Florence MacMichael (April 26, 1919 – May 28, 1999) was an American character actress of stage, film and television, best known for playing Winnie Kirkwood in the television series '' Mister Ed''.

Early life and education

MacMichael was born in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstow ...

, to Mary ( née Wahl) and Roy A. MacMichael. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Career

MacMichael started out on local radio, local theater and Broadway shows. A major role in the Broadway play ''Out of the Frying Pan'' led to her first film role in its 1943 adaptation, '' Young and Willing''. Her later film credits include '' Woman Obsessed'' (1959), '' The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit'' (1968) and ''

Welcome Home, Soldier Boys ''Welcome Home, Soldier Boys'' is a 1972 American drama film directed by Richard Compton and starring Joe Don Baker, Paul Koslo, Alan Vint, Elliott Street, Jennifer Billingsley and Billy "Green" Bush. Written by Guerdon Trueblood, the film w ...

'' (1972). On television she played Florence Pearson in '' My Three Sons'' (1960–61), Winnie Kirkwood in ''Mister Ed'' (1963–65) and Barney Fife's girlfriend in two episodes of ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. Th ...

''. She also appeared in several episodes of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and guest-starred on '' The Twilight Zone'' (in "

Mr. Bevis "Mr. Bevis" is episode thirty-three of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It first aired on June 3, 1960 on CBS. This episode is one of only four to feature the "blinking eye" opening sequence, and the first to feature ...

"), '' Bachelor Father'', '' Dennis the Menace'', '' The Donna Reed Show'' and '' Alcoa Premiere''. Also in an episode of ((The Tall Man)) "Millionaire McBean". MacMichael was active in local theater, both as an actress and director. She was the founder of the Sierra Madre Studio Players and also worked at the Pasadena Playhouse. In the late 1970s, she taught acting classes on the stage of the Pasadena Repertory Theater, located in The Hotel Carver. She taught techniques of method acting. One of her exercises was to act like a slice of bacon frying in a hot skillet.

Personal life

MacMichael was married twice, first to Sebryn Myers and then to James McCoy. She had two children, a son and a daughter. She died at Cambria, California, at the age of 80.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:MacMichael, Florence 1919 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Maryland 20th-century American actresses