Edie McClurg

McClurg was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, to Mac, a mailman, and Irene McClurg,[2] an FAA secretary. She has an older brother, Bob, who is also an actor. McClurg attended the University of Missouri–Kansas City in the mid-1960s where she got her BA in 1967 and where she also taught radio for eight years.[3] She earned a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1970.[4]

At the University of Missouri–Kansas City, McClurg re-entered the entertainment field as a DJ, newswoman, and producer for the NPR affiliate KCUR-FM. There she portrayed John Ehrlichman in Conversation 26 of NPR's national broadcast of the Nixon Tape transcript.[3]

McClurg's onscreen debut was as Helen Shyres in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie starring Sissy Spacek. She was a comedy regular on the Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show (1976–1977) and then a cast member of The Kallikaks and The Richard Pryor Show.

In 1980, McClurg regularly performed on The David Letterman Show[5] as Mrs. Marv Mendenhall.

Having been a member of San Francisco's improv comedy the Pitcshel Players, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the Groundlings troupe.[6]

She worked with fellow Groundling player Paul Reubens on his first play The Pee-wee Herman Show, in which she appeared in 1981 as "Hermit Hattie". She also appeared in the 1988 film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark with fellow Groundling player Cassandra Peterson, who appeared as her alter ego Elvira.

McClurg has appeared in almost 90 films and 55 television episodes, usually typecast as a middle-aged, somewhat stubborn, and dim-witted Midwesterner.[5]

McClurg is known for a number of roles. On television, she played Lucille Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati,[7] Willamae Jones in the television remake of Harper Valley PTA, Mrs. Patty Poole on The Hogan Family (originally "Valerie"), Bonnie Brindle on Small Wonder, and Mrs. Beeker on 7th Heaven.

She also played in a number of films including Helen Shyres in Carrie, the check out lady in Mr. Mom, Grace in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Marge Sweetwater in Back to School, the car rental agent in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Lynn in She's Having a Baby, Mrs. Burns in A River Runs Through It, Heather Wilson in Natural Born Killers and Martha George in Flubber.

She guest starred as Barri's mother in an episode of Campus Ladies. She portrayed one of the wicked stepsisters in the Faerie Tale Theatre production "Cinderella." McClurg appeared on several game shows, including Match Game, The $25,000 Pyramid, Password Plus, and Super Password.

McClurg contributed assorted voices for The Jetsons, The Snorks, Life with Louie, A Bug's Life, Justin and the Knights of Valour, Cars and Cars 2.

She voiced Carlotta in The Little Mermaid, Mary in Wreck-It Ralph, Molly in Home on the Range, Miss Right in The Secret of NIMH, the Dragon in the Nightmare Ned video game, Barsa in Kiki's Delivery Service, Fran on Higglytown Heroes, the offscreen "Polite Female Voice" in the Revolting Slob segments on Crashbox, Mrs. Claus in Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen, Grandma Taters in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Violet Stimpleton in Rocket Power, Bea's mother in Fish Hooks, Winnie Pig in Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, Mrs. Violet Bleakman on Clifford the Big Red Dog, Bobby's teacher in Bobby's World and Trudi Traveler in an episode of Wander Over Yonder.

McClurg portrayed a nurse nicknamed "Angel of Death" in an episode of The Golden Girls. She also appeared in an episode of Hannah Montana as Cindy Merriweather. Continuing her passion for performing improvised comedy, McClurg is a player with Spolin Players.[6] On April 9, 2007, she made an appearance on Thank God You're Here. In 2011, she appeared in an episode of the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement.

In 2020, she made a cameo in the Family Guy episode "Holly Bibble" in a spoof of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. She appeared as 'Grace', personal assistant to [Carter as] Pontius Pilate. Immediately following the delivery of her lines, was the following acknowledgment by Carter/Pontius' character, "Wasn't that cool? That was really her! Edie McClurg. Thanks Edie!".

In 2019, TMZ reported that family and friends of McClurg filed court documents requesting a conservatorship to manage her affairs. They said neurological tests provide evidence that McClurg is unable to live alone without assistance and is "especially vulnerable to undue influence, given her poor judgment and evident dementia".[8] TMZ further reported that a conservator, McClurg's cousin, Angelique Cabral, had been appointed.[9]

In August 2022, the lawyer for the conservatorship filed court documents alleging that McClurg had been abused by a man who had befriended her, moved into her home, and become a court-approved caregiver. The documents allege the man sexually assaulted her and a police report had been filed with the LAPD. They further allege that the man tried to remove her from the state to marry her. The judge for the conservatorship granted an order of protection at hearings in September 2022.[10][9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edie McClurg.

• Edie McClurg at IMDb