Ann Morgan Guilbert

Ann Morgan Guilbert
Guilbert as Millie Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show
Born	(1928-10-16)October 16, 1928 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	June 14, 2016(2016-06-14) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Ann Guilbert
Occupation(s)	Actress, comedian
Years active	1952–2016
Height	5 ft 1 in (155 cm)
Spouses	George Eckstein ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1966)​ Guy Raymond ​ ​ (m. 1967; died 1997)​
Children	2, including Hallie Todd

Ann Morgan Guilbert (October 16, 1928 – June 14, 2016), sometimes credited as Ann Guilbert, was an American television and film actress and comedian who portrayed a number of roles from the 1950s on, most notably as Millie Helper in 61 episodes of the early 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show,[1] and later Yetta Rosenberg, Fran Fine's doddering grandmother, in 56 episodes of the 1990s sitcom The Nanny.

Life and career

Guilbert was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,[2] the daughter of Gerald Guilbert, a physician, and his wife, Cornelia (née Morgan).[3] Her paternal grandfather, Lionel Guilbert, was an immigrant from England.[4]

She attended Solomon Juneau High School and after moving to San Francisco studied theater arts at Stanford University.[5] She began her career as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950s and 1960s.

After The Dick Van Dyke Show, she made guest appearances in many other television shows, including Adam-12 (the premiere episode); as well as The Andy Griffith Show; Love, American Style; That Girl; I Dream of Jeannie; Dragnet; The Love Boat; Picket Fences; Seinfeld; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Life in Pieces. From 1993 to 1999, she appeared as Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny. In December 2004, she appeared in the reunion of The Nanny titled The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh to Remember with Fran Drescher and other cast members of The Nanny.[6]

Personal life

Guilbert was married to writer and producer George Eckstein from 1951 until their divorce in 1966. They had two children together, actress Hallie Todd and acting coach Nora Eckstein.[7] Her second marriage, to Guy Raymond, lasted from 1967 until his death in 1997.[8]

Death

Guilbert died of cancer[9] in Los Angeles on June 14, 2016, aged 87.[7][10] An episode of Life in Pieces was dedicated to her memory.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	Two for the Seesaw	Molly
1963	The Man from the Diners' Club	Ella Trask
1964	One Man's Way	Mrs. Grayle
1967	A Guide for the Married Man	Technical Advisor (Charlie's Wife)
1968	How Sweet It Is!	Bibi
1969	Viva Max!	Edna Miller
1995	Grumpier Old Men	Francesca 'Mama' Ragetti
1998	Sour Grapes	Mrs. Drier
2010	Please Give	Andra

