Gina Gillespie
Encyclopedia
Gina Gillespie is a former American actress who had a brief but extensive career in television and film during her childhood and youth.
dancing couple originally from Saskatchewan
, immigrated from Montreal, Canada to Alhambra, California
during October 1942. Several years later, they moved to San Gabriel
, where Gina was born. Gina has three older sisters, two of whom were also child actors, and two younger brothers. When her sister Darlene Gillespie
was hired as a Mouseketeer in 1955, the family relocated to Burbank
, where Gina Gillespie grew up attending Roman Catholic schools.
anthology series General Electric Theater
, hosted by Ronald Reagan
in March 1958. That same year she would appear on Suspicion
, Rescue 8
, two episodes of The Loretta Young Show, and make her film debut in Andy Hardy Comes Home.
Gillespie acted in two films, What Ever happened to Baby Jane and Face of a Fugitive
, and a television show during early 1959, before she landed a role as a series regular on NBC
's Law of the Plainsman
with co-stars Michael Ansara
and Robert Harland
in 1959-1960 season. She played the character of "Terry 'Tess' Wilkins", an orphan
who is saved from being killed by outlaws by Apache
U.S. Marshal
Sam Buckhart, Ansara's character on the series.
For the next two years Gillespie would appear on episodes of eleven different series, before making her final film appearance, in the 1962 production of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
. Gillespie played the part of Joan Crawford's
character "Blanche" as a young girl.
Throughout the mid-sixties, Gina Gillespie would continue to be in demand as a featured player or guest star on television. She performed on Ben Casey
, Dr. Kildare
, Laramie
, and The Fugitive
among others, before landing a regular role as younger daughter "Mimi" in the sitcom Karen, during the 1964-65 television season. Her last known acting role was in a 1966 episode of NBC's Laredo
.
in Burbank, attended university, then worked as a legal secretary for thirteen years. She was admitted to the California Bar Association
in 1988, opened her own law firm under her married name, and has since practised as a private attorney with specialty in estate planning
and elder care issues.
Early life
Her parents, Herbert Gillespie and Rean Tibeau, a former vaudevilleVaudeville
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...
dancing couple originally from Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, immigrated from Montreal, Canada to Alhambra, California
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
during October 1942. Several years later, they moved to San Gabriel
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
, where Gina was born. Gina has three older sisters, two of whom were also child actors, and two younger brothers. When her sister Darlene Gillespie
Darlene Gillespie
Darlene Faye Gillespie is a former child actor. She is best known for having been a singer and dancer on the original Mickey Mouse Club television show from 1955 to 1958. Her Irish father and French-Canadian mother were a former vaudeville dance team...
was hired as a Mouseketeer in 1955, the family relocated to Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, where Gina Gillespie grew up attending Roman Catholic schools.
Career
Gina Gillespie first appeared on television in 1956, on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club, where she and her sisters, Patricia, Darlene, and Larrian, sang as "Talent Roundup Winners". Her first acting role was on an episode of the CBSCBS
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...
anthology series General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
, hosted by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in March 1958. That same year she would appear on Suspicion
Suspicion (TV series)
Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC from 1957 through 1959. The executive producer of Suspicion was film director Alfred Hitchcock.-Overview:...
, Rescue 8
Rescue 8
Rescue 8 is a syndicated American action drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department Rescue Squad Number 8. It premiered in 1958, and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a decade after. It starred Jim Davis as fireman Wes Cameron, and Lang Jeffries...
, two episodes of The Loretta Young Show, and make her film debut in Andy Hardy Comes Home.
Gillespie acted in two films, What Ever happened to Baby Jane and Face of a Fugitive
Face of a Fugitive
Face of a Fugitive is a 1959 Western film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Fred MacMurray and Lin McCarthy and was based on the short story "Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the nom de plume of Jonathan H. Glidden . Dawson was the author of 120 Western short stories and novelettes as well as 15 book...
