Fintan Meyler (born Gertrude Anne Meyler; 14 December 1929 – 23 July 2005) was an Irish-American actress on stage, on television, and in films. Meyler was one of seven children.

Biography

Her early education came at a convent in Dublin, before she began studying acting at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. She was chosen Miss Ireland in 1950, which led to her coming to the United States. Meyler never left. Eventually, she made her way to California. Her first TV role was on ''

Matinee Theater ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ...

''. Under the name Fintan Meyler, she starred in over 30 different TV shows. She portrayed memorable characters in shows, such as ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her Pediatrics, pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage childr ...

'', ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', '' The Rebel'', ''

Have Gun - Will Travel Have or having may refer to: * the concept of ownership * any concept of ''possession'' * the English verb "to " is used: ** to express possession linguistically, in a broad sense ** as an auxiliary verb ** in constructions such as ''have somet ...

'' and ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

''. In the 1959 ''Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Howling Dog", she played Thelma Brent. Perhaps best known among her film roles was the "Hysterical Woman" in ''

Zero Hour! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" ...

'' in a scene that was memorably spoofed 22 years later in ''

Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American disaster film, disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker in their List of directorial debuts, directoria ...

'', then with

Lee Bryant Lee Bryant is an American actress. She is most known for a small role in the 1980 comedy film ''Airplane!''. She also appeared as Sam Waterston's wife in the 1977 conspiracy thriller ''Capricorn One'', and as Jennifer Westfeldt's mother in the ro ...

in the part. She strongly resembled Shirley Jones, only brunette. She died of cancer in San Jose,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyler, Fintan Irish emigrants to the United States Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses 1929 births 2005 deaths Actors from County Wexford