Shirl Conway

Shirl Conway
Shirl Conway in The Nurses (1963)
Born
Shirley Elizabeth Crosman

(1916-06-13)June 13, 1916
DiedMay 7, 2007(2007-05-07) (aged 90)
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
OccupationActress
Spouses
  • Gordon Larson
  • Bill Johnson

Shirl Conway (born Shirley Elizabeth Crosman, June 13, 1916 – May 7, 2007) was an American television and Broadway actress.[1]

Early years

A great-niece of actress Henrietta Crosman, Conway graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 with a bachelor's degree in speech therapy.[2] She was a John Robert Powers model.[citation needed]

Career

Banjo Eyes (1940) was Conway's theatrical debut.[3] She played Ruth Winters in the 1955 musical comedy Plain and Fancy on Broadway, for which she won a Theatre World Award. She also appeared on Broadway in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [4] and toured in Auntie Mame,[1] including performances in the capital cities of Australia.[5]

She played the role of Liz Thorpe in the CBS drama The Nurses[6]: 776  (which ran from 1962 to 1965) for which she was nominated for an Emmy award in 1963 for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.[1] Other TV credits include Route 66, The Defenders,[citation needed] and Caesar's Hour.[6]

She moved to Washington in 1972, where she was the founding member of the Harstine Island Theatre Club, and starred in productions there into her 80s.[1]

Personal life

Conway was married to engineer Gordon Larson[2] and Bill Johnson, an actor.[7]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d Variety Staff (May 29, 2007), "Shirl Conway, 90, actress", Variety
  2. ^ a b Lowry, Cynthia (May 26, 1963). "Reactions of Viewers Impress, Sometimes Depress Shirly Conway". Asbury Park-Press. New Jersey, Asbury Park. Associated Press. p. 32. Retrieved 10 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Polier, Rex (August 11, 1963). "A Farm Girl at Heart". The Palm Beach Post. Florida, West Palm Beach. p. 95. Retrieved 10 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Shirl Conway Broadway ibdb.com, accessed August 14, 2015
  5. ^ "Shirl Conway Variety Show on ATN 7". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia, New South Wales, Sydney. March 21, 1960. p. 25. Retrieved 10 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  7. ^ Simonson, Robert. "Shirl Conway, Broadway and Television Actress, Dies at 90" playbill, June 4, 2007