Beverly Lunsford

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Beverly Lunsford
Art Carney Beverly Lunsford The Rope Dancers 1957.JPG
Photo of Art Carney and Beverly Lunsford from the Broadway play The Rope Dancers. This was Carney's first time on Broadway.
Born
Beverly Jane Lunsford

(1945-01-05)January 5, 1945
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Died (aged 74)
Canton, Georgia
OccupationActress
Years active1954–1969
Notable work
The Intruder, Leave it to Beaver

Beverly Lunsford (January 5, 1945 - May 22, 2019) was an American actress best known as the annoying female character, Shirley Fletcher, on the situation comedy television series, Leave it to Beaver, starring Jerry Mathers.[1][2]

Early life[]

Lunsford was born in Atlanta, Georgia. [3]

Career[]

Lunsford's early career encompassed several stage performances as well as television and movies. She first appeared at the age of twelve in the 1957 Broadway production of The Rope Dancers starring Siobhán McKenna and Art Carney.[4] Lunsford's big-screen work started soon after. She appeared in several anthology dramas, then progressed onto guest-starring role on television series like National Velvet, My Three Sons, and Leave It to Beaver. She temporarily played the part of Amy Ames Britton Kincaid on the CBS soap opera, The Secret Storm, during which she filled in for the main star, Jada Rowland.[5] She had previously played a role on The Edge of Night[6]

Lunsford's starring role came in 1961 when she played in Roger Corman's topical drama The Intruder.[7] The film dealt with race relations in the American South in the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling.

In 1963, Lunsford was cast in Herbert L. Strock's horror film, The Crawling Hand.[8] Lunsford made her last screen appearance in 1969, although she still attended various public celebrity-oriented events until her death in 2019.

Filmography[]

Year Title Role
1957 That Night! Betsy Bowden
1962 The Intruder Ella McDaniel
1963 The Crawling Hand Patsy Townsen
1968 Jennie: Wife/Child Jennie Pekingpraw

Television[]

Year Title Role
1956 Robert Montgomery Presents Mark Pendel
1955–1958 United States Steel Hour Sylvia/Allison
1960–1961 National Velvet Marilyn Winters in "The Riding Mistress (with Roger Mobley)
1962 Leave It to Beaver Shirley Fletcher
1969 My Three Sons Betty Crawford

References[]

  1. ^ Lunsford, Beverly. "Wally's License". IMDb. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Obituary for Beverly Jane Lunsford at Cagle Funeral Home".
  3. ^ Lunsford, Beverly (2014). "Lunsford's early career". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  4. ^ Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Rope Dancers". PlayBill Vault. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  5. ^ Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford in The Secret Storm". AngelFire. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Cast".
  7. ^ Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Intruder". Amazon. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  8. ^ Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Crawling Hand". B Movie Central. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
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