Aneta Corsaut
Aneta Louise Corsaut (November 3, 1933 – November 6, 1995) was an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith Show (1963–1968), Judge Cynthia Justin on Matlock (1991–1992), and Jane in The Blob (1958).
Aneta Corsaut | |
|---|---|
 Aneta Corsaut in The Andy Griffith Show in 1967's "Helen the Authoress" | |
| Born | Aneta Louise Corsaut November 3, 1933 Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 1995 (aged 62) Studio City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Anita Corsault Aneta Corseaut |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University UCLA |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, writer |
| Years active | 1955–1995 |
Early life and career
Born in Hutchinson, Kansas,[1] Corsaut was the daughter of Jesse Harrison and Opal J. (née Swarens) Corsaut. She majored in drama at Northwestern University and studied acting with Lee Strasberg.[2] During her junior year, Corsaut dropped out to pursue a career in acting, although during the run of The Andy Griffith Show, Corsaut took courses at UCLA with plans to earn her degree.[3]
She began her acting career in New York City in the mid-1950s.[4] In 1958, Corsaut and Steve McQueen made their film debuts in the independent cult horror film The Blob.[5] On television, in 1961–1962, she portrayed Irma Howell on the CBS sitcom Mrs. G. Goes to College.[4]
Corsaut first appeared on the long-running Griffith show in 1963 as schoolteacher Helen Crump, who later became the Mayberry sheriff's wife on the first episode of the spinoff Mayberry R.F.D. In 1965 she was also cast as Kathy McLennan, the young widow of a rancher, in the episode "Paid in Full" on the syndicated Western anthology series Death Valley Days.[6] Corsaut later had a continuing role as policeman Bumper Morgan's pawn-shop-owner friend on the 1975–1976 series The Blue Knight.[4] In the series Adam-12, Corsaut portrayed Officer Pete Malloy's girlfriend Judy. She had a supporting role too as Head Nurse Bradley in the 1980s sitcom House Calls, and she appeared in several episodes of Matlock with star Andy Griffith.[7] In addition, Corsaut played the role of nurse Jesse Brewer in 1977 on the long-running ABC soap opera General Hospital when long-time portrayer Emily McLaughlin was too ill to work.[8]
She returned to the role of Helen Crump in the reunion shows Return to Mayberry in 1986 and The Andy Griffith Show Reunion in 1993.[4]
As a writer, she coauthored The Mystery Reader's Quiz Book.[4][9]
Personal life and death
Corsaut never married nor had children.
According to the 2015 book Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, Corsaut and the married Andy Griffith had an ongoing affair throughout their five years together on The Andy Griffith Show; the affair was an open secret amongst the cast and crew.[10]
On November 6, 1995, Corsaut died of cancer in Los Angeles, California.[1][4] A Catholic, she was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in nearby North Hollywood.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | The Blob | Jane Martin | credited as Aneta Corseaut |
| 1964 | Good Neighbor Sam | Fran | Uncredited |
| 1965 | A Rage to Live | Mary | Uncredited |
| 1974 | Blazing Saddles | Tourist Mother | Uncredited |
| 1978 | The Toolbox Murders | Joanne Ballard |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | "The Fourposter" | |
| 1955 | Robert Montgomery Presents | "Man Lost" | |
| 1959 | Black Saddle | Mary Warren | "Client: Peter Warren" |
| 1960 | Unsolved | Gloria | TV movie |
| 1960 | Johnny Ringo | Lettie Frome | "Black Harvest" |
| 1960 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Amy | "Ransom" |
| 1960 | Guestward, Ho! | Mrs. Bennet | "Bab's Mother" |
| 1960 | The Detectives | Ruth Shaley | "Longshot" |
| 1960 | Death Valley Days | Lydia Starkweather | "Cap'n Pegleg" |
| 1960 | The Law and Mr. Jones | Berger's Daughter | "No Sale" |
| 1961 | The Law and Mr. Jones | Mary Clover | "One for the Money" |
| 1961 | Hennesey | Mrs. Vaughn | "The Specialist" |
