Rosemary DeCamp

Personal Info

Known ForActing
Born1910-11-14
BirthplacePrescott, Arizona, USA

Rosemary DeCamp

Acting

Biography

Rosemary DeCamp was an American radio, film, and television actress. DeCamp first came to fame in November 1937, when she took the role of Judy Price, the secretary/nurse of Dr. Christian in the long-running radio series of the same name. She also played in The Career of Alice Blair, a transcribed syndicated soap opera that ran in 1939–1940.

She made her film debut in Cheers for Miss Bishop and appeared in many Warner Bros. films, including Eyes in the Night, Yankee Doodle Dandy playing Nellie Cohan opposite James Cagney, This Is The Army playing the wife of George Murphy and the mother of Ronald Reagan, Rhapsody in Blue, and Nora Prentiss. She played the mother of the character played by Sabu Dastagir in Jungle Book. In 1951 and 1953, respectively, she starred in the nostalgic musical films On Moonlight Bay and its sequel, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon, as Alice Winfield, Doris Day's mother, opposite Leon Ames.

DeCamp played Peg Riley in the first television version of The Life of Riley opposite Jackie Gleason in the 1949–1950 season, then reprised the role on radio with original star William Bendix for an episode of Lux Radio Theater in 1950. From 1955–1959, she was a regular on the popular NBC television comedy The Bob Cummings Show, playing Margaret MacDonald, widowed sister of Cummings's character, the lothario photographer and former World War II pilot Bob Collins. Dwayne Hickman (future star of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) portrayed her son, Chuck.

She appeared in the 1961 Rawhide episode, "Incident Near Gloomy River". In 1962, she played a dishonest Southern belle in the NBC sitcom Ensign O'Toole with Dean Jones. She appeared in the role of Gertrude Komack on ABC's medical drama Breaking Point in the episode entitled "A Little Anger is a Good Thing".

DeCamp had a recurring role as Helen Marie, the mother of Marlo Thomas's character on the ABC sitcom That Girl from 1966–1970. She appeared in several 1968 episodes of the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction as Kate Bradley's sister, Helen, filling in as a temporary replacement for the ailing Bea Benaderet as the mother figure to Bradley's three daughters.

DeCamp made several appearances as the mother of Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family from 1970–1973. She also played The Fairy Godmother in the 1980s TV show, The Memoirs of a Fairy Godmother.

DeCamp played Buck Rogers' mother in flashback scenes of the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "The Guardians".

On July 7, 1946, her Beverly Hills home was damaged when struck by a wing after the experimental XF-11 piloted by Howard Hughes (re-created in the 2004 movie, The Aviator) crashed nearby. Although a piece of the wing and a part of the neighbor's roof landed in DeCamp's bedroom (where she and her husband were sleeping) they sustained no injuries.

Filmography

Acting (43)

1981
Saturday the 14thas Aunt Lucille
5.1
1978
5.0
1960
13 Ghostsas Hilda Zorba
5.8
1955
Man on a Busas Miriam
5.0
1955
Strategic Air Commandas Mrs. Thorne
6.1
1955
Many Rivers to Crossas Lucy Hamilton
6.5
1953
Main Street to Broadwayas Mrs. Harry Craig
7.3
1953
So This Is Loveas Aunt Laura Stokley
4.3
6.2
6.0
1952
Scandal Sheetas Charlotte Grant
7.0
1951
On Moonlight Bayas Alice Winfield
6.5
1951
Night Into Morningas Mrs. Annie Ainley
6.0
1950
The Big Hangoveras Claire Bellcap
6.4
1949
The Story of Seabiscuitas Mrs. Charles S. Howard
6.0
6.1
1949
Night Unto Nightas Thalia Shawn
5.4
1949
The Life of Rileyas Peg Riley
8.0
1947
Nora Prentissas Lucy Talbot
6.3
1946
From This Day Forwardas Martha Beesley
5.4
1945
Too Young to Knowas Mrs. Enright
7.0
1945
Danger Signalas Dr. Jane Silla
6.0
1945
Pride of the Marinesas Virginia Pfeiffer
6.8
1945
Rhapsody in Blueas Rose Gershwin
6.6
1945
Blood on the Sunas Edith Miller
5.9
1944
Practically Yoursas Ellen Macy
7.0
1944
Bowery to Broadwayas Bessie Kirby
10.0
1944
The Merry Monahansas Lillian DeRoyce
5.3
1943
The Voice That Thrilled the Worldas Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
6.0
1943
This Is the Armyas Ethel Jones
5.7
1943
City Without Menas Mrs. Slade
5.7
1942
Commandos Strike at Dawnas Hilma Arnesen
5.5
1942
Eyes in the Nightas Vera Hoffman
6.1
1942
Smith of Minnesotaas Mrs. Smith (uncredited)
9.0
1942
Yankee Doodle Dandyas Nellie Cohan
7.0
1942
Jungle Bookas Messua
6.4
1941
Hold Back the Dawnas Berta Kurz
6.7
1941
Cheers for Miss Bishopas Minna Fields
5.8
1937
The Wayward Pupsas Lady of the house (voice) (uncredited)
6.8