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Eve Arden

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Birthdate

1908-04-30

Day of Death

1990-11-12

Place of Birth

Mill Valley, California, USA

Eve Arden

Biography

Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens; April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. Born just north of San Francisco in Mill Valley and was interested in show business from an early age. At 16, she made her stage debut after quitting school to joined a stock company. After appearing in minor roles in two films under her real name, Eunice Quedens, she found that the stage offered her the same minor roles. By the mid 30s, one of these minor roles would attract notice as a comedy sketch in the stage play "Ziegfeld Folies". By that time, she had changed her name to Eve Arden. In 1937, she attracted some attention with a small role in Oh, Doctor (1937) which led to her being cast in a minor role in the film Stage Door (1937). By the time the film was finished, her part had expanded into the wise-cracking, fast-talking friend to the lead. She would play virtually the character for most of her career. While her sophisticated wise-cracking would never make her the lead, she would be a busy actress in dozens of movies over the next dozen years. In At the Circus (1939), she was the acrobatic Peerless Pauline opposite Groucho Marx and the Russian sharp shooter in the comedy The Doughgirls (1944). For her role as Ida in Mildred Pierce (1945), she received an Academy Award nomination. Famous for her quick ripostes, this led to work in Radio during the 40s. In 1948, CBS Radio premiered "Our Miss Brooks", which would be the perfect show for her character. As her film career began to slow, CBS would take the popular radio show to television in 1952. The television series Our Miss Brooks (1952) would run through 1956 and led to he movie Our Miss Brooks (1956). When the show ended, she tried another television series, The Eve Arden Show (1957), but it was soon canceled. In the 60s, Eve raised a family and did a few guest roles, until her come-back television series The Mothers-In-Law (1967). This show, co-starring Kaye Ballard ran for two seasons. After that, she would make more unsold pilots, a couple of television movies and a few guest shots. She returned in occasional cameo appearances including the Principal McGee in Grease (1978), and Warden June in Pandemonium (1982), showing that she still had the wise-cracks and screen presence to bring back the fond memories of Miss Connie Brooks.

Filmography (74)

⭐ 8.4 Role: Principal McGee (archive footage)

The Grease Story

2017
⭐ 8.0 Role: Maida Rutledge (archive footage) (uncredited)

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker

1991
⭐ 7.2 Role: Self

Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary

1986
⭐ 7.0 Role: Stepmother

Cinderella

1985
⭐ 0 Role: Self (archive footage)

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

1985
⭐ 6.8 Role: Queen of Hearts

Alice in Wonderland

1983
⭐ 5.3 Role: Principal McGee

Grease 2

1982
⭐ 4.7 Role: Warden June

Pandemonium

1982
⭐ 5.1 Role: The Duchess

Under the Rainbow

1981
⭐ 4.2 Role: Employment Lady

A Guide for the Married Woman

1978
⭐ 7.4 Role: Principal McGee

Grease

1978
⭐ 6.2 Role: Harriet

The Strongest Man in the World

1975
⭐ 7.5 Role: Miss Freeling, the Wedding Counselor

All My Darling Daughters

1972
⭐ 7.8 Role: Hildegarde Withers

A Very Missing Person

1972
⭐ 7.0 Role: Aunt Theda Reeson

In Name Only

1969