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Spring Byington

Spring Byington

Highest Rated: 100% Devil's Doorway (1950)

Lowest Rated: 57% Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)

Birthday: Oct 17, 1886

Birthplace: Hollywood, California, USA

For over 30 years, Spring Byington balanced a prolific stage and radio career with strong supporting roles in film and television. She took up acting at a young age, and by 1910 she had joined a repertory company and embarked on a tour of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She married the theater company's manager and lived abroad for eight years before returning to New York in 1920. There she honed her comedic skills in numerous Broadway plays, and in 1930 she made her film debut in the short Christmas comedy "Papa's Slay Ride." Her next role, as the kindhearted Marmee in the critically acclaimed adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel "Little Women," became a stock character for the well-liked actress. Byington was a key player in many MGM films of the '30s and '40s, and appeared as the good-natured family matriarch in the popular "Jones family" series of comedies. In 1938, she garnered critical praise for her role as the eccentric Penny Sycamore in the award-winning romantic comedy "You Can't Take It with You." After turning in memorable performances as a stuffy mother in the fantasy romance "Heaven Can Wait" and as a sweet-faced con artist in the Gene Tierney comedy "Rings on Her Fingers," Byington was cast as the perky widow Lily Ruskin in the TV sitcom "December Bride," based on her popular radio serial, which aired for five seasons. Byington later appeared as kindly homemaker Daisy Cooper on the primetime Western series "Laramie"

Highest rated movies

100% Devil's Doorway
100% The Enchanted Cottage
100% Ah, Wilderness!
96% Jezebel
96% Mutiny on the Bounty
94% You Can't Take It With You
92% Meet John Doe
91% Dodsworth

