Elena Angela Verdugo (April 20, 1925 – May 30, 2017) was an American actress, who began in films at the age of five in ''

Cavalier of the West ''Cavalier of the West'' is a 1931 American Western film written and directed by John P. McCarthy. Distributed by State Rights, Weiss Bros. and Artclass Pictures Corp., the film was released in the US on November 15, 1931, and marked the acting ...

'' (1931). Her career in radio, television, and film spanned six decades.

Early life

Elena Angela Verdugo was born on April 20, 1925, in the city of

Paso Robles, California Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for The Pass of Oaks), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River about north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot springs, ...

. She was the daughter of Mrs. Beatrice K. Verdugo. Verdugo studied dance, drama, and music as a youngster.

Career

Film

When Verdugo was 15, a judge appointed her mother as her legal guardian, so she could sign a film contract. One of her early appearances was in ''

Down Argentine Way ''Down Argentine Way'' is a 1940 American musical film made in Technicolor by Twentieth Century Fox. It made a star of Betty Grable in her first leading role for the studio although she had already appeared in 31 films, and it introduced America ...

'' (1940). She made numerous film appearances through the 1940s, including two

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

horror films, '' House of Frankenstein'' and'' The Frozen Ghost''. While filming the

Abbott and Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

comedy ''

Little Giant ''Little Giant'' is a 1946 American comedy drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello alongside Brenda Joyce and Jacqueline deWit. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The fil ...

'' (1946), she met and married screenwriter Charles R. Marion, who also wrote for the comedy team's radio show. Verdugo starred with

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

and Stephen Dunne in '' The Big Sombrero'' (1949). She had a small part as the orange girl smitten by Cyrano's gallantry in the opening theater scene of the 1950

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...

version of ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

''. She co-starred in ''

Thief of Damascus '' Thief of Damascus '' is a 1952 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Will Jason and starring Paul Henreid, John Sutton (actor), John Sutton and Jeff Donnell. The film features a generous use of stock footage from such films as ''Joa ...

'' (1952) with

Paul Henreid Paul Henreid (January 10, 1908 – March 29, 1992) was an Austrian-American actor, director, producer, and writer. He is best remembered for several film roles during the Second World War, including Capt. Karl Marsen in '' Night Train to Mu ...

and John Sutton. Verdugo had a starring role as a singer in 1957's ''

Panama Sal ''Panama Sal'' is a 1957 American musical comedy film directed by William Witney and written by Arnold Belgard. The film stars Elena Verdugo, Ed Kemmer, Carlos Rivas, Harry Jackson, Joe Flynn and Christine White. The film was released on Oct ...

'', a musical comedy film.

Radio and television

Verdugo had a flair for comedy, and she garnered much laughter and applause in the title role of the hit situation comedy ''

Meet Millie ''Meet Millie'', a situation comedy about a wisecracking Manhattan secretary from Brooklyn, made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s. In the live television version, Mom and Millie were living in Jackson Heights, Queens. Th ...

'' on both radioTerrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 223. and television (1952–1956).Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . She guest starred on ''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...

'' in a 1958 episode titled "Bob and the Ravishing Realtor", playing the part of the realtor. In 1959, she played Maria Carroyo in "Incident at Spanish Rock", an episode of ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

''. In May 1964, Verdugo appeared in a season-one episode of ''

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, an ...

''. She played business executive Mary Jane Hastings, who returns to Hooterville to accept an achievement award, but treats the men of the town—and her smitten male assistant—shabbily. Verdugo is perhaps best-known today for her role as office assistant/nurse Consuelo Lopez in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

series '' Marcus Welby, M.D.,'' starring with Robert Young in the title role and

James Brolin Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (born July 18, 1940), known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes and an Emmy Awards, Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August ...

as the medical associate. The series aired from 1969 to 1976.

Recognition

In 1971 and 1972, Verdugo was nominated for

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

s in the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama category. Both nominations were for her performances on ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' She has a star at 1709 Vine Street in the television section of the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

Personal life

Verdugo is a descendant of

José María Verdugo José María Verdugo (1751 – 1831) was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784. Spanish soldier José María Verdugo (Car ...

, a Spanish soldier and recipient of the Rancho San Rafael, a land grant that included what is today the cities of Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, and La Canada, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater and Eagle Rock.Elena Verdugo, Emmy-Nominated Actress on 'Marcus Welby, M.D.,' Dies at 92
/ref> Verdugo and Marion had one son, Richard Marion (born 1949), who became an actor/director. Her second husband was Charles "Rosy" Rosewall, M.D., a psychiatrist, who died in 2012. Verdugo died on May 30, 2017, in Los Angeles at the age of 92.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verdugo, Elena 1925 births 2017 deaths American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses American people of Spanish descent Actresses from California People from Paso Robles, California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women