Billie Bird was an American actress and comedienne

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

.

Early life

Born Berniece Bird in Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello, Idaho

Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...

, Bird was discovered at the age of eight while living at an orphanage. As a child, she worked in vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

, and later in theater/cabaret

Cabaret

Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

 before moving on to television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s.

Career

She is credited on the Internet Movie Database

Internet Movie Database

Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...

 with an appearance in a 1921 film, but it is not clear if this is accurate. Otherwise, she broke into films in 1950, later making a brief uncredited appearance in The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple (film)

The Odd Couple is a 1968 comedy film written by Neil Simon, based on his play The Odd Couple, directed by Gene Saks, and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau...

 as a chambermaid. Her only line was "Goodnight", which was said to Felix Ungar

Felix Unger

Felix Unger was one of the principal characters in Neil Simon's play The Odd Couple. Felix was portrayed in the original Broadway production of the play by Art Carney, in the film by Jack Lemmon, and in the television series by Tony Randall.-Character overview:Felix is a divorced, middle-aged man...

, in which he returned with "Goodbye." Bird was often cast by director John Hughes and appeared in many of his 1980 and 1990s films, including Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...

, Home Alone

Home Alone

Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...

, and Dennis the Menace

Dennis the Menace (film)

Dennis the Menace is a 1993 live-action American family film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name....

, the latter two of which paired her with veteran Hughes actor, Bill Erwin

Bill Erwin

William Lindsey "Bill" Erwin was an American film, stage and television actor with over 250 television and film credits...

, as her husband. She also starred as Mrs. Lois Feldman in Police Academy 4. Her last film appearance was in 1995's Jury Duty

Jury Duty (film)

Jury Duty is a 1995 comedy film directed by John Fortenberry and starring Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, Shelley Winters, and Abe Vigoda.The film was Billie Bird's last screen appearance.- Plot:...

, with Pauly Shore

Pauly Shore

Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

.

In addition films, Bird made numerous appearances on various television series including roles on Ironside

Ironside (TV series)

Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...

, Eight Is Enough

Eight Is Enough

Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...

, The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life (TV series)

The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...

, Who's the Boss?

Who's the Boss?

Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...

, and Knots Landing

Knots Landing

Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...

. She was also a regular cast member on the sitcom Benson

Benson (TV series)

Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...

 from 1984 to 1986. In 1988, she joined the cast of Dear John

Dear John (US TV series)

Dear John is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1988 to 1992. The series was originally based on the British sitcom of the same name. Dear John was retitled Dear John USA when it was shown in the UK. During its four-season run, the series was bounced to and from various time periods on...

 starring Judd Hirsch

Judd Hirsch

Judd Hirsch is an American actor most known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John, and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs.-Early life and education:...

. Her last acting role was a brief appearance in 1997 on an episode of the CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 sitcom George & Leo

George & Leo

George & Leo is a short-lived American sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch. Set on Martha's Vineyard, the series aired on CBS from September 15, 1997 to March 16, 1998.-Synopsis:...

, which starred Bob Newhart

Bob Newhart

George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...

 and Bird's former co-star, Hirsch.

Death

Bird died on November 27, 2002 in Granada Hills, California at the age of 94 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

. She is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California

Glendale, California

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

.

