Reta Shaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reta Shaw
Shaw (right) as Mrs Brill, with Hermione Baddeley as Ellen in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins
Born	(1912-09-13)September 13, 1912 South Paris, Maine, U.S.
Died	January 8, 1982(1982-01-08) (aged 69) Encino, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1935–1975
Spouse(s)	William A. Forester (divorced)
Children	1

Reta Shaw (born September 13, 1912 – died January 8, 1982) was an American actress. She was known for playing strong, determined women in movies and on popular TV shows. These shows were mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.

Many people remember her as Martha Grant, the housekeeper on the TV series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. She also played Mrs. Brill, the cook, in the famous 1964 movie Mary Poppins.

Early Life and Education

Reta M. Shaw was born in South Paris, Maine, on September 13, 1912. Her parents were Edna M. (née Easson) and Howard Walker Shaw. Her father was a leader of an orchestra.

Reta also had a younger sister named Marguerite Shaw, who became an actress too. Reta's mother and grandmother believed in spiritualism. This is a belief that people can communicate with spirits. Reta once said that she grew up with a ouija board, which is a tool some people use to try and talk to spirits.

Reta Shaw went to the Leland Powers School of the Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from this school, which helped her learn how to act.

Acting Career Highlights

Reta Shaw's first official acting role on Broadway was in 1947. It was in a play called It Takes Two. After that, she appeared in other plays like Virginia Reel.

Broadway Roles

In 1954, Reta Shaw played a funny character named Mabel in the original Broadway show The Pajama Game. She also acted in other well-known musicals and plays. These included Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Picnic, and Annie Get Your Gun. For Annie Get Your Gun, she went on tour with the famous actress Mary Martin.

Movie Appearances

Reta Shaw had important roles in several movies. She appeared in the film versions of plays she had been in, such as Picnic (1955) and The Pajama Game (1957).

Some of her other notable movie roles include Pollyanna (1960), Bachelor in Paradise (1961), and The Ghost And Mr. Chicken (1966). She is perhaps most famous for playing Mrs. Brill in the beloved 1964 Disney movie Mary Poppins. Her final movie role was in Escape to Witch Mountain in 1975.

Television Work

Reta Shaw was a very busy actress on television. She appeared in many popular TV shows throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Early TV Roles

From 1958 to 1959, she played Flora Macauley on The Ann Sothern Show. She was also the housekeeper Thelma on The Tab Hunter Show from 1960 to 1961. In 1961, she played another housekeeper in the series Ichabod and Me.

In 1961, she was in an episode of Pete and Gladys. She also had a recurring role on The Cara Williams Show during the 1964–1965 season.

Guest Appearances

Reta Shaw made many guest appearances on different shows. In 1962, she was in an episode of Outlaws. She also played a funny role on The Lucy Show as a grandmother. She appeared in The Lloyd Bridges Show and Wagon Train.

She was a recurring character named Bertha/Hagatha, a kind witch, on the TV show Bewitched. She also appeared as Miss Gormley in an episode of The Brian Keith Show.

Reta Shaw was on The Andy Griffith Show twice. She played an escaped convict named Big Maude Tyler and a voice teacher named Eleanora Poultice. She was also Aunt Clara in a 1965 episode of Lost in Space.

Later TV Roles

In 1965, she appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show and My Three Sons. On My Three Sons, she played a housekeeper named Fredocia. She also had a small role on That Girl in 1966. In the same year, she played a secret agent named Bessie on I Spy.

One of her most famous TV roles was co-starring as Martha Grant, the housekeeper, on the sitcom The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. It's interesting that the show was set in a fictional fishing village in Maine, and Reta Shaw herself was born in Maine.

She also appeared in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie in 1968. In 1973, she was on The Odd Couple and Emergency!. Her last TV role was in 1974 on Happy Days, where she played a babysitter named Mrs. McCarthy.

Personal Life and Death

Reta Shaw was married to actor William Forester, but they later divorced. They had one child together, a daughter named Kathryn Anne Forester.

Reta Shaw passed away in 1982 at the age of 69. She died from a lung illness called emphysema in Encino, California. Her body was cremated, and her ashes were placed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Reta Shaw para niños