Photos

AH, WILDERNESS!, Spring Byington, Wallace Beery, 1935 B.F.'S DAUGHTER, Spring Byington, wardrobe test, 1948 THE BIG WHEEL, Spring Byington, Mickey Rooney, 1949 CYNTHIA, Spring Byington costume test, on set, 1947 HEAVEN CAN WAIT, Spring Byington, 1943, TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. LIVING IN A BIG WAY, Spring Byington costume test, on set, 1947 LIVING IN A BIG WAY, Spring Byington costume test, on set, 1947 YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Spring Byington, 1938 YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Spring Byington, 1938 LITTLE WOMEN, (clockwise): Katharine Hepburn, Frances Dee, Spring Byington, Jean Parker, Joan Bennett, 1933 LITTLE WOMEN, Katharine Hepburn, Spring Byington, Jean Parker, Samuel S. Hinds, Frances Dee, Joan Bennett, 1933 LOUISA, Edmund Gwenn, Spring Byington, Charles Coburn, 1950 NO ROOM FOR THE GROOM, Don DeFore, Spring Byington (front), Piper Laurie, Tony Curtis (back), 1952 DRAGONWYCK, Gene Tierney, Spring Byington, 1946, (c) 20th Century Fox, TM & Copyright PENROD AND HIS TWIN BROTHER, Frank Craven, Billy Mauch, Spring Byington, 1938 WEREWOLF OF LONDON, Spring Byington, Valerie Hobson, 1935 THE VANISHING VIRGINIAN, from left: Spring Byington, Louise Beavers, Leigh Whipper, 1942 LOUISA, Ruth Hussey, Ronald Reagan, Piper Laurie, Spring Byington, 1950 FAITHFUL IN MY FASHION, Donna Reed, Spring Byington, Edward Everett Horton, 1946 PLEASE BELIEVE ME, from left: Peter Lawford, Bridget Carr, Spring byington, Peter Price, 1950
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
57% 60% Please Don't Eat the Daisies Suzie Robinson (Character) - 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rocket Man Justice Amelia Brown (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet No Room for the Groom Mama Kingshead (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 29% Because You're Mine Mrs. Montville (Character) - 1952
83% 65% Angels in the Outfield Sister Edwitha (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet According to Mrs. Hoyle Mrs. Hoyle (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bannerline Mrs. Loomis (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 54% Walk Softly, Stranger Mrs. Brentman (Character) - 1950
100% 67% Devil's Doorway Mrs. Masters (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Please Believe Me Mrs. Milwright (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Skipper Surprised His Wife Agnes Thorndyke (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Louisa Louisa Norton (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 30% The Big Wheel Mary Coy (Character) - 1949
62% 79% In the Good Old Summertime Nellie Burke (Character) - 1949
No Score Yet 33% B.F.'s Daughter Gladys Fulton (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet 41% Cynthia Carrie Jannings (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet 56% Living in a Big Way Mrs. Minerva Alsop Morgan (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet No Score Yet Little Mister Jim Mrs. Starwell (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet 14% Singapore Mrs. Bellows (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Brother Talks to Horses Mrs. "Ma" Penrose (Character) - 1946
67% 70% Dragonwyck Magda (Character) - 1946
No Score Yet No Score Yet Faithful in My Fashion Miss Mary Swanson (Character) - 1946
No Score Yet No Score Yet Meet Me on Broadway Sylvia Kane Storm (Character) - 1946
100% 83% The Enchanted Cottage Violet Price (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet 54% Thrill of a Romance Nona Glenn (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet 75% A Letter for Evie Mrs. McPherson (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet No Score Yet Una Carta Para Eva Unknown (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet No Score Yet Salty O'Rourke Mrs. Brooks (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet 71% I'll Be Seeing You Mrs. Marshall (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet 25% The Heavenly Body Nancy Potter (Character) - 1943
89% 75% Heaven Can Wait Bertha Van Cleve (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 77% Presenting Lily Mars Mrs. Mars (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Affairs of Martha Sophia Sommerfield (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 60% Rings on Her Fingers Mrs. Maybelle Worthington (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet No Score Yet The War Against Mrs. Hadley Cecilia Talbot (Character) - 1942
90% 80% The Devil and Miss Jones Elizabeth Ellis (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet 45% When Ladies Meet Bridget Drake (Character) - 1941
92% 82% Meet John Doe Mrs. Mitchell (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet Arkansas Judge Mary Shoemaker (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Vanishing Virginian Rosa Yancey (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime Carlotta Emerson (Character) - 1941
No Score Yet 36% Lucky Partners Aunt Lucy (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet 67% My Love Came Back Mrs. Clara Malette (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet 71% The Blue Bird Mummy Tyl (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Child Is Born Mrs. Mamie West (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laddie Mrs. Stanton (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet No Score Yet Everybody's Baby Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet 58% The Story of Alexander Graham Bell Mrs. Hubbard (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Too Busy to Work Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet In Hollywood Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chicken Wagon Family Unknown (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Down on the Farm Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Love on a Budget Mrs. Louise Jones (Character) - 1938
96% 83% Jezebel Mrs. Kendrick (Character) - 1938
94% 88% You Can't Take It With You Penny Sycamore (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet 85% The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Widow Douglas (uncredited) (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Penrod and His Twin Brother Mrs. Schofield (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Penrod and Sam Mrs. Laura Schofield (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet No Score Yet Green Light Mrs. Dexter (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet 82% It's Love I'm After Aunt Ella (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet No Score Yet Borrowing Trouble Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet No Score Yet In Hot Water Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet 33% A Family Affair Mrs. Emily Hardy (Character) - 1937
No Score Yet No Score Yet Big Business Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1937
91% 86% Dodsworth Matey Pearson (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet 74% Theodora Goes Wild Rebecca Perry (Character) - 1936
71% 59% The Charge of the Light Brigade Lady Octavia Warrenton (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet Back to Nature Mrs. Louise Jones (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet Every Saturday Night Mrs. Evers (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet Palm Springs Aunt Letty (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Girl on the Front Page Mrs. Langford (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet Educating Father Mrs. John Jones (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Voice of Bugle Ann Ma Davis (Character) - 1936
No Score Yet No Score Yet Stage Struck Mrs. Randall (Character) - 1936
100% 57% Ah, Wilderness! Essie Miller (Character) - 1935
96% 84% Mutiny on the Bounty Mrs. Byam (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet 20% Way Down East Mrs. Bartlett (Character) - 1935
79% 45% The Werewolf of London Miss Ettie Coombes (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Great Impersonation Duchess Caroline (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet No Score Yet Broadway Hostess Mrs. Duncan-Griswald-Wembly-Smythe (Character) - 1935
No Score Yet 60% Love Me Forever Clara Fields (Character) - 1935
89% 78% Little Women Marmee (Character) - 1933

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flying Nun Unknown (Guest Star) 1968
No Score Yet 54% I Dream of Jeannie Mother (Guest Star) 1967
72% 78% Batman Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laramie Daisy Cooper (Character) 1961-1963
No Score Yet 85% Alfred Hitchcock Presents Alice Wagner (Character) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet What's My Line? Guest 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet The 20th Century-Fox Hour Unknown (Character) 1956