Eileen Brennan
- Highest Rated: Daisy Miller (1974)
- Lowest Rated: Reckless (1995)
- Birthday: Sep 3, 1932
- Birthplace: Not Available
-
American actress Eileen Brennan was the daughter of Jean Manahan, a moderately successful silent screen actress. Brennan studied at both Georgetown University and the American Academy of Dramatic Art before making her mark as star of the 1959 off-Broadway musical Little Mary Sunshine. Brennan was among the first-season stars of TV's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, essentially doing hilarious variations of her simpering "Mary Sunshine" persona. With her 1970s film appearances in The Last Picture Show (1971), The Sting (1972) and Hustle (1974) came the world-weary, hard-bitten characterizations with which she built her movie following. She was nominated for an Oscar for her expert interpretation of an army sergeant in Goldie Hawn's Private Benjamin (1980), then recreated the role for the 1981 TV sitcom version of this film (which won her an Emmy). While filming the TV Benjamin, Brennan was seriously injured in a car accident. The recovery was long and painful, but by 1985 she was back at work, as caustic as ever in recent films as Clue (1985), White Palace (1991) and the Last Picture Show sequel Texasville (1990). She continued to work steadily in a variety of projects including Murder So Sweet and 1995's Freaky Friday. She also made guest appearances on various T shows including Murder, She Wrote, E/R, Mad About You, and Touched By an Angel. In the 21st century she could be seen in Jeepers Creepers and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Brennan passed away in 2013. She was 80 years old.
Highest Rated Movies
-
Daisy Miller
100% -
-
-
The Sting
93%
Filmography
Movies
Rating |
Title |
Credit |
Box
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action Pack: Clue Quote-along | Actor | — | 2013 | |
| Naked Run | Actor | — | 2011 | |
| The Kings of Appletown | Actor | — | 2009 | |
| 15% | Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous | Carol Fields | $47.2M | 2005 |
| The Hollow | Joan Van Etten | — | 2004 | |
| Dumb Luck | Actor | — | 2003 | |
| Comic Book Villains | Mrs. Cresswell | — | 2002 | |
| 46% | Jeepers Creepers | The Cat Lady | — | 2001 |
| Dumb Luck | Minnie | — | 2001 | |
| The Last Great Ride | Mimi | — | 1998 | |
| Toothless | Board Member No. 2 | — | 1997 | |
| 80% | Boys Life 2 | Mrs. Randozzo [Nunzio's Second Cousin] | — | 1997 |
| Changing Habits | Mother Superior | — | 1997 | |
| 88% | If These Walls Could Talk | Tessie | — | 1996 |
| 14% | Reckless | Sister Margaret | — | 1995 |
| Freaky Friday | Principal | — | 1995 | |
| Trail of Tears | Clara Cook | — | 1995 | |
| In Search of Dr. Seuss | Actor | — | 1994 | |
| The Lies Boys Tell | Actor | — | 1994 | |
| Precious Victims | Minnie Gray | — | 1993 | |
| Murder So Sweet | Martha Catlin | — | 1993 | |
| Poisoned by Love: The Kern County Murders | Martha Catlin | — | 1993 | |
| I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore | Frieda | — | 1992 | |
| 55% | Texasville | Genevieve | — | 1991 |
| 59% | White Palace | Judy | — | 1990 |
| Stella | Mrs. Wilkerson | — | 1990 | |
| Rented Lips | Hotel Desk Clerk | — | 1988 | |
| 17% | The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking | Miss Bannister | — | 1988 |
| Sticky Fingers | Stella | — | 1988 | |
| Going to the Chapel | Actor | — | 1988 | |
| Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife | Sylvia | — | 1987 | |
| Babes in Toyland | Mrs. Piper/Widow Hubbard | — | 1986 | |
| 59% | Clue | Mrs. Peacock | — | 1985 |
| The Fourth Wise Man | Actor | — | 1985 | |
| The History of White People in America | Actor | — | 1985 | |
| Pandemonium | Candy's Mom | — | 1982 | |
| Funny Farm | Gail Corbin | — | 1982 | |
| Working | Actor | — | 1982 | |
| 81% | Private Benjamin | Doreen Lewis | — | 1980 |
| My Old Man | Marie | — | 1979 | |
| When She Was Bad... | Mary Jensen | — | 1979 | |
| The Great Smokey Roadblock | Penelope Pearson | — | 1978 | |
| 47% | The Cheap Detective | Betty DeBoop | — | 1978 |
| 20% | FM | Mother | — | 1978 |
| Richie | Carol Werner | — | 1977 | |
| 67% | Murder by Death | Tess Skeffington | — | 1976 |
