Cheryl Lynn Holdridge (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Phelps; June 20, 1944 – January 6, 2009) was an American actress, best known as an original cast member of ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first te ...

''.

Early life

Holdridge's mother, Julie, married Herbert Charles Holdridge, a retired Brigadier General. He adopted Cheryl in 1953 and gave her his surname. Her stepbrother was diplomat John H. Holdridge, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Career

Holdridge first performed professionally at the age of nine in the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

's version of ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Her first screen appearance was as an uncredited extra in the 1956 film production of ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

''. She auditioned for

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' in the spring of 1956, and was hired for the show's second season. After the show's run ended, Holdridge returned to

Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) is a public high school in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. The school is home to a Residential Program and three Magnet Programs—Math/Science, P ...

and graduated from Grant High School with the winter 1961 class. She was cast in two episodes of ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' in 1959 as Gloria Cusick; she later played an occasional, recurring role as

Wally Cleaver Wallace "Wally" Cleaver is a fictional character in the iconic American television sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver''. Wally is the thirteen-year-old son of archetypal 1950s suburban parents, Ward Cleaver, Ward and June Cleaver and the older brother ...

's girlfriend, Julie Foster. She reprised her role as Julie Foster in two guest appearances in ''

The New Leave It to Beaver ''The New Leave It to Beaver'' (also known as ''Still the Beaver'') is an American sitcom sequel to the original 1957–1963 sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver''. The series began with the 1983 reunion television movie ''Still the Beaver'' that aired o ...

'' in 1985 and 1987. From 1960, Holdridge made guest appearances on over twenty different shows, including ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was b ...

'', '' Bachelor Father'', ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

'', '' The Eleventh Hour'', ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

'', and ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calv ...

''. Holdridge was offered the role of Elly May on ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'' but her studio would not release her from her contract to accept the role, and lost the lead role in ''

Gidget Goes to Rome ''Gidget Goes to Rome'' is a 1963 Columbia Pictures Eastmancolor romantic comedy film starring Cindy Carol as the archetypal high school teen surfer girl originally portrayed by Sandra Dee in the 1959 film '' Gidget''. The film is the third of ...

'' to

Cindy Carol Cindy Carol (born Annette Carol Sydes, October 11, 1944, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. She was credited as Carol Sydes before her starring role as Gidget in ''Gidget Goes to Rome'' (1963). Personal She was born to Thoma ...

for looking too mature. Holdridge was also

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

ed for a role in '' Spencer's Mountain'' that would eventually go to

Mimsy Farmer Merle "Mimsy" Farmer (born February 28, 1945) is an American former actress, artist and sculptor. She began her career appearing in several Hollywood studio films, such as '' Spencer's Mountain'' (1963) and '' Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965), f ...

. Holdridge retired from acting in 1964 to marry race car driver Lance Reventlow, to whom she was wed until his death in 1972. Holdridge was offered a movie contract from

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

but declined after Reventlow proposed. She stated “I had to choose between my career and my personal life. Lance doesn't want me to quit acting, but it wouldn't be right for me to be tied to a studio." In 1967 Holdridge was reported to be planning on writing a book about

Barbara Hutton Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American debutante, socialite, heiress and philanthropist. She was dubbed the "Poor Little Rich Girl"—first when she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball in 1930 ...

and Reventlow. She watched an installment of '' Poor Little Rich Girl'', based on Hutton, with its producer

Lester Persky Lester Persky (July 6, 1925 – December 16, 2001) was an American film, television, and theatre producer. Early life and career Born in Brooklyn, New York, Persky attended Brooklyn College before serving in the Merchant Navy during World War ...

at his Bel Air home. The book never materialized. After the death of her third husband, Holdridge made a cameo appearance in the

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

feature film, ''

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, and Jack Epps, Jr., and is the prequel to Levant's ''The Flintstones'' (1994), based ...

