Rosemary DeCamp
Born
November 14, 1910 (age 90)
Died
February 20, 2001
Birthplace
Prescott, Arizona, USA

Rosemary DeCamp

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.

Movies

Saturday the 14th
Saturday the 14th
1981 ★ 5.0
Aunt Lucille
The Memoirs of a Fairy Godmother
The Memoirs of a Fairy Godmother
1980
The Time Machine
The Time Machine
1978 ★ 4.7
Agnes
13 Ghosts
13 Ghosts
1960 ★ 5.7
Hilda Zorba
Tom, Dick and Harriet
Tom, Dick and Harriet
1960
Mother
Man on a Bus
Man on a Bus
1955 ★ 4.0
Miriam
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
1955 ★ 6.1
Mrs. Thorne
Many Rivers to Cross
Many Rivers to Cross
1955 ★ 6.2
Lucy Hamilton
Main Street to Broadway
Main Street to Broadway
1953 ★ 6.5
Mrs. Harry Craig
So This Is Love
So This Is Love
1953 ★ 3.8
Aunt Laura Stokley
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
1953 ★ 5.9
Alice Winfield
The Treasure of Lost Canyon
The Treasure of Lost Canyon
1952 ★ 5.6
Samuella
Scandal Sheet
Scandal Sheet
1952 ★ 6.9
Charlotte Grant
On Moonlight Bay
On Moonlight Bay
1951 ★ 6.3
Alice Winfield
Night Into Morning
Night Into Morning
1951 ★ 5.6
Mrs. Annie Ainley
The Big Hangover
The Big Hangover
1950 ★ 6.1
Claire Bellcap
The Story of Seabiscuit
The Story of Seabiscuit
1949 ★ 5.8
Mrs. Charles S. Howard
Look for the Silver Lining
Look for the Silver Lining
1949 ★ 5.7
Mom Miller
Night Unto Night
Night Unto Night
1949 ★ 5.1
Thalia Shawn
The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley
1949 ★ 7.0
Peg Riley
Nora Prentiss
Nora Prentiss
1947 ★ 6.1
Lucy Talbot
Two Guys from Milwaukee
Two Guys from Milwaukee
1946 ★ 4.4
Nan
From This Day Forward
From This Day Forward
1946 ★ 5.2
Martha Beesley
Too Young to Know
Too Young to Know
1945
Mrs. Enright
Danger Signal
Danger Signal
1945 ★ 5.8
Dr. Jane Silla
Week-End at the Waldorf
Week-End at the Waldorf
1945 ★ 6.0
Anna
Pride of the Marines
Pride of the Marines
1945 ★ 6.5
Virginia Pfeiffer
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
1945 ★ 6.4
Rose Gershwin
Blood on the Sun
Blood on the Sun
1945 ★ 5.8
Edith Miller
Practically Yours
Practically Yours
1944
Ellen Macy
Bowery to Broadway
Bowery to Broadway
1944
Bessie Kirby
The Merry Monahans
The Merry Monahans
1944 ★ 5.0
Lillian DeRoyce
This Is the Army
This Is the Army
1943 ★ 5.6
Ethel Jones
City Without Men
City Without Men
1943 ★ 5.0
Mrs. Slade
Commandos Strike at Dawn
Commandos Strike at Dawn
1942 ★ 5.4
Hilma Arnesen
Eyes in the Night
Eyes in the Night
1942 ★ 5.9
Vera Hoffman
Smith of Minnesota
Smith of Minnesota
1942
Mrs. Smith (uncredited)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942 ★ 7.0
Nellie Cohan
Jungle Book
Jungle Book
1942 ★ 6.3
Messua
Hold Back the Dawn
Hold Back the Dawn
1941 ★ 6.7
Berta Kurz
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Cheers for Miss Bishop
1941 ★ 5.4
Minna Fields
The Wayward Pups
The Wayward Pups
1937 ★ 5.0
Lady of the house (voice) (uncredited)

TV Series

Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
1984 ★ 7.5
Agnes
1 Episode
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
1982 ★ 5.6
Amy Jeffries
2 Episodes
Hotel
Hotel
1982 ★ 6.8
Mary Tyson
1 Episode
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
1981 ★ 6.7
1 Episode
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979 ★ 7.0
Buck's Mother
1 Episode
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
1979 ★ 5.0
Maureen Dean's Mother
4 Episodes
B. J. and the Bear
B. J. and the Bear
1979 ★ 5.5
2 Episodes
We've Got Each Other
We've Got Each Other
1977 ★ 5.0
1 Episode
The Love Boat
The Love Boat
1977 ★ 6.3
Cynthia Loudon
1 Episode
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E.
1976 ★ 7.5
1 Episode
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
1974 ★ 7.6
Mary Ramsey
1 Episode
Petrocelli
Petrocelli
1974 ★ 7.2
Mrs. Drew
1 Episode
Police Story
Police Story
1973 ★ 6.9
2 Episodes
Night Gallery
Night Gallery
1970 ★ 7.8
Ellen Chase
1 Episode
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
1970 ★ 6.8
Grandma Amanda Renfrew
4 Episodes
Love, American Style
Love, American Style
1969 ★ 6.1
Mrs. Kearn
1 Episode
Mannix
Mannix
1967 ★ 6.7
That Girl
That Girl
1966 ★ 6.1
12 Episodes
The Baileys of Balboa
The Baileys of Balboa
1964 ★ 7.7
1 Episode
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
1963 ★ 5.7
Emily Mapes
1 Episode
Burke's Law
Burke's Law
1963 ★ 6.0
Mrs. Franklin
1 Episode
Breaking Point
Breaking Point
1963 ★ 7.2
1 Episode
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
1962 ★ 6.9
Priscilla Rolfe Alden Smith-Standish
2 Episodes
Ensign O'Toole
Ensign O'Toole
1962 ★ 6.5
Leona
1 Episode
Hazel
Hazel
1961 ★ 6.8
Sybil
1 Episode
Dr. Kildare
Dr. Kildare
1961 ★ 5.5
Angela Faring
1 Episode
87th Precinct
87th Precinct
1961 ★ 7.5
Mrs. Phelps
1 Episode
Rawhide
Rawhide
1959 ★ 7.2
Margaret Fletcher
1 Episode
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
1958 ★ 6.7
Nurse (uncredited)
1 Episode
The Bob Cummings Show
The Bob Cummings Show
1955 ★ 6.1
Margaret MacDonald
173 Episodes
Climax!
Climax!
1954 ★ 3.3
Eleanor Farrington
1 Episode
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
1953 ★ 6.4
Maxine
1 Episode
The Ford Television Theatre
The Ford Television Theatre
1952 ★ 7.3
2 Episodes
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 ★ 8.6
Anna Baetz
1 Episode
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
1951 ★ 7.4
Abigail Van Clive
1 Episode
The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley
1949 ★ 7.5
Peg Riley
26 Episodes
Studio One
Studio One
1948 ★ 5.0
Cora Thompson
1 Episode