Barbara Pepper
Known for Acting · 121 credits
- Born
- 1915-05-31
- Died
- 1969-07-18
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball.
Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts were small roles in My Fair Lady and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. She also performed radio parts. In 1943, she married actor Craig Reynolds (né Harold Hugh Enfield), and the couple later had two sons. After Reynolds died in 1949 in a California motorcycle accident, Pepper was left to raise their children alone. She never remarried.
After gaining weight, her roles were mostly confined to small character parts on television, including several appearances on I Love Lucy, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Petticoat Junction, and The Jack Benny Program. She made four appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Martha Dale, mother of the title character, in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen".
A long-time friend of Lucille Ball, Barbara was considered for the role of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy," but was passed over due to the fact that she was reportedly a drinker. William Frawley ("Fred Mertz") was, likewise, reportedly, a drinker and was already cast. It was felt that having two drinkers in the cast might eventually cause difficulties so they auditioned and found Vivian Vance to play Ethel instead.
Known For
TV Shows (26)
Perry Mason
1957
as Martha Dale / Mrs. Diamond / Mrs. Dwyer - Fat Woman / Mrs. Williamson
The Fugitive
1963
as Matty
Wagon Train
1957
as Mrs. Maybelle Gifford
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
Petticoat Junction
1963
as Ruth Ziffel / Doris Ziffel
My Three Sons
1960
The Untouchables
1959
as Mrs. Littlesmith / Landlady
I Love Lucy
1951
as Nurse / Woman On Bus / Neighbor / Woman Shopper / Showgirl #2
Green Acres
1965
as Doris Ziffel
Studio One
1948
as Ellie
Daniel Boone
1964
as Mrs. Shanks
Burke's Law
1963
as Cleaning Woman
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Clara
Father Knows Best
1954
as Shopper
Mister Ed
1961
M Squad
1957
as Landlady
The Millionaire
1955
as Fat Woman
Tales of Wells Fargo
1957
as Boxcar Annie
Laredo
1965
The Texan
1958
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1957
as Mrs. Brody / Clara Chase
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as First Choir Lady
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
as Emma
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
The Walter Winchell File
1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Miss Buell
Movies (95)
Foreign Correspondent
1940
as Dorine
The Women
1939
as Tough Girl (uncredited)
Bachelor Mother
1939
as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
Unmasked
1950
as Mrs. Schmidt
The Lady Eve
1941
as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
Inferno
1953
as Waitress (uncredited)
Framed
1940
as Goldie Green
The Music Man
1962
as Mrs. Hawkes
Army Girl
1938
as Riki
A Star Is Born
1954
as Esther's Neighbor (uncredited)
Carry Harry
1942
as Edith, Harry's Girl Friend
Auntie Mame
1958
as Mrs. Krantz (uncredited)
Aerial Gunner
1943
as Blonde at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Colorado Sunset
1939
as Ginger Bixby
Ghost Buster
1952
as Mrs. Nolan
After the Thin Man
1936
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Terror Trail
1946
as Karen Kemp, the Louisville Lady
The Return of Frank James
1940
as Nellie Blane
No Way Out
1950
as Woman (uncredited)
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950
as Wife Watching TV (uncredited)
Of Mice and Men
1939
as Second Girl (uncredited)
It's Only Money
1962
as Fisherwoman
Who's Minding the Store?
