Jean Leete Carson (February 28, 1923 – November 2, 2005) was an American stage, film and television actress best known for her work on the classic 1960s

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'' as one of the " fun girls".

Early life

Carson was born in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

Stage

Carson's early theatrical work included acting in productions of the Kanawha Players. She made her Broadway debut in George S. Kaufman's ''Bravo'' (1948), which garnered her a Theater World Award. Her other Broadway work included ''The Bird Cage'' (1950) and ''Anniversary Waltz'' (1954).

Television

Carson went on to appear in many pioneering television series, including '' Studio One'', ''NBC Presents'', ''

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'' (as Paula in " A Most Unusual Camera", a part written especially for her by

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) and '' The Ford Theatre Hour''. She continued to make guest starring appearances throughout the 1950s, including Paula in ''

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'' in 1958 as well as a regular role on 1959's '' The Betty Hutton Show''. She played the part of a saloon owner (Maggie) who takes in an orphan in season 1 episode 9 of the series '' Sugarfoot'' in 1958. On ''The Andy Griffith Show,'' Carson had a brief role as Naomi in a 1962 episode ("Convicts at Large" with Jane Dulo and Reta Shaw), but her most popular role was Daphne, one of the " fun girls", who appeared with Joyce Jameson on a recurring basis from 1962 to 1965. Daphne was a notorious flirt who greeted her objects of affection with a throaty "Hello, doll". In February 1964, she had a featured role as a nosy neighbor in "The Case of the Bountiful Beauty", season 7, episode 17 of '' Perry Mason''.

Film

Carson had roles in films such as 1955's '' The Phenix City Story'' and 1958's '' I Married a Monster from Outer Space''. She earned fourth billing in the 1968

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...

comedy '' The Party'', perhaps her best-known film. Her last film role was 1977's '' Fun with Dick and Jane''.

Personal life

Carson was married to Leonard Smith, Jr., who was the assistant manager of the Roxy Theater.

Death

On November 2, 2005, Carson died in Palm Springs, California, from complications of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

; she was 82 years old. She was survived by two sons.

Filmography

References

External links

"Hello Doll" - Official website
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2003 Jean Carson interview
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Christian Activities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Jean 1923 births 2005 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Actresses from Charleston, West Virginia Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Palm Springs, California 20th-century American actresses