| 1961 | Hong Kong | Jeannie | "Lady Godiva" |
| 1961 | Harrigan and Son | Susan Fenton | "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead" |
| 1961–1962 | Mrs. G. Goes to College | Irma Howell | Regular role |
| 1962 | The Detectives | Mae Banks | "The Fourth Commandment" |
| 1962 | Death Valley Days | Emilie Reed | "Suzie" |
| 1962 | Saints and Sinners | Ellie | "A Shame for the Diamond Wedding" |
| 1963 | Bonanza | Rebecca Kaufman | "The Way of Aaron" |
| 1963 | The Real McCoys | Karen | "The McCoy Hex" |
| 1963–1968 | The Andy Griffith Show | Helen Crump | Recurring role |
| 1964 | The Eleventh Hour | Marian | "The Secret in the Stone" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Hanna Berger | "Where Does the Boomerang Go?" |
| 1965 | Death Valley Days | Kathy McLennan / Sarah Howard / Emma Donaldson | "Paid in Full", "Dry Water Sailors", "The Red Shawl" |
| 1965 | The Farmer's Daughter | Alice | "Katy by Moonlight" |
| 1965 | Valentine's Day | Lydia Newman | "I'll Cry at My Wedding" |
| 1965 | Gunsmoke | Eleanor Starkey | "Twenty Miles from Dodge" |
| 1967 | Gunsmoke | Sister Ruth | "Ladies from St. Louis" |
| 1968–1969 | Mayberry R.F.D. | Helen Crump Taylor | "Andy and Helen Get Married", "Andy's Baby" |
| 1970 | Me and Benjie | TV movie | |
| 1970 | Nanny and the Professor | Dr. Neilson | "My Son, the Sitter" |
| 1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Jenny Bailey | "Gemini Descending" |
| 1973 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Ethel Palmer | "Why Is a Crooked Letter" |
| 1973 | Columbo | Nurse Morgan | "A Stitch in Crime" |
| 1974 | Bad Ronald | Mrs. Matthews | TV movie |
| 1974 | Emergency! | Helena Hartley | "Propinquity", "Inventions" |
| 1975 | Emergency! | Sheila | "Simple Adjustment" |
| 1975 | McMillan & Wife | Hotel Desk Clerk | "Love, Honor and Swindle" |
| 1975 | Adam-12 | Judy | "Ladies' Night", "Something Worth Dying For: Part 2" |
| 1975 | The Blue Knight | Vera | "Triple Threat" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Miss Erdlatz | "Part I: Chapters 1 & 2" |
| 1976 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Brenda Tillerman | "The Highest Mountain" |
| 1979 | The Runaways | Shirley Grady | "Street of Terror: Part 2" |
| 1980–81 | House Calls | Head Nurse Bradley | Recurring role |
| 1983 | Hart to Hart | Dorothy Smith | "Pandora Has Wings" |
| 1984 | Days of Our Lives | Blanche Dailey | TV series |
| 1986 | Hotel | Mrs. Weaver | "Hearts Divided" |
| 1986 | Return to Mayberry | Helen Crump Taylor | TV movie |
| 1987 | Matlock | Mrs. Ida Stillman | "The Network" |
| 1990 | Matlock | Sarah Richards | "The Mother" |
| 1991–1992 | Matlock | Judge Cynthia Justin | Recurring role, (final appearance) |
References
- Lentz, Harris M. (1995). Obituaries in the Performing Arts. McFarland & Company. p. 42. ISBN 0-786-40253-9.
- Kaplan (1986). Variety: Who's Who In Show Business. Taylor & Francis. p. 95.
- Witbeck, Charles (May 29, 1967). "One More Year For Andy Griffith". Toledo Blade. p. 31. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- "Aneta Corsaut; Helen Crump on 'Andy Griffith Show'". Los Angeles Times. November 10, 1995. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- Murdico, Suzanne J. (2004). Meet the Blob. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 22. ISBN 1-404-20271-4.
- "Paid in Full on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- Murdico 2004 p.23
- Reed, Jon-Michael (February 3, 1977). "Actress Does a 'Double' Take". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 9A. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- Corsaut, Aneta; Singer, Muff; Wagner, Robert, The Mystery Reader's Quiz Book, M Evans & Co (December 1981), 0871313510
- De Visé, Daniel (2015). Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 146–147. ISBN 978-1-4767-4773-6. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Internet Archive text collection.
- Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland & Company Incorporated. p. 202. ISBN 0-786-40983-5.