Beverly Garland (October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as
Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s
sitcom My Three Sons (a role she played from 1969 until the series ended in 1972 and for which she is mostly identified). In the 1980s, she co-starred as
Kate Jackson's widowed mother, "Dotty West", in the
television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King, on CBS. She also had a recurring role as Ginger Jackson on
The WB Television Network series
7th Heaven.
Biography
Early life and career
Garland was born
Beverly Lucy Fessenden in
Santa Cruz, California, the daughter of Amelia Rose, a businesswoman, and James Atkins Fessenden, a singer and salesman. Garland grew up in
Glendale, California. Her 1950s acting roles tended to be tough women who could handle themselves in violent situations. 1956 was a busy year for Garland: she played a female
marshal in the Western
Gunslinger with
Chris Alcaide as her deputy; a prison escapee in
Swamp Women; and a scientist's wife who battles an alien in
It Conquered the World. All three movies were directed by
Roger Corman and riffed in the 1990s by
Mystery Science Theater 3000. Garland then starred as undercover police officer "Casey Jones" in the
syndicated television series Decoy.
Television success
In 1957, Garland made television history...
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