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Eileen Brennan

Eileen Brennan

Highest Rated: 100% Divorce American Style (1967)

Lowest Rated: 14% Reckless (1995)

Birthday: Sep 3, 1932

Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA

A distinctive American character actor with roots in Broadway musicals, Eileen Brennan was best known for her Oscar-nominated supporting role as an unrelenting drill sergeant in the fish-out-of-water comedy "Private Benjamin" (1980). Prior to that high-profile accomplishment Brennan spent the 1970s working with distinguished directors like Peter Bogdanovich and George Roy Hill, for whom she offered up stellar supporting roles as sharp-tongued, world-weary dames in "The Last Picture Show" (1971) and "The Sting" (1973). The smoky-voiced comedienne whose silent film star features made her a natural for such period pieces, also had memorable roles in zany parodies including the sketch-comedy show "Laugh-In" (NBC, 1968-1973) and Neil Simon's "Murder by Death" (1976) before her "Private Benjamin" success launched a steady small-screen career. Brennan earned multiple Emmy nominations for her central role in the film's sitcom spin-off and went on to appear in scores of television comedies and movies-of-the-week where her unique wit and feisty persona were always a welcome addition. After years of successfully battling breast cancer, Brennan died in 2013 of bladder cancer, with her tenaciousness remaining only part of her considerable legacy.

Highest rated movies

100% 58% Divorce American Style
98% 89% The Last Picture Show 93% 95% The Sting
88% 74% If These Walls Could Talk
83% 73% Boys Life 2
83% 60% Private Benjamin
76% 79% Scarecrow
72% 86% Clue

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Moguls Mrs. Cherkiss (Character) $15.1K 2005
15% 43% Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous Carol Fields (Character) $48.5M 2005
No Score Yet 32% The Hollow Joan Van Etten (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet 28% Comic Book Villains Mrs. Cresswell (Character) - 2002
46% 49% Jeepers Creepers The Cat Lady (Character) $37.9M 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dumb Luck Minnie Hitchcock (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet Moonglow Unknown (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Last Great Ride Pamela "Mimi" Applegate (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Pants on Fire Mom (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 51% Toothless Joe 1 (Character) - 1997
83% 73% Boys Life 2 Mrs. Randozza (segment "Nunzio's Second Cousin") (Character) $20.9K 1997
No Score Yet 22% Changing Habits Mother Superior (Character) - 1997
88% 74% If These Walls Could Talk Tessie (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Trail of Tears Clara (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet 34% Freaky Friday Principal Handel (Character) - 1995
14% 50% Reckless Sister Margaret (Character) $103.4K 1995
No Score Yet 77% In Search of Dr. Seuss The Who-Villian (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Name Is Kate Barbara Mannix (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet 50% Take Me Home Again Sada (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Poisoned by Love: The Kern County Murders Martha Catlin (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 83% I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore Frieda (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story Vicky Martin (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Deadly Intentions... Again? Charlotte (Character) - 1991
29% 76% Stella Mrs. Wilkerson (Character) $20.1M 1990
50% 62% White Palace Judy (Character) $16.9M 1990
59% 46% Texasville Genevieve Morgan (Character) $1.9M 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet It Had to Be You Judith (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet 22% Sticky Fingers Stella (Character) - 1988
17% 68% The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking Miss Bannister (Character) $2.3M 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rented Lips Hotel Desk Clerk (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wedding Day Blues Maude (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet 70% Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife Sylvia (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet 50% Babes in Toyland Mrs. Piper/Widow Hubbard (Character) - 1986
No Score Yet 83% The Fourth Wise Man Judith (Character) - 1985
72% 86% Clue Mrs. Peacock (Character) $13.4M 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fourth Wise Man Judith (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Funny Farm Gail Corbin (Character) - 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Comics Gail Corbin (Character) - 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Working Unknown (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Incident at Crestridge Sara Davis (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet When the Circus Comes to Town Jessy (Character) - 1981
83% 60% Private Benjamin Capt. Doreen Lewis (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet 50% When She Was Bad... Mary Jensen (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Old Man Marie (Character) - 1979
20% 63% FM Mother (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 15% The Great Smokey Roadblock Penelope Pearson (Character) - 1978
53% 57% The Cheap Detective Betty DeBoop (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Death of Richie Carol Werner (Character) - 1977
63% 82% Murder by Death Tess Skeffington (Character) - 1976
50% 47% Hustle Paula Hollinger (Character) - 1975
22% 41% At Long Last Love Elizabeth (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Night That Panicked America Ann Muldoon (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Father's House Mrs. Lindholm Sr. (Character) - 1975
71% 33% Daisy Miller Mrs. Walker (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Come Die With Me Mary (Character) - 1974
93% 95% The Sting Billie (Character) - 1973
76% 79% Scarecrow Darlene (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Blue Knight Glenda (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Playmates Amy (Character) - 1972
98% 89% The Last Picture Show Genevieve (Character) - 1971
100% 58% Divorce American Style Eunice Tase (Character) - 1967

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 88% Will & Grace Zandra (Guest Star) 2001-2002 2004 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet 7th Heaven Gladys Bink (Guest Star) 1996-1997 2003-2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Touched by an Angel Unknown (Guest Star) 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mad About You Inspector No. 10 (Guest Star) 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nash Bridges Unknown (Guest Star) 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Veronica's Closet Unknown (Guest Star) 1997
No Score Yet 85% ER Betty (Guest Star) 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Walker, Texas Ranger Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet 89% Murder, She Wrote Marian Simpson (Guest Star) 1987 1994
82% 90% Tales From the Crypt Unknown (Character) 1993
83% No Score Yet thirtysomething Margaret Weston (Guest Star) 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ray Bradbury Theater Mrs. Annabelle Shrike (Character) 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Newhart Unknown (Guest Star) 1988-1989
No Score Yet 95% Magnum, P.I. Abigail Baldwin (Guest Star) 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Private Benjamin Capt. Doreen Lewis (Character) 1981-1983
No Score Yet 62% Taxi Mrs. McKenzie (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kojak Julie Loring (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Barnaby Jones Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet McMillan and Wife Nora Dane (Guest Star) 1972
No Score Yet 89% All in the Family Unknown (Guest Star) 1972
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Unknown (Guest Star) 1970