''. In 2005, she appeared at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

for 50th anniversary celebrations of both the opening of the park and ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. She was cast in televised documentary specials about

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

(2005) and

(2006), and also appeared in a special feature interview for a Disney

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Personal life

Lance Reventlow and Cheryl Holdridge's wedding portrait In May 1960, Holdridge went on a live tour to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

with other former Mouseketeers. While there, she became involved with Lucky Starr, an Australian singer. They met when Starr was 19 and Holdridge was still 15 years old. Starr was quoted as saying he fell in love with her and when the relationship ended, the two remained friends and would write to each other regularly. Prior to her first marriage, Holdridge had dated

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Tony Dow Anthony Lee Dow (April 13, 1945 – July 27, 2022) was an American actor, film producer, director and sculptor. He portrayed Wally Cleaver in the iconic television sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver'' from 1957 to 1963. From 1983 to 1989, Dow repri ...

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

Tim Considine Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early life Considine was born in Lo ...

Fabian Forte Fabian Anthony Forte (born February 6, 1943), professionally known as Fabian, is an American singer and actor. Forte rose to national prominence after performing several times on ''American Bandstand''. He became a teen idol of the late 1950s ...

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

Don Grady Don Grady (born Don Louis Agrati; June 8, 1944 – June 27, 2012) was an American actor and musician. He was best known as one of the Mouseketeers on the Mickey Mouse Club, and as Robbie Douglas on the long-running ABCCBS television series ...

Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 − September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as '' Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', '' Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minde ...

, and Michael Anderson Jr. Holdridge's first marriage, on November 8, 1964, was to sportsman and playboy Lance Reventlow, only child of

, heir to the Woolworth fortune. Holdridge decided to retire from acting after becoming engaged to Reventlow and would later explain “because that’s what you did then. You married and stayed home.” It was reported that towards the end of their marriage the couple were estranged and met only occasionally, with Holdridge contemplating divorce. At an event in 1971, Holdridge refused to be addressed as Mrs. Lance Reventlow and stated "Lance and I are the best of friends. We just don't live together." Reventlow died in 1972, in the crash of a small plane in which he was a passenger in

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...

. The bulk of Reventlow's estate went to Holdridge, which was estimated around $50 million. Between her first two marriages it was reported Holdridge dated film producers Robert Cohn (son of

Jack Cohn Jacob Cohn (October 27, 1889 – December 8, 1956) was an American film producer and executive, who was the co-founder of Columbia Pictures Corporation. Early life Cohn was born in New York, the son of Joseph, a Jewish tailor from Germany, and ...

) and Andrew Wald (son of

Jerry Wald Jerome Irving Wald (September 16, 1911 – July 13, 1962) was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs. Life and career Early life Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were act ...

), and author

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

. Her second husband was Albert James "Jim" Skarda, whom she married in 1974. He ran a car rental service in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

. Skarda was indicted for being the ringleader in an international

drug smuggling The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

operation. According to a sealed indictment, Skarda put up $100,000 in 1983 to begin importing thousands of pounds of marijuana from Colombia to the United States. Holdridge pledged their Aspen home to pay for his $500,000 bond. They divorced in 1988. She maintained a second home in Aspen and lived there for six months out of the year from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. Her third husband, Manning J. Post (1918–2000), a prominent

California Democratic Party The California Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in Sacramento, the state capital. With 46.59% of the state's registered voters as of February 2024, the Democratic ...

fundraiser and controller, was 26 years her senior. Post had a used car business before becoming a TV and film producer. Post was then treasurer for the California presidential campaigns of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

and headed the inaugural campaign committee for

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. Post would then go on to be a fundraiser for the political campaigns of

Jesse Unruh Jesse Marvin Unruh (, ; September 30, 1922 – August 4, 1987), also known as Big Daddy Unruh, was an American politician who served as speaker of the California State Assembly and as the California State Treasurer. Early life and education Born ...

and Joel Wachs. He died at the age of 82.Manning J. Post; Democratic Fund-Raiser Advised Party's Candidates for 40 Years
/ref>

Death

Holdridge died at her Santa Monica home on January 6, 2009, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

, aged 64.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Images of Holdridge from her appearance on ''Bewitched''

Cheryl Holdridge Graduation picture
1961 Grant High School (login required) {{DEFAULTSORT:Holdridge, Cheryl 1944 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Orleans People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles American child actresses American environmentalists American women environmentalists American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from lung cancer in California Mouseketeers Van Nuys High School alumni Woolworth family Grant High School (Los Angeles) alumni Actresses from Los Angeles American female dancers