Irene Ryan, Granny Clampett, born 1902

Irene Ryan, born Jessie Irene Noblitt in El Paso, Texas October 17, 1902, is best know for her role as the feisty mother-in-law to Buddy Ebsen's Jed Clampett in the long-running comedy Beverly Hillbillies.  Ryan was only six years older than Ebsen at the time. She was already established as a celebrity for her work in vaudeville, radio, and movies.

In 1963 and 1964, she received two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead). 

When the series ended, Ryan fulfilled her life-long dream of performing on Broadway. She appeared in the musical Pippin, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical).

A month after the ceremony, Ryan passed away from heart disease in April 1973. 

"The Beverly Hillbillies" debuts on television 1962

The first episode of the long-running series The Beverly Hillbillies aired September 26, 1962.  It starred Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer as a poor family living in rural Missouri, who discover oil on their land.  The backwoods folks become instant millionaires and move to Beverly Hills.  Although critics panned the series, it became one of the most-watched programs for eight of its nine seasons.  It was nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys, including one for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy for Nancy Kulp.