Jeannine Brooke Riley (born October 1, 1940) is an American actress.

Early years

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Riley, she was born in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, and moved with her family to

Madera, California Madera (Spanish language, Spanish for "Lumber") is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, California, Madera County, located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Founded in 1876 as a timber town at the terminus of a major logging f ...

, after her father left the Army. She spent two years training at the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

Career

Early in her career, Riley performed on television in Fresno and in underwater ballet at a hotel. She appeared in guest roles on numerous television series (''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'', ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, p ...

'', ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'') and a few feature films such as ''

The Big Mouth ''The Big Mouth'' is a 1967 American comedy film produced, directed, co-written, and starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in San Diego and features Frank De Vol as an onscreen narrator. Plot Gerald Clamson is a bank examiner who loves fishing on ...

'' (1967), '' Fever Heat'' (1968), ''

The Comic ''The Comic'' is a 1969 American Pathécolor comedy-drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Carl Reiner. It stars Dick Van Dyke as Billy Bright (which was the original title of the film), Michele Lee as Bright's love interest, and R ...

'' (1969) and '' Electra Glide in Blue'' (1973). In 1963, Riley appeared as Amelia Pryor on '' The Virginian'' in the episode "Run Away Home." Also in 1963 on ''Wagon Train'' in the episode "The Davey Baxter Story". Winning the role over 300 competitors, Riley portrayed

Billie Jo Bradley ''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 ...

on the first two seasons of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

sitcom ''

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 ...

'' (1963–1965). Riley left the series in 1965 to pursue movies. She also had a regular cast member role on the comedy variety series ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'' (1969–1971). She played Lulu McQueen (a take-off on

Ginger Grant Ginger Grant is a fictional character portrayed by Tina Louise in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''. Grant was initially portrayed by Kit Smythe. She is known for casually mentioning big movie stars as her acquaintances. ...

, played by

Tina Louise Tina Louise (née Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her career on stage, film and television, including her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the popular television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island'' ...

, from ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'') on the western sitcom ''

Dusty's Trail ''Dusty's Trail'' is an American Western/ comedy series starring Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker that aired in syndication from September 1973 to March 1974. The series is a western-themed reworking of Denver's previous series '' Gilligan's Isl ...

'', which aired in 1973–74. In 2020, Riley released ''The Bolder Woman: It's About Time'' (), a book she wrote "to instruct women how they can still fulfill their dreams no matter how old they get."

Partial filmography

*''

Five Finger Exercise ' is a 1962 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Frederick Brisson from a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett based on the play by Peter Shaffer. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film st ...

'' (1962) - Girl (uncredited) *''

Strike Me Deadly ''Strike Me Deadly'' is a 1963 American thriller film written and directed by Ted V. Mikels in his directorial debut, and starring Gary Clarke, Jeannine Riley, and Steve Ihnat. Its plot follows a man and his wife who, after witnessing a murder, a ...

'' (1963) - Lori Grant *''

'' (1967) - Bambi Berman *'' Fever Heat'' (1968) - Sandy Richards *''

'' (1969) - Lorraine Margaret Bell *'' Electra Glide in Blue'' (1973) - Jolene *'' The Outfit'' (1973) - Prostitute (uncredited) *''

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West ''The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West'' is a 1976 American Western comedy film directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Bob Denver as Dusty, the bumbling assistant to Wagonmaster Callahan featured in the syndicated series ''Dusty's Trail''. Th ...

'' (1976) - Lulu McQueen *''Lone Star Bar & Grill'' (1983) - Arlene *'' Timebomb'' (1991) - Landlady (final film role)

References

External links

* 1940 births 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Fresno, California American film actresses American television actresses People from Madera, California Living people 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1940s-stub