Mary Eleanor Donahue (born April 19, 1937), credited as Elinor Donahue, is an American actress, best remembered today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Robert Young and Jane Wyatt, on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best. Donahue achieved stardom for her role as the elder daughter, Betty, on the television family series Father Knows Best. Her co-stars were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray as her younger brother, James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., and Lauren Chapin as her younger sister, Kathy. Donahue was a musical judge in ABC's Jukebox Jury (1953–54). While in the first season of Father Knows Best she also appeared on The Ray Bolger Show, starring Ray Bolger as a song-and-dance man. Thereafter, she was cast with James Best, Ann Doran, and J. Carrol Naish in the 1956 episode "The White Carnation" of the religion anthology series, Crossroads. She guest starred on an episode of U.S. Marshal. She also appeared as a new bride in the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show episode titled "The Newlyweds" that aired April 2, 1956. She played Georgiana Balanger in the episode "Dennis and the Wedding" (1960) on Dennis the Menace.[5] Donahue was also cast, in 1960, with Marion Ross in an episode ("Duet") of The Brothers Brannagan. She played Miriam Welby on ABC's The Odd Couple, Jane Mulligan on Mulligan's Stew, and Nurse Hunnicut on Days of Our Lives. She was featured in 12 episodes of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show as pharmacist Ellie Walker, even getting a mention in the opening credits. The character was intended to be a love interest for Sheriff Andy Taylor, but after one season (1960–1961), Donahue decided to ask for a release from her three-year contract.[6] In 1963, Donahue was cast in an episode of NBC's short-lived modern Western series, Redigo, with Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo; then in 1964, she appeared as Melanie in "The Secret in the Stone" in the NBC medical drama dealing with psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, starring Jack Ging and Ralph Bellamy. Additionally, on February 9, 1963, she played Letty May in the episode "The Burning Tree" on Have Gun Will Travel. In the 1964–65 season, Donahue costarred as Joan Randall, the daughter of Walter Burnley, played by John McGiver, on the CBS sitcom, Many Happy Returns about the complaint department of a fictitious Los Angeles department store. She guest-appeared on Star Trek in the second-season episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as commissioner Nancy Hedford. In 1966, she guest starred on the TV series A Man Called Shenandoah, episode 8, "Town On Fire."
Movie | Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault | Self | 2016-12-05 |
Movie | The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement | Lady Palimore | 2004-08-06 |
Series | Cold Case | Esther 'Legs' Davis (2005) | 2003-09-28 |
Movie | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within | Rebecca Quinn Dickinson | 2001-05-12 |
Series | E! True Hollywood Story | Unknown | 1996-08-21 |
Movie | Dear God | Elinor Donahue | 1996-11-01 |
Series | Friends | Aunt Lillian | 1994-09-22 |
Series | Ellen | Delores Warwell | 1994-03-29 |
Series | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Unknown | 1993-01-01 |
Series | Eek! The Cat | Mom (voice) | 1992-09-11 |
Series | Herman's Head | Mrs. Fitzer | 1991-09-08 |
Movie | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | Orphanage Woman | 1991-09-05 |
Movie | Pretty Woman | Bridget | 1990-03-23 |
Series | Get a Life | Gradys Peterson | 1990-09-23 |
Series | Coach | Lorraine | 1989-02-28 |
