The People's Choice.

Later years

After retiring from acting, Tyrrell worked as a dialectician and made recordings for the blind.
Tyrrell made her final public appearance in a phone interview on the ABC morning program Good Morning America in November 1982. In that installment, host Joan Lunden interviewed on camera the cast of both Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show which included Sothern, Don Porter, and Jesse White. Tyrrell was not able to join them in person, but she was able to converse with Lunden and reminisce with her former co-stars via telephone from her home in California.

Death

On July 20, 1983, Tyrrell died of a heart attack at a Pasadena, California, hospital at the age of 74.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1952The UnexpectedFortune TellerEpisode: "Lifeline"
1952Adventures of SupermanMiss WaltonEpisode: "The Deserted Village"
1952-1953The Adventures of Kit CarsonVarious roles3 episodes
1954Schlitz PlayhouseEpisode: "The Best of Everything"
1954-1957Private SecretaryViolet "Vi" PraskinsSeries regular
1955Soldiers of FortuneMrs. AndersonEpisode: "Drums of Far Island"
1955Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside TheatreNurse HansonEpisode: "The Key"
1958The People's ChoiceEmmaEpisode: "Missing Moolah"
1958-1961The Ann Sothern ShowOlive SmithSeries regular
1962The Danny Thomas ShowMrs. MarshallEpisode: "Casanova Tonoose"
1964Burke's LawMiss Ruth PotterEpisode: "Who Killed the Paper Dragon?",