Irene Ryan was well into her fifties when she became famous as the wiry Granny Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies." Born in El Paso, Texas on October 17, 1902, the daughter of James and Kathleen Noblette, Ryan began her show business career at age 10, later touring with her husband as the Vaudeville act "Tim & Irene." Ryan appeared in B-movies like "Bonzo Goes To College" in the 40s, and later made the move to TV in shows such as "The Ray Bolger Show" and "Make Room For Daddy." After nearly ten years as Granny Clampett, Irene headed back to Broadway with a Tony-nominated performance in
… More "Pippin." In April, 1973, Ryan suffered a stroke and died soon after at the age of 70. Although she is gone, the Irene Ryan Trust fund lives on, donating scholarships to promising young theater arts students.
