Barbara Billingsley

Born Barbara Lillian Combes, she attended Los Angeles Junior College in the mid-1930s and then moved to New York City, where she worked as a model.

Graduated from George Washington High School in Los Angeles, CA, in 1934, but instead of seeking her first acting break in Hollywood, she moved to New York City to seek her break on Broadway.

After having grown up in Los Angeles, she attended Los Angeles Junior College for one year before moving to New York City, seeking a career on Broadway. After several auditions, she won a part as "Lureen Lee" in a new play, "Straw Hat", which was to open just after Christmas 1937, on Broadway. It closed after only four shows.

She was briefly related, by marriage (1940-47), to actor/producer Peter Billingsley's father. Peter Billingsley is best known for his starring role as "Ralphie" in the seasonal TV-movie classic, A Christmas Story (1983). Barbara's first husband Glenn Billingsley's cousin is Peter's father.

In 1945, she received a contract from MGM, and she appeared in several films during the late 1940s and 1950s, sometimes without screen credit.

Met Marjorie Lord in The Argyle Secrets (1948), where the two began a lifelong friendship that lasted from 1948 until Billingsley's passing in 2010.

In the 1950s, she turned to television and appeared in shows including the sitcoms Professional Father (1955) and The Box Brothers (1956), as well as guest-starring on "The Abbott and Costello Show", the David Niven anthology series, Four Star Playhouse (1952), and the sitcom, Mr.

Auditioned for the role of Danny Thomas's second wife on The Danny Thomas Show (1953).

After the death of her second husband, Roy Kellino (who died prematurely of a heart attack in 1956), she married Dr. William Mortensen, a Santa Monica physician and widower, who was an old friend of Barbara and Roy's during their marriage.

Adams and Eve (1957).

In 1957, Billingsley began starring in the sitcom, Leave It To Beaver - The Lost Episode (1957), as "June Cleaver", mother to "Wally" and "Theodore", nicknamed "Beaver". She appeared in her most famous role for 234 episodes, remaining with the show until it ended after six seasons.

She and first husband Glenn Billingsley, a successful restaurateur, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr. Since 1974, Drew and Glenn have owned and operated Billingsley's Restaurant in West Los Angeles, in the tradition of their father, and their great uncle, Sherman Billingsley, founder of New York City's very fashionable 1940s-era nightclub, The Stork Club.

Her son Glenn Jr. married Karen Zappas in 1976, and they are still together. They're parents of 3, Barbara's grandchildren, Logan Billingsley, Morgan Billingsley and Taylor Billingsley.

Is a fan of the late Richard Mulligan's two comedy shows: Soap (1977) and Empty Nest (1988), and appeared in an episode of "Empty Nest" in 1991.

After 17 years of semi-retirement, Billingsley returned to movies in 1980's Airplane! (1980), creating another iconic role by spoofing her wholesome image with a brief appearance in this send-up of 1970s disaster movies, as a middle-aged white passenger who could translate between a white stewardess and two African-American passengers, because "I speak jive".

She also appeared in The New Leave It to Beaver (1983), which ran from 1983 to 1989, and voiced the character of "Nanny" in the Muppet Babies (1984) cartoon series, from 1984 to 1991.

Met Jim Henson at a party, before he hired her to voice Nanny on Muppet Babies (1984).

After her final role on Secret Santa (2003), she retired from acting at age 87.

In 2007 she was singing at her former Leave It To Beaver - The Lost Episode (1957), co-star's, Jerry Mathers's, mother's 80th birthday party, when he returned from appearing on Broadway, in his debut role, as Wilbur Turnblad in "Hairspray".