Barbara Pepper
Known for Acting · 121 credits
- Born
- 1915-05-31
- Died
- 1969-07-18
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball.
Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts were small roles in My Fair Lady and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. She also performed radio parts. In 1943, she married actor Craig Reynolds (né Harold Hugh Enfield), and the couple later had two sons. After Reynolds died in 1949 in a California motorcycle accident, Pepper was left to raise their children alone. She never remarried.
After gaining weight, her roles were mostly confined to small character parts on television, including several appearances on I Love Lucy, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Petticoat Junction, and The Jack Benny Program. She made four appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Martha Dale, mother of the title character, in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen".
A long-time friend of Lucille Ball, Barbara was considered for the role of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy," but was passed over due to the fact that she was reportedly a drinker. William Frawley ("Fred Mertz") was, likewise, reportedly, a drinker and was already cast. It was felt that having two drinkers in the cast might eventually cause difficulties so they auditioned and found Vivian Vance to play Ethel instead.
Known For
TV Shows (26)
Perry Mason
1957
as Martha Dale / Mrs. Diamond / Mrs. Dwyer - Fat Woman / Mrs. Williamson
The Fugitive
1963
as Matty
Wagon Train
1957
as Mrs. Maybelle Gifford
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Clara
Petticoat Junction
1963
as Ruth Ziffel / Doris Ziffel
My Three Sons
1960
Studio One
1948
as Ellie
The Untouchables
1959
as Mrs. Littlesmith / Landlady
I Love Lucy
1951
as Nurse / Neighbor / Woman On Bus / Woman Shopper / Showgirl #2
Green Acres
1965
as Doris Ziffel
Daniel Boone
1964
as Mrs. Shanks
Burke's Law
1963
as Cleaning Woman
Father Knows Best
1954
as Shopper
Mister Ed
1961
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1957
as Mrs. Brody / Clara Chase
The Texan
1958
Tales of Wells Fargo
1957
as Boxcar Annie
M Squad
1957
as Landlady
The Millionaire
1955
as Fat Woman
Laredo
1965
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as First Choir Lady
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
as Emma
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
The Walter Winchell File
1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Miss Buell
Movies (95)
Foreign Correspondent
1940
as Dorine
The Women
1939
as Tough Girl (uncredited)
A Star Is Born
1954
as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
The Lady Eve
1941
as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
The Music Man
1962
as Mrs. Hawkes
Auntie Mame
1958
as Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
The Return of Frank James
1940
as Nellie Blane
Bachelor Mother
1939
as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
Aerial Gunner
1943
as Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Kiss Me, Stupid
1964
as Big Bertha
Once Upon a Time
1944
as Cabbie (uncredited)
After the Thin Man
1936
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Ghost Buster
1952
as Mrs. Nolan
Framed
1940
as Goldie Green
No Way Out
1950
as Woman (uncredited)
Who's Minding the Store?
1963
as Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
Out of the Fog
1941
Winterset
1936
as Girl
Manpower
1941
as Polly
Show Boat
1936
The Inspector General
1949
as Buxom Villager (uncredited)
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
1945
as Annie
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950
as Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
My Favorite Spy
1942
as Speedy
Of Mice and Men
1939
as Second Girl (uncredited)
A Child Is Waiting
1963
as Miss Brown (uncredited)
The D.I.
1957
as Woman Customer
The Crooked Way
1949
It's Only Money
1962
as Fisherwoman
Off the Record
1939
as Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Castle on the Hudson
1940
as Goldie
Roman Scandals
1933
as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
The Snake Pit
1948
as Asylum Patient (uncredited)
Unmasked
1950
as Mrs. Schmidt
Murder, He Says
1945
as Bonnie Fleagle
Strictly Dynamite
1934
as Party Girl (uncredited)
The Naughty Nineties
1945
as Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
So This Is Love
1953
as Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
Wide Open Faces
1938
as Belle
Army Girl
1938
as Riki
Waterfront Lady
1935
as Gloria Vance
Sailor's Lady
1940
as Maude
Flight at Midnight
1939
as Mildred
The Big Game
1936
as Lois
Portia on Trial
1937
as Evelyn
Inferno
1953
as Waitress (uncredited)
My Blue Heaven
1950
as Susan (uncredited)
Wanted: Jane Turner
1936
as Marge Sanders
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938
as Mattie
They Made Me a Criminal
1939
as Budgie Massey
Dark Meeting
1956
as Clara
M'Liss
1936
as Clytie Morpher
Our Daily Bread
1934
as Sally
Hollywood Stadium Mystery
1938
as Althea Ames
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
1937
as Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
The Chaser
1938
as Mabel, Drunken Girl
The Girl Downstairs
1938
as Woman at bar (uncredited)
What Becomes of the Children?
1936
as Elsie Ford
So This Is Washington
1943
as Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
The Westland Case
1937
as Agatha Hogan
Music for Madame
1937
as Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
Sex Kittens Go to College
1960
as Circe
You Can't Buy Luck
1937
as Store Clerk
The Eddie Cantor Story
1953
as Beer Garden Patron
South of Tahiti
1941
as Julie
The Big Shot
1937
as Mamie
The Amazing Mr. Williams
1939
as Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
The Lady in the Morgue
1938
as Kay Renshaw
The Rogues' Tavern
1936
as Marjorie Burns
Terror Trail
1946
as Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
Let's Face It
1943
as Daisy (uncredited)
Three Sons
1939
as Viola
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Alice
Forced Landing
1935
as Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
Colorado Sunset
1939
as Ginger Bixby
One Thrilling Night
1942
as Lettie
Let 'em Have It
1935
as Milly Adams
Girls in Chains
1943
as Barbara Pepper
Forgotten Girls
1940
as Eve Abbott
Three Sons o' Guns
1941
as Francie LaRue
Carry Harry
1942
as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
Trouble Chasers
1945
as Goldie
Mummy's Boys
1936
as Mary Browning
Birth of the Blues
1941
as Maizie
Blonde and Groom
1943
as Rex's Fiancée
The Bramble Bush
1960
as Polly Welk
The Singing Vagabond
1935
as Honey
The Sagebrush Troubadour
1935
as Joan Martin
Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
1944
as Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
Taming the Wild
1936
as Hazel White
Too Many Wives
1937
as Angela Brown
Frisco Waterfront
1935
as The Blonde Stranger
Many Unhappy Returns
1937
as Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
Sappy Pappy
1942
as Female Customer
A Maid Made Mad
1943
as Blonde
About Barbara Pepper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball. Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts w… With 121 credits spanning from 1933 to 1968, Barbara Pepper has appeared in 95 films and 26 TV shows.
Fans searching for Barbara Pepper movies, Barbara Pepper filmography, or the latest projects starring Barbara Pepper can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Barbara Pepper Movies
- Foreign Correspondent (1940) — as Dorine
- The Women (1939) — as Tough Girl (uncredited)
- A Star Is Born (1954) — as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
- The Lady Eve (1941) — as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
- The Music Man (1962) — as Mrs. Hawkes
Where to Watch Barbara Pepper Films
Most Barbara Pepper movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Barbara Pepper, check our movies catalogue and browse page.