Barbara Pepper
Known for Acting · 122 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
My Three Sons
1960
Petticoat Junction
1963
as Ruth Ziffel / Doris Ziffel
Father Knows Best
1954
as Shopper
Burke's Law
1963
as Cleaning Woman
I Love Lucy
1951
as Nurse / Woman On Bus / Neighbor / Woman Shopper / Showgirl #2
The Untouchables
1959
as Mrs. Littlesmith / Landlady
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Clara
Daniel Boone
1964
as Mrs. Shanks
Studio One
1948
as Ellie
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1957
as Mrs. Brody / Clara Chase
Green Acres
1965
as Doris Ziffel
Tales of Wells Fargo
1957
as Boxcar Annie
The Millionaire
1955
as Fat Woman
Mister Ed
1961
The Texan
1958
M Squad
1957
as Landlady
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
as Emma
Laredo
1965
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as First Choir Lady
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
The Walter Winchell File
1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Miss Buell
Movies (96)
The Return of Frank James
1940
as Nellie Blane
The Westland Case
1937
as Agatha Hogan
Trouble Chasers
1945
as Goldie
Foreign Correspondent
1940
as Dorine
Carry Harry
1942
as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
After the Thin Man
1936
as Party Guest (uncredited)
The Music Man
1962
as Mrs. Hawkes
The Women
1939
as Tough Girl (uncredited)
A Star Is Born
1954
as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
Auntie Mame
1958
as Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
The Snake Pit
1948
as Asylum Patient (uncredited)
Sex Kittens Go to College
1960
as Circe
Army Girl
1938
as Riki
Hollywood Stadium Mystery
1938
as Althea Ames
Our Daily Bread
1934
as Sally
My Blue Heaven
1950
as Susan (uncredited)
It's Only Money
1962
as Fisherwoman
The Lady Eve
1941
as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
Kiss Me, Stupid
1964
as Big Bertha
Forgotten Girls
1940
as Eve Abbott
A Child Is Waiting
1963
as Miss Brown (uncredited)
Too Many Wives
1937
as Angela Brown
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950
as Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
No Way Out
1950
as Woman (uncredited)
Many Unhappy Returns
1937
as Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
The Naughty Nineties
1945
as Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
Flight at Midnight
1939
as Mildred
Once Upon a Time
1944
as Cabbie (uncredited)
Mummy's Boys
1936
as Mary Browning
The Inspector General
1949
as Buxom Villager (uncredited)
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Alice
Girls in Chains
1943
as Barbara Pepper
Who's Minding the Store?
1963
as Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
A Maid Made Mad
1943
as Blonde
Of Mice and Men
1939
as Second Girl (uncredited)
Taming the Wild
1936
as Hazel White
Dark Meeting
1956
as Clara
One Thrilling Night
1942
as Lettie
The Bramble Bush
1960
as Polly Welk
So This Is Love
1953
as Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
The D.I.
1957
as Woman Customer
The Eddie Cantor Story
1953
as Beer Garden Patron
The Amazing Mr. Williams
1939
as Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
The Girl Downstairs
1938
as Woman at bar (uncredited)
Castle on the Hudson
1940
as Goldie
Unmasked
1950
as Mrs. Schmidt
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
1945
as Annie
Waterfront Lady
1935
as Gloria Vance
They Made Me a Criminal
1939
as Budgie Massey
Out of the Fog
1941
Show Boat
1936
The Chaser
1938
as Mabel, Drunken Girl
Bachelor Mother
1939
as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
Music for Madame
1937
as Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
South of Tahiti
1941
as Julie
The Crooked Way
1949
Sailor's Lady
1940
as Maude
Winterset
1936
as Girl
Murder, He Says
1945
as Bonnie Fleagle
Blonde and Groom
1943
as Rex's Fiancée
Wanted: Jane Turner
1936
as Marge Sanders
Manpower
1941
as Polly
Roman Scandals
1933
as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Off the Record
1939
as Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938
as Mattie
Inferno
1953
as Waitress (uncredited)
Birth of the Blues
1941
as Maizie
My Favorite Spy
1942
as Speedy
The Rogues' Tavern
1936
as Marjorie Burns
The Sagebrush Troubadour
1935
as Joan Martin
Wide Open Faces
1938
as Belle
The Big Game
1936
as Lois
Framed
1940
as Goldie Green
The Lady in the Morgue
1938
as Kay Renshaw
The Singing Vagabond
1935
as Honey
Colorado Sunset
1939
as Ginger Bixby
Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
1944
as Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
Let's Face It
1943
as Daisy (uncredited)
Aerial Gunner
1943
as Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Portia on Trial
1937
as Evelyn
Let 'em Have It
1935
as Milly Adams
Three Sons
1939
as Viola
M'Liss
1936
as Clytie Morpher
I Love Lucy: The Movie
1953
as Party Guest (archive footage)
The Big Shot
1937
as Mamie
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
1937
as Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
Forced Landing
1935
as Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
Strictly Dynamite
1934
as Party Girl (uncredited)
Three Sons o' Guns
1941
as Francie LaRue
Sappy Pappy
1942
as Female Customer
So This Is Washington
1943
as Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
You Can't Buy Luck
1937
as Store Clerk
Frisco Waterfront
1935
as The Blonde Stranger
Terror Trail
1946
as Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
Ghost Buster
1952
as Mrs. Nolan
What Becomes of the Children?
1936
as Elsie Ford
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 122 credits spanning from 1933 to 1968, Barbara Pepper has appeared in 96 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
- The Return of Frank James (1940) — as Nellie Blane
- The Westland Case (1937) — as Agatha Hogan
- Trouble Chasers (1945) — as Goldie
- Foreign Correspondent (1940) — as Dorine
- Carry Harry (1942) — as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
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.