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	My Three Sons	Verna Foster	Season 1 Episode 28: "Unite or Sink"
1961–1966	The Dick Van Dyke Show	Millie Helper	Recurring role (61 episodes)
1962	You're Only Young Once	Connie Fletcher	TV film
1963	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	The Pet Shop Proprietress	Season 2 Episode 11: "How to Get Rid of Your Wife"
1966	Hey, Landlord	Mrs. Henderson	Season 1 Episode 1: "Pursuit of a Dream"
	Hey, Landlord	Mrs. Henderson	Season 1 Episode 11: "Divorce, Bachelor Style"
1967	'Good Morning World	Harriet Hatfield	Season 1 Episode 3: "You vs. Me"
	The Andy Griffith Show	Ella	Season 8 Episode 13: "Aunt Bee's Cousin"
	Dragnet 1967	Marnie Prout	Season 2 Episode 5: "The Big Neighbor"
1968	Adam-12	Ruth Elkins	Season 1 Episode 1: "Log 1: The Impossible Mission"
1969	I Dream of Jeannie	Thelma Crawford	Season 4 Episode 21: "Jeannie for the Defense"
	Room 222	Mrs. Garrett	Season 1 Episode 10: "Fathers and Sons"
1970	Dragnet 1967	Bessie McDermott	Season 4 Episode 14: "Burglary: Helpful Woman"
	Love, American Style		Season 2 Episode 7 (Segment: "Love and the Decision")
1971	The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill	Martha Grimes	TV film
	The New Andy Griffith Show	Nora	Supporting role (10 episodes)
	The Partridge Family	Mrs. Bruner	Season 2 Episode 4: "The Undergraduate"
	Love, American Style	Mrs. Manfried	Season 3 Episode 11 (Segment: "Love and the Tuba")
1972	Second Chance	Charlene	TV film
	Emergency!	Woman in Trouble	Season 1 Pilot Episode: "The Wedsworth-Townsend Act"
	Emergency!	Tilly Meers / Cora	Season 2 Episode 9: "Women"
1973	Chase	Mae Monroe	Episode: "Pilot"
1974	Emergency!	Cora	Season 4 Episode 6: "Surprise"
1975	The Ghost Busters	The Witch	Season 1 Episode 8: "Which Witch Is Which?"
	On the Rocks	Mrs. Palik	Season 1 Episode 8: "Dear John"
1976	Maude	Mathilda	Season 4 Episode 16: "Walter's Stigma"
	Amelia Earhart	Esther Biddles	TV miniseries
1981	Barney Miller	Ms. Swallock	Season 8 Episode 5: "Stress Analyzer"
1989	Cheers	Marge Thornhill	Season 7 Episode 20: "Call Me, Irresponsible"
	Newhart	Aunt Bess	Season 7 Episode 20: "Georgie and Bess"
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Harriet De Vol	Season 6 Episode 17: "Murder: According to Maggie"
1990–91	The Fanelli Boys	Theresa Fanelli	Main role (19 episodes)
1991	Blossom	Elizabeth	Season 2 Episode 11: "You Can't Go Home"
	Seinfeld	Evelyn	Season 3 Episode 3: "The Pen"
1991, 1993	Empty Nest	Mama Todd	Season 4 Episode 8: "Windy"
1992–1994	Picket Fences	Myriam Wambaugh	Recurring role (Seasons 1–3) (5 episodes)
1993	Empty Nest	Mama Todd	Season 6 Episode 4: "Mama Todd, the Sequel"
	Home Improvement	Wilson's Mother	Season 2 Episode 23: "To Build or Not to Build"
1993–1999	The Nanny	Yetta Rosenberg	Recurring role (56 episodes)
1996	Seinfeld	Evelyn	Season 7 Episode 14: "The Cadillac"
2004	The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited	Millie Helper	TV film
2005	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Lenore	Season 5 Episode 4: "Kamikaze Bingo"
2007	State of Mind	Faye Fleischman	Season 1 Episode 4: "Passion Fishing"
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Church lady	Season 9 Episode 1: “Alternate”
2012	Happily Divorced	Myrna	Season 2 Episode 4: "The Burial Plotz"
	Friend Me	Mrs. Nesbitt	Season 1 Episode 8: "Evan Is Now Friends with Vrementashen"
	Before We Made It	Lily	TV film
2013	Modern Family	Grams	Season 5 Episode 8: "ClosetCon '13"
2013–2015	Getting On	Birdy Lamb	Recurring role (15 episodes)
2014	The Winklers	Chef	TV film
2015	Grey's Anatomy	Gabby Margraff	Season 12 Episode 4: "Old Time Rock and Roll"
2016	Life in Pieces	Gigi	Season 1 Episode 15: "Soccer Gigi TV Mikey"
	Life in Pieces	Gigi	Season 1 Episode 22: "CryTunes Divorce Tablet Ring"
	Life in Pieces	Gigi	Season 2 Episode 3: "Eyebrow Anonymous Trapped Gem" (uncredited)

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Billy Barnes Revue	performer[11]	Broadway debut
2000	Touch the Names	performer[12]
2002	Play Yourself	Selma[13]
2005	A Naked Girl on the Appian Way	Sadie[14]

References

1. Willens, Michele (May 26, 1996). "They've Come a Long Way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
2. Minnesota Historical Society Birth Registry:
   Birth Certificate Index: 1928-41859 (surname misspelled as "Guilberd")
3. "Ann Morgan Guilbert". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
4. Schmierbach, Edie (December 22, 2018). "Grumpier Old Men actress buried at Henderson". The Free Press (Mankato). "A Minneapolis native, the actress was the granddaughter of Lionel and Annie (Didra) Guilbert... Lionel Guilbert was an immigrant from England. He purchased his building in 1898 from his in-laws, Christian and Louisa (Buck) Didra."
5. Guild, Leo (January 30, 1966). "Milwaukee's Nosy TV Neighbor". The Milwaukee Journal. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
6. "Lifetime Television's 'The Nanny Reunion: a Nosh to Remember' Averages 3.6 Million Viewers". PR Newswire. December 7, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
7. "Ann Morgan Guilbert, Millie on 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
8. "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985", Raymond W. Guyer [actor Guy Raymond] and Ann Guilbert Eckstein, September 8, 1969, Los Angeles, California. Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento; database copy of original record, archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.
9. "Ann Morgan Guilbert, Neighbor on 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' Dies at 87". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
10. "TV actress Ann Morgan Guilbert dead at 87" Archived September 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Fox News, June 18, 2016
11. The Broadway League. "Billy Barnes Revue – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
12. Jones, Chris (June 5, 2000). "Touch the Names". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
13. Isherwood, Charles (July 11, 2002). "Play Yourself". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
14. The Broadway League. "A Naked Girl on the Appian Way – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.

External links

• Ann Morgan Guilbert at IMDb
• Ann Morgan Guilbert at Find a Grave