Mary Linn Beller
Mary Linn Beller | |
|---|---|
 Mary Linn Beller (left) with Hal Holbrook (middle) and Lois Nettleton (right) in the television series The Brighter Day in 1954 | |
| Born | March 1, 1933 Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Died | April 13, 2000 (aged 67) |
| Other names | Lynne Pitofsky |
| Alma mater | Bennington College Columbia University School of General Studies |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse |
Robert L. Pitofsky (m. 1954) |
Mary Linn Beller (March 1, 1933 – April 13, 2000) was an American child actress.
Early years
[edit]Beller was born in Brooklyn on March 1, 1933, the daughter of Samuel and Helen Beller.[1] She began taking acting lessons by age 9,[2] studying at the Heckscher Foundation and the Neighborhood Playhouse in Manhattan.[1] She began auditioning for parts on radio when she was 12.[2] She attended Midwood High School,[1] Bennington College and Columbia University School of General Studies.[2]
Career
[edit]Beller's first professional acting role consisted of a giggle[3] on the radio version of Our Miss Brooks[2] when she was 12 years old.[4] She portrayed Babby on The Brighter Day[5] and appeared on other radio programs, including Let's Pretend and School of the Air.[1]
On stage, Beller performed in summer stock at age 16 in the ingenue lead role in You Can't Take It With You. Other summer stock roles were followed by a six-week tour in Leaf and Bough, which had three performances on Broadway.[2] She also appeared in the Broadway production Have I Got a Girl for You!.[6]
Beller continued her role of Babby on the television version of The Brighter DayI.[4] She also portrayed Judy Foster, the title character on the television version of A Date with Judy[2] and "little sister"[7] Connie Thayer on The First Hundred Years. Other TV programs on which she appeared included Escape, Silver Theatre, and Starlight Theatre.[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Beller married business executive Robert L. Pitofsky in September 1954.[4] Known as Lynne Pitofsky, she died on April 13, 2000, at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Gross, Ben (March 3, 1951). "Second Hearing--Second Sight". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 26. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Irwin, Virginia (September 13, 1952). "Judy, Creator of Chaos: Mary Linn Beller Started Her Career With a Giggle". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5 - J. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Giggle Opened TV Door to Her". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 7, 1956. p. 7. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Helman, Marion (September 1956). "In Praise of Parents" (PDF). TV Radio Mirror. pp. 58–59, 96. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "Mary Linn Beller". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "The Turning Poing: Acting was a complete surprise for Mary Linn". The Akron Beacon Journal. Parade. May 6, 1951. p. 111. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths Pitofsky, Lynne (Nee Mary Linn Beller)". The New York Times. April 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2022.