'Twilight Zone,' 'Airplane!' actress Barbara Stuart dead at 81

A popular character actress known for her roles in "The Twilight Zone," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Taxi" and the movie spoof "Airplane!" died, it was reported today.

Toluca Lake resident Barbara Stuart was 81. Stuart's death was confirmed by her brother, Richard McNeese.

She died in St. George, Utah, the New York Times reported.

She appeared on nearly 80 television series, starting with "I Led Three Lives" in 1954 and concluding with the Showtime series "Huff" in 2006. She was Tom Hank's future mother-in-law in "Bachelor Party" in 1984.

In "Airplane!" Stuart parlayed her familiarity to audiences as a character actress who frequently portrayed wives and mothers into the role of Mrs. Rex Kramer, who had an unusual libido.

Born Barbara Ann McNeese on Jan. 3, 1930 in Paris, Ill., she took acting classes at the Schuster-Martin School of Drama in Cincinnati after graduating from high school. She moved to New York, where she studied with Stella Adler and Uta Hagen.

To pay for her classes, she modeled on the side. For professional purposes, she took the last name Stuart, a family name, the New York Times reported. Her marriage to actor Dick Gautier ended in divorce.

In addition to her brother Richard, of Santa Clara, Utah, she is survived by three stepchildren: Diane Christine Chormicle of Rancho Cucamonga, Denise Michelle Gautier of Arcadia and Rand Robert Gautier of Santa Rosa.

---

Advertisement

---

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18116272?source=rss

Rebecca Romijn Sanaa Lathan Angelina Jolie Julia Stiles Amanda Swisten