Gina Gail Gillespie (born September 20, 1951)[1] is an American former child actress best known for her recurring roles in the television series Law of the Plainsman and Karen, and for playing Pippi Longstocking in a 1961 episode of Shirley Temple's Storybook. She later attended law school and became an attorney.
Gina Gillespie | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 20, 1951 San Gabriel, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Attorney |
| Years active | 1958–1965 (as actress) |
| Spouse |
James MacDonald (m. 1973) |
| Relatives | Darlene Gillespie (sister) |
Early life
editGillespie was born in San Gabriel, California, the daughter of Herbert Gillespie and Rean Tibeau Gillespie, who had been vaudeville dancers. In 1955, when her sister Darlene became a Mouseketeer, the family moved to Burbank, California.[1] She has three other siblings.[2]
Acting career
editDiscovered by Alfred Hitchcock,[3] Gillespie began acting on television when she was four years old.[4] In 1958, she obtained small roles in Andy Hardy Comes Home and The Lost Missile.[1]
In 1959 she was cast in the recurring role of Tess Logan, an eight-year-old orphan, in the western television series Law of the Plainsman, which ran on NBC from October 1, 1959, to September 22, 1960. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ABC from July through September 1962.[5]
She continued to act in both television series and films, including playing dual roles in Pippi Longstocking, a 1961 episode of Shirley Temple's Storybook. The story differs from the famous children's novel, for it is about a girl named Susan Ann Scholfield who tells her younger sister that, if she had her own way, she would be a girl named Pippi and live in a house with a monkey, a horse and a box of gold. The episode then shows the adventures Susan imagines.[6]
In 1962 Gillespie played the role of young Blanche in the critically acclaimed film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and received good reviews for her performance.[7]
In 1964 she was cast as Mimi Scott, the tomboyish younger sister in the television series Karen, which was broadcast on NBC from October 5, 1964, to August 30, 1965.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Andy Hardy Comes Home | Cricket Hardy | Played Andy's daughter | [8] |
| 1958 | The Lost Missile | Little Girl in Underground Bunker | Uncredited role | [1] |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Kathy Patrick | Episode: A Marriage of Strangers | [9] |
| 1959 | Face of a Fugitive | Alice Bailey | Played sheriff's niece | [10] |
| 1959 | It Happened to Jane | Betty Osgood | Played Jane's daughter | [10] |
| 1959-1960 | Law of the Plainsman | Tess Logan | Recurring role in series | [5] |
| 1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West | The Daughter | TV special | [11] |
| 1960 | Wagon Train | Peggy O'Toole | Episode: The Albert Farnsworth Story, Colonel Farnsworth played by Charles Laughton. | |
| 1961 | Thriller | Priscilla | Episode: Mr. George | [12] |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Lisa | Episode: Niagara Dive | [13] |
| 1961 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Carol Butler / Cindy Croydon | 2 episodes: Prince Jim, A Fistful of Pride | |
| 1961 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Susan & Pippi | Episode: Pippi Longstocking, played dual roles | [6] |
| 1962 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Young Blanche | Played Jane's sister as a child | [7] |
| 1964 | The Fugitive | Jenny Ammory | Episode: The Witch | [14] |
| 1964-1965 | Karen | Mimi Scott | 27 episodes, recurring role in series | [5] |
Later life
editGillespie graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, and married James MacDonald on May 5, 1973. She later attended the University of La Verne College of Law and graduated Cum Laude in 1988. After being admitted to the California State Bar she became a practicing attorney.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Aaker, Everett (16 May 2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 188–189. ISBN 978-1-4766-2856-1. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Gina Gillespie Is Veteran Actress". Biddeford-Saco Journal. Maine, Biddeford. May 1, 1965. p. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Schoolgirl Star in New Series". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia, New South Wales, Sydney. February 15, 1965. p. 13. Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Farber, Stephen; McClellan, Michael (13 March 2020). Cinema '62: The Greatest Year at the Movies. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-1-9788-0883-6. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present, 1st Edition, page 340 & 320, Ballantine Books, 1979
- ^ a b Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, page 193, McFarland, 2019
- ^ a b James Powers, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Review),The Hollywood Reporter, October 26, 1962
- ^ The Essential Mickey Rooney, page 225, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016
- ^ "Playhouse 90: A Marriage of Strangers". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ a b David Dye, Child and Youth Actors: Filmographies of Their Entire Careers, 1914 - 1985, page 86, McFarland, 1988
- ^ Mike Malloy, Lee Van Cleef: A Biographical, Film and Television Reference, page 180, McFarland, 1998
- ^ Alan Warren, This Is a Thriller: An Episode Guide, History and Analysis of the Classic 1960s Television Series, pages 98 - 99, McFarland, 2004
- ^ The Boston Globe, January 8, 1961, page 199
- ^ The Boston Globe, May 10, 1964, page 252