Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan (September 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013) was an American actress who was known for her versatile performances in film, television, and theater. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Captain Doreen Lewis in the 1980 comedy film Private Benjamin. She also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Mrs. Hughes in the television series Newhart. Brennan was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her acting career in the theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1963 in the musical Little Mary Sunshine. She went on to appear in several other Broadway musicals, including Hello, Dolly! and Annie. Brennan made her film debut in the 1967 satire Divorce American Style. She followed this with supporting roles in the films The Last Picture Show (1971), The Cheap Detective (1978), and The First Wives Club (1996). She also starred in the films Clue (1985) and Sister Act (1992). In addition to her film and theater work, Brennan also had a successful television career. She appeared in numerous television shows, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, and Will & Grace. She died on July 28, 2013, at the age of 80, from complications of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection. Brennan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2001. She underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She continued to work and act throughout her treatment, and she even appeared in the 2011 film The Big Year. In 2013, Brennan's health began to decline. She died on July 28, 2013, at her home in Los Angeles. She was survived by her husband, David John Lampson, and her daughter, Emily.
Filmography · 113
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · Loretta Lee
ER
1994 · Betty
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Self - Presenter
Strong Medicine
2000 · Evelyn Knightly
Newhart
1982
Magnum, P.I.
1980 · Brenda Babcock
Home Improvement
1991 · Wanda
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Self
Taxi
1978 · Mrs. McKenzie
Will & Grace
1998 · Zandra
Tales from the Crypt
1989 · Ruth Sanderson
Touched by an Angel
1994 · Dolores Freeman
Mad About You
1992 · Inspector #10
American Playhouse
1982 · Millworker
Walker, Texas Ranger
1993 · Joelle
Arli$$
1996 · Lenore
Barnaby Jones
1973 · Anita Willson
The Wonderful World of Disney
1997 · Joe #1
All in the Family
1971 · Angelique McCarthy
McMillan & Wife
1971 · Nora Dane
7th Heaven
1996 · Mrs. Bink
thirtysomething
1987
Kojak
1973 · Julie Loring
Dinah!
1974 · Self
Lizzie McGuire
2001 · Marge
The Ray Bradbury Theater
1985 · Mrs. Annabelle Shrike
Veronica's Closet
1997 · Grammy Anderson
The Sting
1973 · Billie
Private Benjamin
1981 · Doreen Lewis
Jeepers Creepers
2001 · The Cat Lady
Clue
1985 · Mrs. Peacock
NET Playhouse
1966 · Hallie Arlington
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
2005 · Carol Fields
Gravedale High
1990 · Miss Dirge (voice)
American Dreamer
1990
Jack's Place
1992
All That Glitters
1977 · Ma Packer
The Last Picture Show
1971 · Genevieve
White Palace
1990 · Judy
Murder by Death
1976 · Tess Skeffington
Doctors' Hospital
1975
Private Benjamin
1980 · Capt. Doreen Lewis
The Blue Knight
1973 · Glenda
Toothless
1997 · Joe #1
The Cheap Detective
1978 · Betty DeBoop
Scarecrow
1973 · Darlene
If These Walls Could Talk
1996 · Tessie
A New Kind of Family
1979
Black Beauty
1978 · Annie Gray
Picture This
1991 · Self
The Amateurs
2006 · Mrs. Cherkiss
Off the Rack
1985 · Kate Halloran
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
1988 · Miss Bannister
Pandemonium
1982 · Candy's Mom
Babes in Toyland
1986 · Mrs. Piper / Widow Hub...
Comic Book Villains
2002 · Mrs. Cresswell
13 Queens Blvd.
1979 · Felicia Winters
Freaky Friday
1995 · Principal Handel
Hustle
1975 · Paula Hollinger
Recycle Rex
1993 · Rose (voice)
Divorce American Style
1967 · Eunice
The Art of 'The Sting'
2005 · Self
Daisy Miller
1974 · Mrs. Walker
Answers
1985 · Amanda Jackson (Segmen...
Texasville
1990 · Genevieve Morgan
FM
1978 · Mother
When She Was Bad...
1979 · Mary Jensen
The Blue Knight
1973 · Glenda
The Fourth Wise Man
1985 · Judith
The Hollow
2004 · Joan Van Etten
The Night That Panicked America
1975 · Ann Muldoon
Stella
1990 · Mrs. Wilkerson
The Death of Richie
1977 · Carol Werner
Nunzio's Second Cousin
1994 · Mrs. Randazzo
The Great Smokey Roadblock
1978 · Penelope
At Long Last Love
1975 · Elizabeth
In Search of Dr. Seuss
1994 · The Who-Villain
Come Die with Me
1974 · Mary Thatcher
When the Circus Came to Town
1981 · Jessy
I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore
1992 · Frieda
Who Done It: The Clue Documentary
2022 · Self (archive footage)...
Going to the Chapel
1988 · Maude
The Star Wagon
1966 · Hallie
Reckless
1995 · Sister Margaret
Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife
1987 · Sylvia
Boys Life 2
1997 · Mrs. Randozza
Lily for President?
1982 · Maggie
My Name Is Kate
1994 · Barbara Mannix
The History of White People in America
1985
Working
1982 · Millworker
The Last Great Ride
1999 · Pamela 'Mimi' Applegat...
Sticky Fingers
1988 · Stella
Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story
1992 · Vicky Martin
Knuckle
1975 · Delafield's Mistress
Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary
1982 · Aunt Angelique Lane
Deadly Intentions... Again?
1991 · Charlotte
The Funny Farm
1983 · Gail Corbin
Changing Habits
1997 · Mother Superior
Incident at Crestridge
1981 · Sara Davis
Naked Run
2011 · Gram Malone
The History of White People in America: Volume II
1986
Dumb Luck
2003 · Minnie Hitchcock
Rented Lips
1988 · Hotel Desk Clerk
My Father's House
1975 · Mrs. Lindholm Sr.
The Lies Boys Tell
1994 · Sada
Precious Victims
1993 · Minnie
The Fartiste
1987
My Old Man
1979 · Marie
Pants on Fire
1998 · Mom
Nourish the Beast
1974 · Baba Goya
Murder So Sweet
1993 · Martha Catlin
Trail of Tears
1995 · Clara
Playmates
1972 · Amy