Selected filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	The Mating Season The Mating Season (film) The Mating Season is a 1951 classic farce with elements of screwball comedy. A film made by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Mitchell Leisen and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Charles Brackett, Richard Breen and Walter Reisch, based on the play Maggie by Caesar Dunn...	Mugsy
1954	Woman's World Woman's World (film) Woman's World, also known as A Woman's World, is a 1954 drama film about corporate America. Three men compete for the top job at a large company.-Plot:...	Woman in Bargain Basement	Uncredited Alternative title: A Woman's World
1959	Born to Be Loved Born to Be Loved Born to Be Loved is a 1959 film directed by Hugo Haas. Set in an overcrowded tenement building, it stars Carol Morris ; Hugo Haas ; Dick Kallman ; and Barbara Jo Allen .-External links:*...	Drunk's wife
1960	Too Soon to Love Too Soon to Love Too Soon to Love is an American exploitation film starring Richard Evans, Jennifer West, Jack Nicholson, and Joan Chandler. The film was directed by Richard Rush and released by Universal Pictures.-Plot synopsis:...	Mrs. Jefferson	Alternative title: Teenage Lovers
1967	Barefoot in the Park Barefoot in the Park (film) Barefoot in the Park is a 1967 American comedy film.Based on Neil Simon's 1963 play of the same title, it focuses on newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter and their adventures living in a minuscule sixth floor walk-up apartment in a Greenwich Village brownstone...	Drunken neighbor	Uncredited
1968	The Odd Couple The Odd Couple (film) The Odd Couple is a 1968 comedy film written by Neil Simon, based on his play The Odd Couple, directed by Gene Saks, and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau...	Chambermaid	Uncredited
1970	Getting Straight Getting Straight Getting Straight is a 1970 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Richard Rush, released by Columbia Pictures.The story centered upon student politics at a university in the early 1970s, seen through the eyes of non-conformist graduate student Harry Bailey...	Landlady
1982	Young Doctors in Love Young Doctors in Love Young Doctors in Love is a 1982 comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. Similar in tone to the Airplane! movies, it spoofs a variety of medical shows ....	Mrs. Greschler the Flower Lady
1983	Max Dugan Returns Max Dugan Returns Max Dugan Returns is a 1983 American comedy-drama film starring Jason Robards as the titular Max Dugan, Marsha Mason as his daughter Nora, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, and Matthew Broderick as grandson Michael...	Older Woman
1984	Sixteen Candles Sixteen Candles Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...	Dorothy Baker (Grandmother)
1986	One Crazy Summer One Crazy Summer -Production:Several locations on Cape Cod, Massachusetts were used for the film: Barnstable High School , Hyannis West Elementary School , the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard And Nantucket Steamship Authority ferry dock in Woods Hole, where the characters board the ferry, and the motorcycle gang...	Grandma
1987	Police Academy 4 Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is the fourth comedy film in the Police Academy series. It was released in 1987.A group of Police Academy graduates are sent to train a group of newly recruited civilian officers. The original Police Academy cast reprise their roles in the film. Capt. Harris,...	Mrs. Lois Feldman
1988	Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach is the 1988 installment in the Police Academy series, launched in 1984. The film was given a PG rating for language and ribald humor....	Mrs. Lois Feldman
1988	Ernest Saves Christmas Ernest Saves Christmas Ernest Saves Christmas is a 1988 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the third film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and chronicles Ernest's attempt to find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus.-Plot:A man who claims to be Santa...	Mary Morrissey
1989	That's Adequate That's Adequate That's Adequate is a 1989 mockumentary documenting a fictional Hollywood studio, Adequate Film Studios. Narrated and hosted by Tony Randall, the film features an all-star cast including James Coco, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, and Bruce Willis....	Old Lillian Darling
1990	Home Alone Home Alone Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...	Irene (woman in airport)
1990	The End of Innocence	Mrs. Yabledablov
1993	Dennis the Menace Dennis the Menace (film) Dennis the Menace is a 1993 live-action American family film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name....	Edith Butterwell
1995	Jury Duty Jury Duty (film) Jury Duty is a 1995 comedy film directed by John Fortenberry and starring Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, Shelley Winters, and Abe Vigoda.The film was Billie Bird's last screen appearance.- Plot:...	Rose

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	Letter to Loretta	Mrs. Shubb	1 episode
1971	Adam-12 Adam-12 Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...	Winnie Goodrich	1 episode
1973	Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....	Old Woman	1 episode
1974	Apple's Way Apple's Way Apple's Way is a television dramedy which aired on CBS from 1974-1975. It was created by Earl Hamner, Jr..-Premise:The Apples, a family from Los Angeles, seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to the father's hometown of Appleton, Iowa, which was founded by the father's...	Lillian	1 episode
1976– 1977	The Waltons The Waltons The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...	Mrs. Cox Shirley	2 episodes
1982	House Calls House Calls (TV series) House Calls is an American sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 feature film of the same name.-Scenario:...		1 episode
1983	Goodnight, Beantown Goodnight, Beantown Goodnight, Beantown is an American sitcom that aired on CBS for two brief seasons in 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:The series starred Bill Bixby as Matt Cassidy and Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes, two news anchors at a fictional Boston, Massachusetts television station...		1 episode
1984– 1986	Benson Benson (TV series) Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...	Mrs. Rose Cassidy	Series Regular: Season 7
1984	Newhart Newhart Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...	Ella	1 episode
1985	Remington Steele Remington Steele Remington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...	Anna Dix	1 episode
1986	Hardcastle and McCormick Hardcastle and McCormick Hardcastle and McCormick is a 1980s action/drama television series from Stephen J. Cannell Productions, shown on ABC from 1983–1986, starring Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and race car driver Mark "Skid" McCormick.The show's premise involves the...	Mimi LeGrand	1 episode
1986– 1987	Silver Spoons Silver Spoons Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986 and in first-run syndication from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987...	Mildred	2 episodes
1987	Max Headroom Max Headroom (TV series) Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...	Florence	1 episode
1987	Cheers Cheers Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...	Lillian Miller	1 episode
1988– 1992	Dear John	Margie Philbert	90 episodes
1988	Hunter	Marie Watson	1 episode
1992	Murphy Brown Murphy Brown Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...	Ruthie	1 episode
1993	The Wonder Years The Wonder Years The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....	Woman	2 episodes
1997	George & Leo George & Leo George & Leo is a short-lived American sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch. Set on Martha's Vineyard, the series aired on CBS from September 15, 1997 to March 16, 1998.-Synopsis:...		1 episode

External links