Elizabeth Harrower (actress)
Elizabeth Harrower | |
|---|---|
 Harrower in 1965 on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | |
| Born | Betty Louise Foss May 28, 1918 Alameda, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 2003 (aged 85) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1949–1991 |
| Known for | Dennis the Menace The Young and the Restless |
| Spouse | Harry Seabold |
| Children | Susan Seaforth Hayes |
Elizabeth Louise Harrower (May 28, 1918 – December 10, 2003) was an American actress and television writer.
Early years
She was born as Betty Louise Foss during World War I in Alameda, California, the younger of two children (both girls) to Harry Wilbur Foss (1894-1981) and Catherine (née Bofinger) Foss (1896-1918), on May 28, 1918. Shortly thereafter, her mother died during the great flu epidemic. Her father had a nervous breakdown, and she was passed around from relative to relative until placed in an orphanage in San Francisco. She was later adopted by Scottish immigrants William Harrower (1878-1947), and his wife, Jessica Glane "Jessie" Harrower (1884-1972), and given the name Elizabeth Louise Harrower. She was raised in Berkeley and in Los Angeles.[1]
Harrower went on to find success in acting, including ten appearances on Dennis the Menace (mostly as Dennis' teacher, "Miss Perkins"), four appearances on Perry Mason (The Case of the Waylaid Wolf, The Case of the Lurid Letter), and two appearances on Gunsmoke as "Mrs. O'Roarke", among many other shows up until 1974. She made her film debut in Becky Sharp (1935). She also appeared in other movies, including 1969's True Grit and The Sterile Cuckoo.[2]
In the late 1970s, she served as head writer for the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives, where her daughter Susan was a cast member. She also wrote for The Young and the Restless[3] in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her last writing stint was on the short-lived soap Generations in 1991. In 2003, Harrower played a drunken con artist, Charlotte Ramsey, on The Young and the Restless.
Personal life
In 1942, Harrower married Harry Seabold, an Air Force cadet whom she had met in fifth grade. Their daughter, actress Susan Seaforth Hayes, was born in 1943. The marriage ended in divorce. For many years, she and her daughter lived in the Alvarado Terrace Historic District of Los Angeles, where she was active with the Pico-Union community redevelopment project advisory committee.
In 2003, in Studio City, California, Harrower died of cancer at age 85.[4]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | The Pilgrimage Play | Woman of Samaria | |
| 1952 | Plymouth Adventure | Elizabeth Hopkins | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Thunder Pass | Mrs. Hemp | |
| 1958 | Teacher's Pet | Clara Dibney | Uncredited |
| 1958 | Marjorie Morningstar | Miss Kimble | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Al Capone | Proprietress | Uncredited |
| 1959 | The FBI Story | Clerk | Uncredited |
| 1960 | I Passed for White | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | French Prisoner | Uncredited |
| 1962 | House of Women | Mrs. Potter | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Don't Knock the Twist | Ruth Emerson | |
| 1962 | The Wild Westerners | Martha Bernard | |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mrs. Masters | Season 2 Episode 15: "Night Caller" |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Mrs. Jones | Season 3 Episode 19: "Wally the Beard" |
| 1965 | Zebra in the Kitchen | Town Gossip | Uncredited |
| 1965 | Cat Ballou | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Batman | Picnicking Woman | Uncredited |
| 1969 | True Grit | Mrs. Ross | |
| 1969 | The Sterile Cuckoo | Landlady | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | Reporter at Hotel | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Shoot Out | Housekeeper | Uncredited |
| 1974 | I Love You... Good-bye (TV movie) | Mrs. Freeman |
References
- ^ Biography: Elizabeth Harrower, westernmovies.fr. Accessed August 16, 2025.
- ^ Landesman, Fred (2004). The John Wayne Filmography. McFarland. p. 384. ISBN 9780786432523. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ Grant, Matthew W. Sex On Soaps: Afternoon Love & Lust On Television Daytime Dramas. Granite Gate Media. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ Elizabeth Harrower at IMDb