Jeannine Brooke Riley (born October 1, 1940) is an American actress.

Early years

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Riley, she was born in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, and moved with her family to Madera, California, after her father left the Army. She had two years' education in acting and other aspects of show business at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

Career

Early in her career, Riley performed on television in Fresno and in underwater ballet at a hotel. She appeared in guest roles on numerous television series ('' Route 66'', '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'') and a few feature films such as ''

The Big Mouth ''The Big Mouth'' is a 1967 American comedy film produced, directed, co-written, and starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in San Diego and features Frank De Vol as an onscreen narrator. Plot Gerald Clamson is a bank examiner who loves fishing on ...

'' (1967), '' Fever Heat'' (1968), '' The Comic'' (1969) and ''

Electra Glide in Blue ''Electra Glide in Blue'' is a 1973 American action film, starring Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop in Arizona and Billy "Green" Bush as his partner. The film was produced and directed by James William Guercio, and is named after the Harley-Da ...

'' (1973). In 1963, Riley appeared as Amelia Pryor on '' The Virginian'' in the episode "Run Away Home." Also in 1963 on ''Wagon Train'' in the episode “The Davey Baxter Story”. Winning the role over 300 competitors, Riley portrayed

Billie Jo Bradley ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...

on the first two seasons of the CBS sitcom ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

'' (1963–1965). Riley left the series in 1965 to pursue movies. She also had a regular cast member role on the comedy variety series ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

'' (1969–1971). She played Lulu McQueen (a take-off on

Ginger Grant Ginger Grant is a fictional character portrayed by actress Tina Louise in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''. Character summary Born in New York City on September 1, 1937, Grant is a "movie star" and would casually ment ...

, played by

Tina Louise Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island''. With the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the last ...

, from ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'') on the western sitcom ''

Dusty's Trail ''Dusty's Trail'' is an American Western/comedy series starring Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker that aired in syndication from September 1973 to March 1974. The series is a western-themed reworking of Denver's previous series ''Gilligan's Island''. ...

'', which aired in 1973–74. In 2020, Riley released ''The Bolder Woman: It's About Time'' (), a book she wrote "to instruct women how they can still fulfill their dreams no matter how old they get."

Partial filmography

*''

Five Finger Exercise ''Five Finger Exercise'' is a 1962 American drama film made by Columbia Pictures, directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Frederick Brisson from a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, based on the play by Peter Shaffer. The film ...

'' (1962) - Girl (uncredited) *''

Strike Me Deadly ''Strike Me Deadly'' is a 1963 American thriller film written and directed by Ted V. Mikels in his directorial debut, and starring Gary Clarke, Jeannine Riley, and Steve Ihnat. Its plot follows a man and his wife who, after witnessing a murder, a ...

'' (1963) - Lori Grant *''

'' (1967) - Bambi Berman *'' Fever Heat'' (1968) - Sandy Richards *'' The Comic'' (1969) - Lorraine Margaret Bell *''

'' (1973) - Jolene *'' The Outfit'' (1973) - Prostitute (uncredited) *''

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West ''The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West'' is a 1976 American Western comedy film directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Bob Denver as Dusty, the bumbling assistant to Wagonmaster Callahan featured in the syndicated series ''Dusty's Trail''. ...

'' (1976) - Lulu McQueen *''Lone Star Bar & Grill'' (1983) - Arlene *'' Timebomb'' (1991) - Landlady (final film role)

References

External links

* 1940 births 20th-century American actresses Actresses from California American film actresses American television actresses People from Madera, California Living people 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1940s-stub