, and a television show during early 1959, before she landed a role as a series regular on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Law of the Plainsman
Law of the Plainsman
Law of The Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on the NBC television network from October 1, 1959, until May 5, 1960. The character of Native American U.S...
with co-stars Michael Ansara
Michael Ansara
Michael Ansara is a Syrian-born American stage, screen, and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Cochise in the American television series Broken Arrow, Kane in the 1979-81 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Commander Kang on three different Star Trek TV series.- Early life and...
and Robert Harland
Robert Harland
Robert "Bob" Harland is a retired American actor whose principal work was done on television in the late 1950s and 1960s...
in 1959-1960 season. She played the character of "Terry 'Tess' Wilkins", an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
who is saved from being killed by outlaws by Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
U.S. Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Sam Buckhart, Ansara's character on the series.
For the next two years Gillespie would appear on episodes of eleven different series, before making her final film appearance, in the 1962 production of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a suspense novel by author Henry Farrell published in 1960 by Rinehart & Company. The novel has earned a cult following and has been made into several movies.-Plot summary:...
. Gillespie played the part of Joan Crawford's
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
character "Blanche" as a young girl.
Throughout the mid-sixties, Gina Gillespie would continue to be in demand as a featured player or guest star on television. She performed on Ben Casey
Ben Casey
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
, Dr. Kildare
Dr. Kildare
Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...
, Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
, and The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
among others, before landing a regular role as younger daughter "Mimi" in the sitcom Karen, during the 1964-65 television season. Her last known acting role was in a 1966 episode of NBC's Laredo
Laredo (TV series)
Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
.
Later life
Like many child stars, Gillespie's acting career ended when she reached her early teens. She graduated from Providence High SchoolProvidence High School (Burbank, California)
Providence High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Burbank, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was established in 1955 by the Sisters of Providence....
in Burbank, attended university, then worked as a legal secretary for thirteen years. She was admitted to the California Bar Association
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
in 1988, opened her own law firm under her married name, and has since practised as a private attorney with specialty in estate planning
Estate planning
Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the disposal of an estate. Estate planning typically attempts to eliminate uncertainties over the administration of a probate and maximize the value of the estate by reducing taxes and other expenses...
and elder care issues.
Filmography
- Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) ... as Cricket Hardy
- Face of a FugitiveFace of a FugitiveFace of a Fugitive is a 1959 Western film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Fred MacMurray and Lin McCarthy and was based on the short story "Long Gone" by Peter Dawson, the nom de plume of Jonathan H. Glidden . Dawson was the author of 120 Western short stories and novelettes as well as 15 book...
(1959) ... as Alice Bailey - It Happened to JaneIt Happened to JaneIt Happened to Jane is a 1959 romantic comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, and Ernie Kovacs directed by Richard Quine and written by Norman Katkov and Max Wilk.The film was co-produced by Quine and star Day's husband at the time, Martin Melcher....
(1959) ... as Betty Osgood - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) ... as Blanche Hudson in 1917
Television credits
- The Mickey Mouse Club: 1 episode (1956) ....as Gina Gillespie
- General Electric TheaterGeneral Electric TheaterGeneral Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
: 2 episodes (1958–60) ....as Bonnie/Bessie - SuspicionSuspicion (TV series)Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC from 1957 through 1959. The executive producer of Suspicion was film director Alfred Hitchcock.-Overview:...
: "Fraction of a Second" (1958) ....as Actress - The Loretta Young Show: 2 episodes (1958) ....as Suzy/Margie
- Rescue 8Rescue 8Rescue 8 is a syndicated American action drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department Rescue Squad Number 8. It premiered in 1958, and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a decade after. It starred Jim Davis as fireman Wes Cameron, and Lang Jeffries...