Series | The New Adventures of Beans Baxter | Susan Baxter | 1987-07-18 |
Series | The Golden Girls | Katherine | 1985-09-14 |
Movie | No Earthly Reason | Mrs. Morrison | 1984-04-03 |
Series | Murder, She Wrote | Connie Lewis | 1984-09-30 |
Movie | Just an Overnight Guest | Unknown | 1983-08-01 |
Movie | High School U.S.A. | Mrs. Franklin | 1983-10-16 |
Movie | Going Berserk | Margaret Anderson | 1983-09-30 |
Series | Hotel | Unknown | 1982-08-21 |
Series | Condominium | Audrey Ames | 1980-04-06 |
Movie | Doctors' Private Lives | Mona Wise | 1978-03-20 |
Movie | Police Story: No Margin for Error | 1978-04-30 | |
Series | Diff'rent Strokes | Unknown | 1978-11-03 |
Movie | Mulligan's Stew | Jane Mulligan | 1977-06-20 |
Movie | The Father Knows Best Reunion | Betty Anderson | 1977-05-15 |
Series | CHiPs | Elnor Donahue (uncredited) | 1977-09-15 |
Movie | Dick Clark's Good Old Days | 1977-10-11 | |
Movie | Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas | Betty Anderson | 1977-12-18 |
Series | Mulligan's Stew | Jane Mulligan | 1977-10-25 |
Series | The Love Boat | Betty Anderson | 1977-09-24 |
Series | Battle of the Network Stars | Unknown | 1976-11-13 |
Series | One Day at a Time | Unknown | 1975-12-16 |
Series | S.W.A.T. | Unknown | 1975-02-24 |
Series | Happy Days | Unknown | 1974-01-15 |
Series | Police Woman | Ellie Tarlow | 1974-09-13 |
Series | Police Story | Unknown | 1973-03-20 |
Series | The Rookies | Unknown | 1972-09-11 |
Movie | Gidget Gets Married | Medley Blaine | 1972-01-04 |
Series | The Odd Couple | Miriam Welby | 1970-09-24 |
Series | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Unknown | 1969-09-26 |
Movie | In Name Only | Esther Garrity | 1969-11-25 |
Series | The Flying Nun | Dr. Jennifer Ethrington | 1967-09-07 |
Series | Star Trek | Commissioner Nancy Hedford | 1966-09-08 |
Series | Occasional Wife | Unknown | 1966-09-13 |
Series | Many Happy Returns | Unknown | 1964-09-21 |
Series | Redigo | Unknown | 1963-09-24 |
Series | The Eleventh Hour | Unknown | 1962-10-03 |
Series | The Virginian | Carole Cole | 1962-09-19 |
Series | Dr. Kildare | Sharon Calloway | 1961-09-27 |
Series | The Brothers Brannagan | Diane | 1960-09-24 |
Series | The Andy Griffith Show | Ellie Walker | 1960-10-03 |
Movie | Imitation of Life | Lora's Friend | 1959-06-26 |
Series | Dennis the Menace | Unknown | 1959-10-04 |
Movie | Girls Town | Mary Lee Morgan | 1959-10-05 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Unknown | 1957-09-14 |
Series | Father Knows Best | Betty Anderson | 1954-10-03 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Carol Madsen | 1953-02-01 |
Series | Letter to Loretta | Janey | 1953-09-20 |
Movie | Love Is Better Than Ever | Pattie Marie Levoy | 1952-02-23 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Movie | Her First Romance | Lucille Stewart | 1951-05-04 |
Movie | Tea for Two | Unknown | 1950-09-01 |
Movie | Singing Guns | Little Girl (uncredited) | 1950-02-28 |
Movie | The Happy Years | Connie Brown | 1950-07-07 |
Series | The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | Emily Vanderlip Foster | 1950-10-12 |
Movie | My Blue Heaven | Mary (uncredited) | 1950-09-15 |
Movie | An Old-Fashioned Girl | Maud Shaw (as Mary Eleanor Donahue) | 1949-01-19 |
Movie | Three Daring Daughters | Alix Morgan | 1948-02-12 |
Movie | Tenth Avenue Angel | Cynthia (uncredited) | 1948-02-20 |
Movie | The Unfinished Dance | Josie (as Mary Eleanor Donahue) | 1947-09-19 |
Movie | Winter Wonderland | Betty Wheeler | 1946-05-12 |
Movie | And Now Tomorrow | Janice | 1944-11-22 |
Movie | Mister Big | Muggsy | 1943-05-28 |
Movie | Honeymoon Lodge | Janie Thomas | 1943-07-23 |
Movie | Girls' Town | Bit Role (uncredited) | 1942-03-06 |