Ladies Of Character Character Actresses
Barbara Billingsley
Leave It To Beaver (TV)/ June Cleaver
Airplane/ Jive Lady
The Bad & The Beautiful/ Evelyn Lucien
Woman In The Dark/ Evelyn Courtney
Barbara Billingsley was an American actress who was best known as June Cleaver in the Leave It To Beaver TV series.
She was born Barbara Lillian Combes at Los Angeles, CA in 1915.
Barbara Billingsley fell in love with drama in the second grade and she performed in all of the school productions while she was at George Washington High School in Los Angeles. She graduated from there in 1934.
After attending Los Angeles Junior College for one year she left and went to New York for Broadway to appear in a revue called Straw Hat. After the show closed she worked as a model and at one time was a magician's assistant.
Ms. Billingsley landed a contract with M G M in 1945 which led to the year of her film debut. Many of her earlier roles were non credited ones in major motion pictures.
Some of the film roles of Barbara Billingsley were:
Adventure (1952) as Dame #2
Up Goes Maisie (1946) as Barb's Friend
Faithful In My Fashion (1945) as Mary, Department Store Clerk
Three Wise Fools (1946) as Sister Mary Leonard
The Secret Heart (1946) as saleswoman
The Sea Of Grass (1947) as Bridesmaid
Living In A Big Way (1947) as Bill's Wife
The Romance Of Rosy Ridge (1947) as Wife
The Unfinished Dance (1947) as Miss Morgan
The Argyle Secrets (1948) as Elizabeth Court
The Saxon Charm (1949) as Mrs. Maddox
The Valiant Hombre (1948) as Linda Mason
The Sun Comes Up (1949) as Nurse
I Cheated The Law (1949) as Ruth Campbell
Any Number Can Play (1949) as Gambler
Air Hostess (1949) as Madeline Moore
Prejudice (1949) as Doris Green
A Kiss For Corliss (1949) as Harry's Secretary
Shadow On The Wall (1950) as Olga
Trial Without Jury (1950) as Rheta Mulford
Pretty Baby (1950) as Edna The Receptionist
Dial 1119 (1950) as Dorothy
Three Guys Named Mike (1951) as Ann White
Inside Straight (1951) as Miss Meadson
Oh! Susanna (1951) as Mrs. Lark
The Tall Target (1951) as Young Mother
Angels In The Outfield (1951) as Hat Check Girl In Restaurant
Two Dollar Bettor (1951) as Miss Pierson
Invitation (1952) as Miss Alvy
Young Man With Ideas (1952) as Aggie
Woman In The Dark (1952) as Evelyn Courtney
The Bad And The Beautiful (1952) as Evelyn Lucien, Costume Designer
The Lady Wants Mink (1953) as Phyllis
Invaders From Mars (1953) as Prof. Kelston's Secretary
Day Of Triumph (1954) as Claudia
The Careless Years (1957) as Helen Meredith
Airplane! (1980) as The Jive Lady
Still The Beaver (1982- TV) as June Cleaver
Back To The Beach (1987) as Announcer
Bay Coven (1987-TV) as Beatrice Gower
Leave It To Beaver (1997) as Aunt Martha
Secret Santa (2003-TV) as Miss Ruthie
Barbara Billingsley starred as June Cleaver, the mom of the Beaver in the TV series Leave It To Beaver from 1957 to 1963.
Other TV series that Ms. Billingsley appeared on were Rebound, The Abbott And Costello Show, Crown Theater With Gloria Swanson, The Pepsi Cola Playhouse, City Detective, The Pride Of The Family, The Lone Wolf, Fireside Theater, Four Star Playhouse, The Star And The Story, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, You Are There, The Loretta Young Show, The Ford Television Theater, Matinee Theater, Make Room For Daddy, Panic, Mr. Adams and Eve, Studio 57, The FBI, Movie Macabre, The New Mike Hammer, The Love Boat, The New Leave It To Beaver, Monsters, Muppet Babies, Empty Nest, Murphy Brown, The Mommies and Mysterious Ways among others.
She was married three times. Her first marriage ended in divorce and for her last two she became a widow.
Barbara Billingsley passed away in October, 2010 at the age of 94 from polymyalgia.
I will always remember her as the Beaver's mom in the Leave It To Beaver TV series, a great sitcom as well as in the films Airplane, Invaders From Mars, Woman In The Dark and The Bad And The Beautiful.
Louie The Movie Buff