Beverly Garland Dies in Her Hollywood Hills Home

It's with sadness that I report the death of one of Hollywood's most prolific-- as well as one of my favorite-- actresses, Miss Beverly Garland. Although extremely youthful and active until very recently, Miss Garland succumbed to an undisclosed illness last evening (Friday, Dec. 5) at her elegant Hollywood Hills contemporary, in a tony enclave of the Mullholland Drive area of Los Angeles. Perhaps best known for her 1960's television role as Fred MacMurray's wife on My Three Son's, Garland's acting career began in the 1950's in "B" horror movies. In these films Garland was valued as much for her screaming skills as she was for her sophisticated good-looks. Garland's career also encompassed big-budget feature films including 1968's Pretty Poison co-starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins and the 1970's disaster genre film, Airport, '75 . Television proved to be Garland's most rewarding stage as she effortlessly glided through innumerable guest starring roles as well as co-starring as a regular on television series such as The Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Remington Steele. Here's a link to an insider's remembrance of Beverly, where the writer shares linking a new Diagnosis Murder episode in which she was appearing with a 25 year old Mannix episode in which she also appeared: http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2008/12/beverly-garland-rip.html A personal favorite guest starring role of mine was on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as Lou Grant's long-lost love interest. Grant finally realizes the gall of Garland's character and dumps an ice cream sundae on her head as he exits their last scene together. Decoy, the late 50's television drama in which she appeared as the character Casey Jones, an undercover female police officer. This was a break-through role for Garland and female actors, as the character she portrayed was the first female police officer on television in the starring role. Garland was a dedicated performer in Peggy Webber McClory's repertory in the California Artists Radio Theatre stable of stars, which often performs in the Beverly Garland Little Theatre on the grounds of her famous Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood. In addition to her acting career Garland was a dedicated member of Actors and Others for Animals, generously using her celebrity on behalf of the animals she loved.

A lavish memorial service and reception was held at the beloved property bearing her name on December 12 and attended by hundreds of family and friends.