Eileen Brennan
Born: 1932-09-03 in Los Angeles, California, USA
Died: 2013-07-28
Known For: Acting
Biography
Eileen Brennan (September 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013) was an American actress who was known for her versatile performances in film, television, and theater. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Captain Doreen Lewis in the 1980 comedy film Private Benjamin. She also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Mrs. Hughes in the television series Newhart. Brennan was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her acting career in the theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1963 in the musical Little Mary Sunshine. She went on to appear in several other Broadway musicals, including Hello, Dolly! and Annie. Brennan made her film debut in the 1967 satire Divorce American Style. She followed this with supporting roles in the films The Last Picture Show (1971), The Cheap Detective (1978), and The First Wives Club (1996). She also starred in the films Clue (1985) and Sister Act (1992). In addition to her film and theater work, Brennan also had a successful television career. She appeared in numerous television shows, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, and Will & Grace. She died on July 28, 2013, at the age of 80, from complications of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection. Brennan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2001. She underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She continued to work and act throughout her treatment, and she even appeared in the 2011 film The Big Year. In 2013, Brennan's health began to decline. She died on July 28, 2013, at her home in Los Angeles. She was survived by her husband, David John Lampson, and her daughter, Emily.
Filmography
2022
- Who Done It: The Clue Documentary as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2011
- Naked Run as Gram Malone
- Miller's Tale ... (Additional Music)
2006
- Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! ... (Writer)
- The Amateurs as Mrs. Cherkiss
2005
- Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous as Carol Fields
- The Art of 'The Sting' as Self
2004
- The Hollow as Joan Van Etten
2003
- Dumb Luck as Minnie Hitchcock
2002
- Comic Book Villains as Mrs. Cresswell
2001
- Lizzie McGuire as Marge
- Jeepers Creepers as The Cat Lady
2000
- Strong Medicine as Evelyn Knightly
1999
- The Last Great Ride as Pamela 'Mimi' Applegate
1998
- Will & Grace as Zandra
- Pants on Fire as Mom
- Le petomane: Fin de siècle fartiste
1997
- The Wonderful World of Disney as Joe #1
- Veronica's Closet as Grammy Anderson
- Toothless as Joe #1
- Changing Habits as Mother Superior
- Boys Life 2 as Mrs. Randozza
1996
- Arli$$ as Lenore
- 7th Heaven as Mrs. Bink
- If These Walls Could Talk as Tessie
1995
- Reckless as Sister Margaret
- Freaky Friday as Principal Handel
- Trail of Tears as Clara
1994
- ER as Betty
- Touched by an Angel as Dolores Freeman
- In Search of Dr. Seuss as The Who-Villain
- Nunzio's Second Cousin as Mrs. Randazzo
- My Name Is Kate as Barbara Mannix
- The Lies Boys Tell as Sada
1993
- Walker, Texas Ranger as Joelle
- Murder So Sweet as Martha Catlin
- Precious Victims as Minnie
- Recycle Rex as Rose (voice)
1992
- Mad About You as Inspector #10
- Jack's Place
- Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story as Vicky Martin
- I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore as Frieda
1991
- Home Improvement as Wanda
- Picture This as Self
- Deadly Intentions... Again? as Charlotte
1990
- White Palace as Judy
- American Dreamer
- Gravedale High as Miss Dirge (voice)
- Stella as Mrs. Wilkerson
- Texasville as Genevieve Morgan
1989
- Tales from the Crypt as Ruth Sanderson
- It Had to Be You as Judith
1988
- The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking as Miss Bannister
- Sticky Fingers as Stella
- Rented Lips as Hotel Desk Clerk
- Going to the Chapel as Maude
1987
1986
- Babes in Toyland as Mrs. Piper / Widow Hubbard
- The History of White People in America: Volume II
1985
- The Ray Bradbury Theater as Mrs. Annabelle Shrike
- Clue as Mrs. Peacock
- Off the Rack as Kate Halloran
- The Fourth Wise Man as Judith
- The History of White People in America
- Answers as Amanda Jackson (Segment "Twinkle, Twinkle")
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Loretta Lee
1983
- The Funny Farm as Gail Corbin
1982
- Newhart
- Pandemonium as Candy's Mom
- Working as Millworker
- Lily for President? as Maggie
- Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary as Aunt Angelique Lane
1981
- Private Benjamin as Doreen Lewis
- When the Circus Came to Town as Jessy
- Incident at Crestridge as Sara Davis
1980
- Magnum, P.I. as Brenda Babcock
- Private Benjamin as Capt. Doreen Lewis
1979
- A New Kind of Family
- 13 Queens Blvd. as Felicia Winters
- When She Was Bad... as Mary Jensen
- My Old Man as Marie
1978
- Taxi as Mrs. McKenzie
- Black Beauty as Annie Gray
- The Cheap Detective as Betty DeBoop
- FM as Mother
- The Great Smokey Roadblock as Penelope
1977
- All That Glitters as Ma Packer
- The Death of Richie as Carol Werner
1976
- Murder by Death as Tess Skeffington
1975
- Doctors' Hospital
- Hustle as Paula Hollinger
- The Night That Panicked America as Ann Muldoon
- At Long Last Love as Elizabeth
- Knuckle as Delafield's Mistress
- My Father's House as Mrs. Lindholm Sr.
1974
- Dinah! as Self
- Daisy Miller as Mrs. Walker
- Nourish the Beast as Baba Goya
- Come Die with Me as Mary Thatcher
1973
- Barnaby Jones as Anita Willson
- Kojak as Julie Loring
- The Sting as Billie
- Scarecrow as Darlene
- The Blue Knight as Glenda
- The Blue Knight as Glenda
1972
- Playmates as Amy
1971
- All in the Family as Angelique McCarthy
- McMillan & Wife as Nora Dane
- The Last Picture Show as Genevieve
1967
- Divorce American Style as Eunice Tase
1966
- The Star Wagon as Hallie
1962
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter