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.
Photos
Eileen Brennan
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Moguls | Mrs. Cherkiss (Character) | $15.1K | 2005 |
15% |
|
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Carol Fields (Character) | $48.5M | 2005 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Hollow | Joan Van Etten (Character) | - | 2004 |
No Score Yet |
|
Comic Book Villains | Mrs. Cresswell (Character) | - | 2002 |
46% |
|
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 |
|
Toothless | Joe 1 (Character) | - | 1997 |
83% |
|
Boys Life 2 | Mrs. Randozza (segment "Nunzio's Second Cousin") (Character) | $20.9K | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Changing Habits | Mother Superior (Character) | - | 1997 |
88% |
|
If These Walls Could Talk | Tessie (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Trail of Tears | Clara (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
Freaky Friday | Principal Handel (Character) | - | 1995 |
14% |
|
Reckless | Sister Margaret (Character) | $103.4K | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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% |
|
Stella | Mrs. Wilkerson (Character) | $20.1M | 1990 |
50% |
|
White Palace | Judy (Character) | $16.9M | 1990 |
59% |
|
Texasville | Genevieve Morgan (Character) | $1.9M | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | It Had to Be You | Judith (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet |
|
Sticky Fingers | Stella (Character) | - | 1988 |
17% |
|
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 |
|
Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife | Sylvia (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet |
|
Babes in Toyland |
Mrs. Piper/ |
- | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Fourth Wise Man | Judith (Character) | - | 1985 |
72% |
|
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% |
|
Private Benjamin | Capt. Doreen Lewis (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet |
|
When She Was Bad... | Mary Jensen (Character) | - | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | My Old Man | Marie (Character) | - | 1979 |
20% |
|
FM | Mother (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Great Smokey Roadblock | Penelope Pearson (Character) | - | 1978 |
53% |
|
The Cheap Detective | Betty DeBoop (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Death of Richie | Carol Werner (Character) | - | 1977 |
63% |
|
Murder by Death | Tess Skeffington (Character) | - | 1976 |
50% |
|
Hustle | Paula Hollinger (Character) | - | 1975 |
22% |
|
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% |
|
Daisy Miller | Mrs. Walker (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Come Die With Me | Mary (Character) | - | 1974 |
93% |
|
The Sting | Billie (Character) | - | 1973 |
76% |
|
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% |
|
The Last Picture Show | Genevieve (Character) | - | 1971 |
100% |
|
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 |