1963
as Customer at Bargain Sale (uncredited)
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
1945
as Annie
The Crooked Way
1949
The Inspector General
1949
as Buxom Villager (uncredited)
The Snake Pit
1948
as Asylum Patient (uncredited)
Kiss Me, Stupid
1964
as Big Bertha
Manpower
1941
as Polly
Winterset
1936
as Girl
Show Boat
1936
The Chaser
1938
as Mabel, Drunken Girl
My Favorite Spy
1942
as Speedy
Hollywood Stadium Mystery
1938
as Althea Ames
Our Daily Bread
1934
as Sally
Forgotten Girls
1940
as Eve Abbott
The Naughty Nineties
1945
as Gilded Cage Hostess (uncredited)
The Westland Case
1937
as Agatha Hogan
Out of the Fog
1941
Flight at Midnight
1939
as Mildred
The Girl Downstairs
1938
as Woman at bar (uncredited)
A Child Is Waiting
1963
as Miss Brown (uncredited)
Murder, He Says
1945
as Bonnie Fleagle
So This Is Love
1953
as Fat Girl with Sailor in Nightclub (uncredited)
My Blue Heaven
1950
as Susan (uncredited)
South of Tahiti
1941
as Julie
Once Upon a Time
1944
as Cabbie (uncredited)
So This Is Washington
1943
as Betty - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Sex Kittens Go to College
1960
as Circe
They Made Me a Criminal
1939
as Budgie Massey
Three Sons
1939
as Viola
Off the Record
1939
as Flossie - Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Strictly Dynamite
1934
as Party Girl (uncredited)
Roman Scandals
1933
as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
The Amazing Mr. Williams
1939
as Muriel - Wedding Guest (uncredited)
The D.I.
1957
as Woman Customer
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938
as Mattie
Castle on the Hudson
1940
as Goldie
Dark Meeting
1956
as Clara
Girls in Chains
1943
as Barbara Pepper
Forty Naughty Girls
1937
as Alice
Waterfront Lady
1935
as Gloria Vance
M'Liss
1936
as Clytie Morpher
The Big Shot
1937
as Mamie
Wanted: Jane Turner
1936
as Marge Sanders
Wide Open Faces
1938
as Belle
Music for Madame
1937
as Blonde on Bus (Uncredited)
The Sagebrush Troubadour
1935
as Joan Martin
Sailor's Lady
1940
as Maude
The Lady in the Morgue
1938
as Kay Renshaw
The Big Game
1936
as Lois
Let's Face It
1943
as Daisy (uncredited)
The Singing Vagabond
1935
as Honey
Portia on Trial
1937
as Evelyn
The Eddie Cantor Story
1953
as Beer Garden Patron
The Bramble Bush
1960
as Polly Welk
The Rogues' Tavern
1936
as Marjorie Burns
Let 'em Have It
1935
as Milly Adams
Many Unhappy Returns
1937
as Sophie - Cigar Store Counter Girl
Forced Landing
1935
as Nancy 'Dusty' Rhodes
Birth of the Blues
1941
as Maizie
One Thrilling Night
1942
as Lettie
What Becomes of the Children?
1936
as Elsie Ford
Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid
1944
as Miss LaRue ("Wild Rose")
Trouble Chasers
1945
as Goldie
A Maid Made Mad
1943
as Blonde
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
1937
as Blonde Saloon Lady (uncredited)
Three Sons o' Guns
1941
as Francie LaRue
You Can't Buy Luck
1937
as Store Clerk
Mummy's Boys
1936
as Mary Browning
Too Many Wives
1937
as Angela Brown
Taming the Wild
1936
as Hazel White
Blonde and Groom
1943
as Rex's Fiancée
Frisco Waterfront
1935
as The Blonde Stranger
Sappy Pappy
1942
as Female Customer
About Barbara Pepper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball. Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts w… With 121 credits spanning from 1933 to 1968, Barbara Pepper has appeared in 95 films and 26 TV shows.
Fans searching for Barbara Pepper movies, Barbara Pepper filmography, or the latest projects starring Barbara Pepper can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Barbara Pepper Movies
- Foreign Correspondent (1940) — as Dorine
- The Women (1939) — as Tough Girl (uncredited)
- Bachelor Mother (1939) — as Dance-Hall Hostess (uncredited)
- Unmasked (1950) — as Mrs. Schmidt
- The Lady Eve (1941) — as Lady Wrestler Type on Ship (uncredited)
Where to Watch Barbara Pepper Films
Most Barbara Pepper movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Barbara Pepper, check our movies catalogue and browse page.