Jeannie Carson

Jeannie Carson (born Jean Shufflebottom; 23 May 1928 – 1 August 2022) was a British-born American actress, singer, and dancer. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life

Born to show business parents, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebottom in Pudsey, West Riding of Yorkshire. In her early British films, she performed under the name Jean Carson, but later changed her given name to "Jeannie" to avoid confusion with the American actress Jean Carson.

Acting career

Carson had an early role in '' A Date with a Dream'' (1948). In 1949 she was a principal boy at the Theatre Royal in Birmingham. She left Birmingham and was cast as the head of the chorus in Noel Coward's ''Ace of Clubs''. In 1951 she went into a musical, ''Latin Quarter'' at London casino.

Carson acted in '' Love from Judy'' on stage in London. This debuted in 1951 and ran until 1953; the BBC broadcast a film version. Carson was also in the film '' Love in Pawn'' (1953). After producer Max Liebman saw her in ''Love from Judy'', he signed her to a contract to appear on television in the United States, starting with a six-episode color version of the Broadway musical '' Best Foot Forward'' and then in a version of ''Heidi''. In January 1953 she released her first recording on the newly formed Philips label, "Barrels and Barrels of Roses".

Carson was in two films for J. Lee Thompson co-starring Diana Dors, '' As Long as They're Happy'' (1955) and '' An Alligator Named Daisy'' (1955).
In October 1956, John Davis, managing director of Rank, announced her as one of the actors under contract to Rank that Davis thought would become an international star.

In 1956, she starred in her own series '' Hey, Jeannie!'', which aired on CBS. The series lasted one season before being cancelled in 1957, although six new episodes with a revamped format were broadcast in syndication in 1958 with the title ''The Jeannie Carson Show'', and reruns of ''Hey, Jeannie!'' were aired in primetime during the summer of 1960, also under the title ''The Jeannie Carson Show''. She appeared as a guest panelist on the February 24, 1957 telecast of ''What's My Line?''. In the US, Carson guest-starred on episodes of '' Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre'' ("A Dangerous Thing"), ''Wagon Train'' ("The Annie MacGregor Story" S1 E21 1958) and '' General Electric Theatre'' ("Time to Go Now"). On TV she acted in versions of ''Little Women'', ''Berkeley Square'', and ''A Kiss for Cinderella''.

In Britain, Carson was the female lead in '' Rockets Galore'' (1958). In 1960 she was in a short-lived revival of '' Finian's Rainbow'' on Broadway. Carson appeared in the British film '' Seven Keys'' (1961) and on TV starred in versions of ''Quillow and the Gian'', ''What Every Woman Knows'', and ''The Rivals''. In 1962 she took over the role of Maria in ''The Sound of Music'' on Broadway. In 1969, she appeared as Marcy Vincente on the soap opera ''Search for Tomorrow''. Oscar-winning actress Anne Revere played her mother and Anthony George played her husband. In 1970 she was in ''Blood Red Roses'' on Broadway.

Personal life and death

In 1960, Carson married her second husband, actor Biff McGuire, while both were starring in the Broadway revival of ''Finian's Rainbow''. The couple had two children. They toured together in 1961 in ''Camelot'', with McGuire as King Arthur and Carson as Guenevere. Later, they performed at the Seattle Repertory for fifteen years, often together.

She became a naturalized United States citizen on 24 May 1965, the day after her 37th birthday.

Carson died on 1 August 2022, at the age of 94.McGuire, Jeannie Carson – Decedent
unicourt.com. Accessed 4 June 2025.

Filmography

* 1948 – '' A Date with a Dream''
* 1953 – '' Love in Pawn''
* 1955 – '' As Long as They're Happy''
* 1955 – '' An Alligator Named Daisy''
* 1957 – '' Rockets Galore!'' (US title: ''Mad Little Island'')
* 1958 – ''Little Women'' ( CBS Musical) (portraying Jo March) is
* 1961 – '' Seven Keys''
* 1964 – ''My Fair Lady'' (bit part)

Broadway appearances

* 1959–63 – ''The Sound of Music''Profile
playbill.com; accessed 16 March 2022.
* 1960 – '' Finian's Rainbow''
* 1970 – ''Blood Red Roses''

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Jeannie
1928 births
2022 deaths
British women comedians
British expatriate actresses in the United States
British musical theatre actresses
British film actresses
British television actresses
People from Pudsey
Actresses from West Yorkshire
Comedians from West Yorkshire
Actors from the City of Leeds
American women comedians
American musical theatre actresses
American film actresses
American television actresses
Naturalized citizens of the United States