Jesslyn Fax (January 4, 1893 – February 16, 1975)[1] was a Canadian-American actress. She is known for playing 'Miss Hearing Aid' in Rear Window (1954),[2][3] Avis Grubb in The Music Man (1962), Miss Hemphill in The Man Who Died Twice (1958),[4] and Airline passenger in The Family Jewels (1965).[5]
Early years
Fax was born in Toronto, the daughter of Jimmy Fax, a noted Canadian actor and comedian. She began working with her father as a singer, pianist, and monologist when she was 16, then left her father's troupe after five seasons to work in vaudeville and traveling stock companies. She moved to Hollywood in 1949.[1]
Career
A short, cherubic-like character actress, Fax mainly appeared in cheerful small supporting roles as 'little old ladies'. Occasional comic foil to Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, in a guest appearance on I Love Lucy and others. She also made appearances in numerous other popular 1950s-1960s TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Peter Gunn, Our Miss Brooks, The Jack Benny Program, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, The Joey Bishop Show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Andy Griffith Show,[6] Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., and The Wild Wild West. Her film appearances include roles in the Don Knotts films The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) and The Love God? (1969), the Alfred Hitchcock murder/suspense film North By Northwest (1959), which starred Cary Grant,[7] The Music Man (1962), The Family Jewels (1965) with Jerry Lewis and the Andy Griffith film Angel in My Pocket (1969).
Filmography
Films
- Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950) as Train Passenger (uncredited)
- So You Want to Learn to Dance (1953, Short) as Dance Instructress (uncredited)
- Scared Stiff (1953) as Woman in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
- Here Come the Girls (1953) as Washwoman (uncredited)
- So You Want to Be Your Own Boss (1954, Short) as Restaurant Customer (uncredited)
- Rear Window (1954) as Miss Hearing Aid
- Kiss Me Deadly (1955) as Horace's Wife
- How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) as Music Teacher
- Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957) as Townswoman (uncredited)
- Desk Set (1957) as Mrs. Hewitt (uncredited)
- An Affair to Remember (1957) as Terry's Landlady (uncredited)
- The Wayward Girl (1957) as Older Prisoner (uncredited)
- The Man Who Died Twice (1958) as Sally Hemphill
- North by Northwest (1959) as Woman on Train (uncredited)
- Blue Denim (1959) as Aunt Margaret (uncredited)
- The Best of Everything (1959) as Aunt (uncredited)
- All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960) as Old Lady (uncredited)
- Maggie (1960, TV Movie) as Miss Caldwell
- The Music Man (1962) as Avis Grubb
- Paradise Alley (1962) as Mrs. Holman
- The Interns (1962) as Mrs. Hitchcock (uncredited)
- The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as Secretary (uncredited)
- 4 for Texas (1963) as Mildred
- The Family Jewels (1965) as Airline Passenger #1
- A Very Special Favor (1965) as Miss Feeny (uncredited)
- Never Too Late (1965) as Saleswoman (uncredited)
- The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) as Mrs. Hutchinson
- The Trouble with Angels (1966) as Resident at Retirement Home (uncredited)
- Three on a Couch (1966) as Rich Lady
- The Spy in the Green Hat (1967) as Mrs. Feinberg
- The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967) as Gail Goobendick - Maid (uncredited)
- The Gnome-Mobile (1967) as The Bluejay (voice, uncredited)
- Doctor Dolittle (1967) as Old Woman (uncredited)
- Angel in My Pocket (1969) as Mrs. Styles
- The Love God? (1969) as Miss Love (final film role)
TV series
- Hollywood Theatre Time (1951) as Maid
- The Revlon Mirror Theater (1953)
- Waterfront (1954) as Housekeeper
- Public Defender (1954) as Mrs. Bassett
- Willy (1954) as Louella
- The Lineup (1955)
- The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1955) as Mrs. Damity
- Our Miss Brooks (1953-1956) as Angela Devon
- Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1957)
- I Love Lucy (1957) as Train Passenger
- The Loretta Young Show (1954-1957) as Mrs. Connors / Mrs. Hulgard
- Suspicion (1957) as Wife
- Dragnet (1956-1957)
- Schlitz Playhouse (1953-1957) as Agnes / Lady Bettor / Woman Passenger
- How to Marry a Millionaire (1958) as Mother
- Love That Jill (1958) as Dora
- December Bride (1958)
- The Californians (1958) as Annie Mortigan
- The Ed Wynn Show (1958) as Mrs. Creavy
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958) as Maid
- Peter Gunn (1959) as Belle Decanto
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959) as Ruth Erdlatz
- Johnny Staccato (1960) as Clara - Cleaning Lady
- The Ann Sothern Show (1960) as Tilly Barlow
- The Comedy Spot (1960)
- The Real McCoys (1961) as Miss Trumbull
- Pete and Gladys (1961) as Mrs. Quigley
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) (Season 6 Episode 26: "Coming, Mama") as Mrs. Evans
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) (Season 6 Episode 32: "Self Defense") as Mrs. Gruber
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 18: "The Woman Who Wanted to Live") as Motel Manageress
- Route 66 (1962) as Birdie
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1963) as Abigail Willis
- Gunsmoke (1963) as Proprietress
- Sam Benedict (1963) as Sarah Kolsky
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 20: "The Paragon") as Mrs. Bates
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 23: "The Lonely Hours") as Mrs. McGuiness
- The Eleventh Hour (1963) as Mrs. Polhemus
- The Joey Bishop Show (1961-1964) as Woman in Library / Cleaning Woman
- Perry Mason (1958-1964) as Little Old Lady / Court Clerk
- The Jack Benny Program (1954-1964) as Emma - Fan Club VP / Rick Barton / Woman in audience selling jam
- Many Happy Returns (1964-1965) as Wilma Fritter
- My Brother the Angel (1966) as Little Old Lady
- The Monkees (1966) as Mrs. Purdy
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965-1966) as Mrs. Feinberg / Mr. Willard
- Batman (1967) as Bon Bon
- Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1967) as Mrs. Mealy
- Gomer Pyle: USMC (1967) as Mrs. Nelson
- The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1967) as Mrs. Barnes
- The Second Hundred Years (1967) as Mildred Finch
- The Wild Wild West (1967) as Mrs. Peacock S3 E7 "The Night of the Hangman"
- The Andy Griffith Show (1967) as Mrs. Le Grande
- Cimarron Strip (1968) as Eva
- The Doris Day Show (1969) as Lydia Lindsay
Radio series
- Our Miss Brooks: "Mr. Conklin's Wax Effigies" (1954) as "Mrs. Davis's" sister "Angela"(?)
- Our Miss Brooks: "Outpost Road" (1955) as unknown
References
- ^ a b Cox, Stephen; Marhanka, Kevin (2008). The Incredible Mr. Don Knotts. Cumberland House. p. 101. ISBN 9781581826586.
- ^ Kehr, Dave. "Rear Window". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ Haubrich, Wess (13 July 2017). "Rear Window ('54): A Tension-Filled Study in Voyeurism". The Four Oh Five. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (10 November 2017). "The Man Who Died Twice (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "I 7 MAGNIFICI JERRY". Comingsoon.net (in Italian). Anicaflash S.r.l. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ The Andy Griffith Show : Andy's Investment (1967) - Alan Rafkin | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 2023-02-13
- ^ "North by Northwest cast & crew". TV Guide.
External links
- Jesslyn Fax at IMDb
- Jesslyn Fax at Rotten Tomatoes
- Jesslyn Fax at TV Guide
- Jesslyn Fax at the TCM Movie Database
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This page was last edited on 21 March 2024, at 06:45