Mary Linn Beller

Mary Linn Beller
Mary Linn Beller (left) with Hal Holbrook (middle) and Lois Nettleton (right) in the television series The Brighter Day in 1954
Born	(1933-03-01)March 1, 1933 Brooklyn, New York, US
Died	April 13, 2000(2000-04-13) (aged 67) Greenwich, Connecticut, US
Other names	Lynne Pitofsky
Alma mater	Bennington College Columbia University School of General Studies
Occupation	Actress
Spouse	Robert L. Pitofsky ​ (m. 1954)​

Mary Linn Beller (March 1, 1933 – April 13, 2000) was an American child actress.

Early years

Beller was born in Brooklyn on March 1, 1933, the daughter of Samuel and Helen Beller.[1] She began taking acting lessons by age 9,[2] studying at the Heckscher Foundation and the Neighborhood Playhouse in Manhattan.[1] She began auditioning for parts on radio when she was 12.[2] She attended Midwood High School,[1] Bennington College and Columbia University School of General Studies.[2]

Career

Beller's first professional acting role consisted of a giggle[3] on the radio version of Our Miss Brooks[2] when she was 12 years old.[4] She portrayed Babby on The Brighter Day[5] and appeared on other radio programs, including Let's Pretend and School of the Air.[1]

On stage, Beller performed in summer stock at age 16 in the ingenue lead role in You Can't Take It With You. Other summer stock roles were followed by a six-week tour in Leaf and Bough, which had three performances on Broadway.[2] She also appeared in the Broadway production Have I Got a Girl for You!.[6]

Beller continued her role of Babby on the television version of The Brighter DayI.[4] She also portrayed Judy Foster, the title character on the television version of A Date with Judy[2] and "little sister"[7] Connie Thayer on The First Hundred Years. Other TV programs on which she appeared included Escape, Silver Theatre, and Starlight Theatre.[1]

Personal life and death

Beller married business executive Robert L. Pitofsky in September 1954.[4] Known as Lynne Pitofsky, she died on April 13, 2000, at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.[8]

References

1. Gross, Ben (March 3, 1951). "Second Hearing--Second Sight". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 26. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Irwin, Virginia (September 13, 1952). "Judy, Creator of Chaos: Mary Linn Beller Started Her Career With a Giggle". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5 - J. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "A Giggle Opened TV Door to Her". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 7, 1956. p. 7. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Helman, Marion (September 1956). "In Praise of Parents" (PDF). TV Radio Mirror. pp. 58–59, 96. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
5. Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
6. "Mary Linn Beller". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
7. "The Turning Poing: Acting was a complete surprise for Mary Linn". The Akron Beacon Journal. Parade. May 6, 1951. p. 111. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Paid Notice: Deaths Pitofsky, Lynne (Nee Mary Linn Beller)". The New York Times. April 16, 2000. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2022.