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Nickname:	Reenie
Known for:	My Dear Secretary, The Beverly Hillbillies: The Clampetts Strike Oil, The Beverly Hillbillies: Meanw
Birth name:	Irene Noblette
Birthday:	17 October 1902, El Paso, Texas, USA
Height:	5' 2" (1.57 m)

When she didn't have her Granny make-up on, Irene Ryan often went unrecognized on the streets. Toured with Bob Hope's troupe during World War II. Was appearing in her first Broadway musical, "Pippin", when she died from a stroke. Interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California, USA. Since 1972, College actors and actresses from all over America compete yearly for the prestigious "Irene Ryan Scholarships" (started by the Irene Ryan Foundation) at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Her grave marker has the name "Granny" on it. Co-starred on NBC Radio's "The Bob Hope Show" (1948-1950). Had no surviving relatives; with an estate worth over $1 million, she decided to start the Irene Ryan Foundation for theatre aspirants. After the cancellation of "The Beverly Hillbillies", she was offered a starring role in a proposed TV series in which she would have played a character similar to that of her Hillbillies character Granny. However, despite her interest in the idea of doing a new series, she decided to put the project on hold so that she could fulfill her dream of performing on Broadway. Ultimately, the proposed TV series never came into fruition, since her death in 1973 ended any chances of it being produced. Was posthumously nominated for Broadway's 1973 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for "Pippin."

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