: "The Ferris Wheel" (1958) ....as Actress - Playhouse 90Playhouse 90Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
: 2 episodes (1959–1960) ....as Cathy Patrick/Laura - Law of the PlainsmanLaw of the PlainsmanLaw of The Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on the NBC television network from October 1, 1959, until May 5, 1960. The character of Native American U.S...
series regular (1959–60) ....as Terry 'Tess' Wilkins - The Slowest Gun in the West TV movie (1960) ....as The Daughter
- The Many Loves of Dobie GillisThe Many Loves of Dobie GillisThe Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
: "A Taste for Lobster" (1960) ....as Hermione - Wagon TrainWagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
"The Albert Farnsworth Story" (1960) ....as Peggy O'Toole - Harrigan and SonHarrigan and SonHarrigan and Son is an ABC sitcom about a father-and-son team of lawyers, played by Pat O'Brien and Roger Perry as Jim Harrigan, Sr., and Jim, Jr. In supporting roles, as secretaries, are Georgine Darcy as Gypsy and Helen Kleeb as Miss Claridge. The series aired 34 episodes at 8 p.m. Eastern Time...
: "Mother Was a Nightclub Singer" (1960) ....as Linds - The Brothers BrannaganThe Brothers BrannaganThe Brothers Brannagan is an American crime drama television series that aired in syndication from September 24, 1960, and July 15, 1961.-Synopsis:...
: "The Baby Sitters" (1960) ....as Girl - Stagecoach WestStagecoach WestStagecoach West is an operating division of the Stagecoach Group. Based in Gloucester, it operates bus services in Cheltenham , Gloucester , the Cotswolds , the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean and Swindon .- History :Stagecoach West...
: "By the Deep Six" (1960) ....as Actress - Shirley Temple's StorybookShirley Temple's StorybookShirley Temple's Storybook is an American children's anthology series hosted and narrated by Shirley Temple. The series features adaptations of fairy tales and other family-oriented stories performed by well-known actors, although one episode, an adaptation of The House of the Seven Gables, was...
: 2 episodes (1960–1961) ....as Madeline/Pippi Longstocking - The AquanautsThe Aquanauts (TV series)The Aquanauts is an American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS in the 1960-1961 season. The series stars Keith Larsen, Jeremy Slate and Ron Ely .-Synopsis:...
: "Niagara Dive" (1961) ....as Lisa - Lock-UpLock-Up (TV series)Lock-Up is an American legal drama series that premiered in syndication in September 1959 and concluded in June 1961. The half-hour episodes had little time for character development or subplots and presented a compact story without embellishment....
: "Jennifer" (1961) ....as Jennifer Vaughan - ThrillerThriller (US TV series)Thriller is an anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of macabre horror tales and suspense thrillers....
: "Mr. George" (1961) ....as Priscilla - Tales of Wells FargoTales of Wells FargoTales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
: 2 episodes (1961) ....as Carol Butler/Cindy Croydon - Dr. KildareDr. KildareDr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...
: 2 episodes (1961–1962) ....as Actress/Little Girl - The OutlawsThe Outlaws (1960 TV series)Outlaws is an NBC Western television series, starring Barton MacLane as U.S. marshal Frank Caine, who operated in a lawless section of Oklahoma Territory about Stillwater. The program aired 50 one-hour episodes from September 29, 1960, to May 10, 1962. The first season was shot in black-and-white,...
: "The Sisters" (1962) ....as Bridget - Ben CaseyBen CaseyBen Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
: "To a Natural and Grand Finale" (1962) ....as Actress - LaramieLaramie (TV series)Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
: "Fall into Darkness" (1962) ....as Kathy Frances - The Eleventh Hour: "My Name Is Judith, I'm Lost, You See" (1963) ....as Sally
- The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
: "The Witch" (1963) ....as Jenny Ammory - The Travels of Jaimie McPheetersThe Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series)The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters is a 26-episode western television series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Robert Lewis Taylor. The show aired in the 1963-1964 television season and was produced by MGM Television....
: "The Day of the Picnic" (1964) ....as Little Girl - The Great AdventureThe Great Adventure (TV series)The Great Adventure is a historical anthology series that appeared on CBS for the 1963-1964 television season. The series, hosted each week by Van Heflin, and featuring theme music by Richard Rodgers, presented each week a one-hour dramatization of the lives of famous Americans and important...
: "Plague" (1964) ....as Ellen Howard - Karen series regular (1964–1965) ....as Mimi Scott
- LaredoLaredo (TV series)Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
: "The Deadliest Kid in the West" (1966) ....as Kim 'Missy' Mabry