Gloria Henry, who played the famous matriarch Alice Mitchell in the hit 1960s sitcom “Dennis the Menace”, died on Saturday. She was 98 years old.
The star’s daughter and son confirmed the mother’s death on social media. Henry’s death came the day after his birthday.
“She’s flying now, free of her body,” wrote Erin Ellwood on Instagram. “She left on a 4 3 2 1 countdown at 3:40 pm.”
“She was an incredible woman in many ways,” Ellwood shared. “This past year with her has been beautiful and moving. Thank you all for following me and supporting me on this journey – this beautiful land mine. Goodbye mom, I love your guts forever.”
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Gloria Henry (center) starred as Alice Mitchell on the CBS sitcom ‘Dennis the Menace’ alongside Jay North (left, as Dennis Mitchell) and Herbert Anderson (right, as Henry Mitchell).
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
“It is with great sadness that all fans of my dear and incredible mother know that she passed away peacefully … at her home in Los Angeles,” wrote Adam Ellwood on Facebook, quoted by Extra.
According to the media, Adam shared that Henry died surrounded by Erin, his son Jeff Ellwood, as well as his hospice nurse.
“Please raise a glass and a toast to our beautiful mother Gloria Henry for a life well lived,” he wrote.
Gloria Eileen McEniry was born in New Orleans on April 2, 1923, shared The Hollywood Reporter. She worked on the radio and signed a contract with Columbia Pictures, which led her to star in “Sport of Kings”, “Keeper of the Bees” and “Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back” in 1947. She made six films in 1948 and then seven more in 1949.
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Gloria Henry in her debut role in the film ‘Sport Of Kings’.
(Photo: Columbia Pictures / Carvalho Collection / Getty Images)
Henry starred alongside Gene Autry in 1948 “The Strawberry Room” and “Riders in the Sky” in 1949. She appeared with Lucille Ball and William Holden in “Miss Grant Takes Richmond” in 1949, Nina Foch in “Johnny Allegro” of 1949 and Marlene Dietrich in “Rancho Notorious” of 1952.
In the 1950s, Henry found himself playing a seductive mermaid on “The Abbot and Costello Show”. She has also appeared on several popular TV shows, such as “My Little Margie”, “Father Knows Best”, “Perry Mason” and “The Life of Riley”.
For four seasons, starting in 1959, Henry starred as the loving mother Alice Mitchell in “Dennis the Menace”, which also featured Herbert Anderson as her husband and Jay North as his mischievous son. The show was based on the comic book character of Hank Ketcham, noted The Hollywood Reporter.
“Dennis the Menace” aired until 1963, but continued to live for decades thanks to reruns.
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Gloria Henry (center) with Rose Marie (left) and Ilene Graff in ‘Mr. Belvedere ‘.
(Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
“A lot of fans say, ‘Oh, I always wished you were my mom’ and ‘My mom was jealous of you because I wanted you as a mom,'” Henry said later in an interview in 2011. “Which is a lot funny, because I don’t think my own kids felt that way. I have a daughter and two kids. All they knew was that I was going to work and I wasn’t with them as much as they were.
In the mid-1960s, Henry took a break from acting and did not return to the screen until 1981’s “The Brady Brides”, a comedy that told the story of Marcia Brady Logan (Maureen McCormick) and Jan Brady Covington (Eve Plumb) and their lives as newlyweds with their husbands. Henry has worked continuously over the years and has left his mark on successful TV shows like “Newhart”, “Dallas” and “Doogie Howser, MD”, among others.
Henry’s last credited role was that of Mary-Elizabeth Clinch in 2012’s “Parks and Recreation”.
Henry was married to architect Craig Ellwood from 1949 to 1977. He died in 1992, People magazine reported. She leaves her three children behind.