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
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 |
45% |
|
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 |
14% |
|
Reckless | Sister Margaret (Character) | $103.4K | 1995 |
No Score Yet |
|
Freaky Friday | Principal Handel (Character) | - | 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 | Wedding Day Blues | Maude (Character) | - | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rented Lips | Hotel Desk Clerk (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 |
71% |
|
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 |
68% |
|
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 |
69% |
|
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% | 92% | 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 | 88% | All in the Family | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ghost and Mrs. Muir | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1970 |