Born and raised in Southern California; family briefly lived in San Francisco but returned to the Los Angeles area

Began career as a teenager appearing in productions at the Pasadena Playhouse

Acted on radio while still a student at Los Angeles City College

Met John McIntire

Moved to NYC; found work as a radio actress

Worked with McIntire (by then her husband) on the radio show "The March of Time"; the couple had initially kept the fact of their marriage hidden when both were hired for the broadcasts; only female actor in the cast

Purchased a ranch in Montana

Cast opposite Orson Welles in his film adaptation of "Macbeth"

First onscreen teaming with husband "No Sad Songs for Me"

Had featured role in Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat"

Appeared in the original unsold pilot for "The Virginian" (NBC)

Played hotel manager Annette Devereaux in the CBS Western "Hotel de Paree"

Provided the uncredited voice of Mrs. Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho"

Cast the mother of "The Great Imposter"

Appeared in the classic Western film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"

Was a regular player in "The Richard Boone Show" (NBC), a dramatic anthology; earned first Emmy nomination for the "Vote No on 11!" episode

Earned Emmy nomination for guest appearance on an episode of "I Spy"

With McIntire, became regular on the NBC series "The Virginian", playing the owners of the Shiloh Ranch

Portrayed the mother of "Longstreet" in the ABC TV-movie introducing the character

Introduced the character of Sally Fergus on an episode of "Gunsmoke"

Starred in the short-lived CBS Western "Dirty Sally", reprising the role she created in 1972; received third Emmy nomination

Cast as the mother of Babe Didrikson in the CBS biopic "Babe"

Provided a character voice for Disney's animated "The Rescuers"

Played Granny McWhirter in the NBC miniseries "The Awakening Land"; received fourth Emmy nomination

Played the grandmother in the two-part ABC movie "Lassie: The New Beginning"

Supported Sally Field and William Hurt in the live NBC broadcast of "All the Way Home"

Had featured role in "True Confessions"

Voiced Widow Tweed in Disney's animated "The Fox and the Hound"

Final TV-movie, "The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch" (ABC)

Last film with McIntire "Cloak and Dagger"; played husband and wife; last film for five years

Appeared as Alma, mother to Rose (Betty White) in an episode of "The Golden Girls"

With McIntire, appeared in a memorable episode of "St. Elsewhere" as elderly patients

Portrayed a woman accused of witchcraft by her neighbors in an episode of "Cagney and Lacey" (CBS)

Returned to features in "Street Justice"

Last TV appearance in a guest shot on the NBC sitcom "Dear John"

Final feature appearance in cameo as Robert Redford's elderly mother in "The Horse Whisperer"