Irene Ryan was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964 for the role.
24 Facts About Irene Ryan
2.
Irene Ryan was the second child and latter daughter born to Catherine J "Katie" and James Merritt Noblitt.
3.
Irene Ryan's father was an army sergeant from North Carolina and her mother had emigrated from Ireland.
4.
Jessie Irene was 17 years younger than her sister, Anna.
5.
Irene Ryan began her performing career at the age of 11, when she won $3 for singing "Pretty Baby" in an amateur contest at the Valencia Theater in San Francisco.
6.
The Ryans had no children and divorced in 1942, although Irene kept the surname.
7.
Irene Ryan toured with Bob Hope, and was on his radio program for two years.
8.
Irene Ryan played Edgar Kennedy's wife in two of his RKO short films in 1943.
9.
In 1946, Irene married Harold E Knox, who worked in film production.
10.
Irene Ryan continued to work in motion pictures into the late 1940s and early 1950s, generally playing fussy or nervous women.
11.
Irene Ryan appeared with Walter Brennan in the 1959 episode "Grandpa's New Job" on the ABC sitcom The Real McCoys.
12.
Irene Ryan guest-starred as Ellie McCabe in "The Old Stowe Road," a 1962 episode of the CBS sitcom Ichabod and Me.
13.
Irene Ryan was cast in what was her best-known role in 1962 as Daisy "Granny" Moses, mother-in-law of patriarch Jed Clampett, in The Beverly Hillbillies.
14.
In 1966, Irene Ryan played Granny in the comedy Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title, co-starring Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam.
15.
In 1965, Irene Ryan signed a two-year contract to perform at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
16.
In both 1963 and 1964, Irene Ryan was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.
17.
Irene Ryan was nominated for Broadway's 1973 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress for her performance in Pippin.
18.
Irene Ryan lost to Patricia Elliott in a ceremony held about a month before Ryan's death.
19.
Irene Ryan was a lifelong heavy smoker, and stated in an interview that she "smoked like a chimney" on set and her castmates had genuine concerns about her health.
20.
On March 10,1973, Irene Ryan suffered an apparent stroke during a performance of Pippin, flew home to California on her doctor's orders, and was hospitalized.
21.
Irene Ryan was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma.
22.
Irene Ryan died at St John's Hospital, Santa Monica, California, on April 26,1973, aged 70.
23.
Irene Ryan's body was interred in a mausoleum at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica beside her sister, Anna Thompson.
24.
The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship awards scholarships to outstanding actors who participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.