Doris Packer

Prime character actress Doris Packer has one of those glowering faces you know you've seen time and time again but just can't seem to place. Close your eyes, however, and that bosom-heavy voice of hers is absolutely unmistakable. Found amid plush settings and usually the owner of the bluest blood in town, this delightfully austere "Mrs. Moneybags" was born back in 1904 in Michigan, and was still quite young when her family relocated to Southern California. Doris enjoyed play acting in high school and eventually moved to New York to attend The Drama School under the guidance of "Evelyn Thomas" following studies at UCLA. She eventually graced such Broadway productions as "Back Fire", "Strip Girl", "The Women" and "Elizabeth the Queen", while also meeting and marrying renown stage director Rowland G. Edwards. A popular radio performer in New York, she was a regular player in such shows as "Henry Aldrich" and "Mr. & Mrs. North". Following her husband's death in 1953, she relocated to the West Coast to try out film and TV. Though Doris never obtained a series of her own, she certainly gave much of her inimitable self to other sitcoms. Finding a recurring role on George Burns and Gracie Allen's comedy series, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950), she is remembered better for her stern, by-the-book principal, "Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn", on Leave It to Beaver (1957) and the delightfully disdainful society snob, "Mrs. Chatsworth Osborne, Sr.", on the The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959) series. While in Hollywood, Doris would discover a haughty niche for herself, particularly in light comedy as rich foils. A few minor movie roles came her way, but not many, including Meet Me at the Fair (1953), Walt Disney's Bon Voyage! (1962) and The Perils of Pauline (1967). Her last film was a small part in Shampoo (1975) starring Warren Beatty. Unforgettable no matter how small the part, Doris passed away in Glendale, California of natural causes at age 74. Show less «