| 71% | Hustle | Paula Hollinger | — | 1975 |
| My Father's House | Actor | — | 1975 | |
| 21% | At Long Last Love | Elizabeth | — | 1975 |
| 100% | Daisy Miller | Mrs. Walker | — | 1974 |
| Come Die with Me | Mary Thatcher | — | 1974 | |
| 93% | The Sting | Billie | — | 1973 |
| 78% | Scarecrow | Darlene | — | 1973 |
| Playmates | Amy | — | 1972 | |
| 100% | The Last Picture Show | Genevieve | — | 1971 |
| The Star Wagon | Actor | — | 1967 | |
| 100% | Divorce American Style | Eunice | — | 1967 |
TV
Rating |
Title |
Credit |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1973
|
Performer |
|
|
|
Will & Grace
1998
|
Zandra |
|
|
|
7th Heaven
1996-2007
|
Gladys Bink |
|
|
| 100% |
Lizzie McGuire
2001-2004
|
Marge |
|
| 62% |
Arli$$
1996-2002
|
Lenore |
|
|
Touched by an Angel
1994-2003
|
Dolores |
|
|
|
Mad About You
1992-1999
|
No. 10 |
|
|
|
Veronica's Closet
1997-2000
|
|
||
|
ER
1994-2009
|
Betty |
|
|
|
Murder, She Wrote
1984-1996
|
Marion Simpson Loretta Lee |
|
|
| 82% |
Tales from the Crypt
1989-1996
|
Guest |
|
|
Blossom
1991-1995
|
Agnes |
|
|
| 85% |
Thirtysomething
1987-1991
|
|
|
|
Newhart
1982-1990
|
Illustrator |
|
|
|
Magnum, P.I.
1980-1988
|
Brenda Babcock |
|
|
|
Taxi
1978-1983
|
Boss's Wife |
|
|
|
Kojak
1973-1978
|
Julie Loring |
|
|
|
All in the Family
1971-1979
|
Miss McCarthy |
|
|
| 40% |
Rick Moranis in Gravedale High
1990
|
Voice |
|
QUOTES FROM Eileen Brennan CHARACTERS
- Sam Diamond
-
I owe Miss Skeffington here two years and three months back pay.
- Tess Skeffington
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I don't care about the money, Sam.
- Sam Diamond
-
Neither do I.
- Tess Skeffington
-
Please excuse Sam. He was shot in the head last week; he shouldn't even be out of the hospital.
- Tess Skeffington
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First kiss me, Sam.
- Sam Diamond
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I don't kiss.
- Tess Skeffington
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Just this once.
- Sam Diamond
-
I don't like kissing. Now leave me alone.
- The Cat Lady
-
What the hell did you bring into my house?
- The Cat Lady
-
That's not my scarecrow.
- The Cat Lady
-
You got ten seconds to get your ass out of my yard, and don't think I'm gonna tell ya twice!
- Trish
-
Get the hell away from him.
- Darry
-
What are you doing, Trish?
- Trish
-
Get the hell away from him!
- Tess Skeffington
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...He was my uncle. He was very good to me; he used to take me to the circus and give me candy. We stopped going when I was...about twenty-six
- Tess Skeffington
-
He was my uncle. He was very good to me, he used to take me to the circus and give me candy. We stopped going when I was...about twenty-six.
- Sam Diamond
-
Twenty-six? What the hell kind of circus was it?
- Prof. Plum
-
What are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?
- Mrs. Peacock
-
No, just death, isn't that enough?
- Col. Mustard
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This is war, Peacock. Casualties are inevitable. You can not make an omelet without breaking eggs, every cook will tell you that.
- Col. Mustard
-
This is war, Peacock. Casualties are inevitable. You can not make an omelet without breaking eggs, every cook will tell you that.
- Mrs. Peacock
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But look what happened to the cook! (haunk)
- Mrs. Peacock
-
But look what happened to the cook!
- Tess Skeffington
-
Twain picked up Sam in a gay bar.
- Sam Diamond
-
I was working on a case! Working.
- Tess Skeffington
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Every night for six months?
- Mrs. Peacock
-
Well, someone's got to break the ice, and it might as well be me. I mean, I'm used to being a hostess, it's part of my husband's work. And it's always difficult when a group of new friends meet together for the first time, to get acquainted. So I'm perfectly prepared to start the ball rolling. I mean, I-I have absolutely no idea what we're doing here. Or what I'm doing here, or what this place is about, but I am determined to enjoy myself. And I'm very intrigued, and, oh my, this soup's delicious, isn't it?