Gloria Henry Passes On

Gloria Henry, who appeared in movies with Gene Autry, George Raft, and Marlene Dietrich, and played the title character's mother on the sitcom Dennis the Menace, died on April 3 2021. It was the day after her 98th birthday.

Gloria Henry was born Gloria McEniry on April 3 1923 in New Orleans. She studied at the Worcester Art Museum School in Massachusetts. After graduating from school she moved to Los Angeles where she began work in radio, where she performed in both radio shows and commercials. She signed to Columbia Pictures in 1946. She made her film debut in the following year in Sport of Kings 91947). In the late Forties she appeared in the movies Keeper of the Bees (1947), Bulldog Drummond Strike Back (1947),  Adventures in Silverado (1948), Port Said (1948), The Arkansas Swing (1948), The Strawberry Roan (1948), Triple Threat (1948), Racing Luck (1948), Rusty Saves a Life (1948), Johnny Allegro (1949), Air Hostess (1949), Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), Feudin' Rhythm (1949), Riders in the Sky (1949), Kill the Umpire (1950), Rookie Fireman (1950), The Tougher They Come (1950), Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950), and Lightning Guns (1950).

In the Fifties Miss Henry had a regular role on the television series The Files of Jeffrey Jones. It was at the very end of the decade that she began playing Dennis's mother Alice Mitchell on the classic sitcom Dennis the Menace. She guest starred on the shows Fireside Theatre, My Little Margie, The Ford Television Theatre, The Abbott and Costello Show, Mr. & Mrs. North, TV Reader's Digest, Navy Log, Father Knows Best, Perry Mason, The Walter Winchell File, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Life of Riley, Broken Arrow, Rescue 8, Alcoa Theatre, and The Thin Man. She appeared in the films Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951), Yellow Fin (1951), Rancho Notorious (1952), Hot News (1953), and Gang War (1958).

In the early Sixties Gloria Henry continued to appear on Dennis the Menace. Following Dennis the Menace, she became typecast in motherly roles, so she only appeared occasionally afterwards. On television she guest starred on the shows Hazel and The Farmer's Daughter in the Sixties, The Brady Brides, Bare Essence, Simon & Simon, Newhart, Silver Spoons, Easy Street, Our House, Dragnet, Dallas, Mr. Belvedere, and Doogie Howser M.D. in the Eighties, Sisters in the Nineties, and Parkes and Recreation  in the Teens. She appeared in the movies Doin' Time on Planet Earth (1988) and Her Minor Thing (2005).

While Gloria Henry is now best known as Dennis the Menace's mother, she was a versatile actress who could play a wide variety of roles. She played wholesome romantic interests opposite Gene Autry In Johnny Allegro she played the title character's sweet-natured assistant in a floral shop. In the Abbott and Costello Show episode she played the boys' sexy neighbour who takes advantage of Lou to break up with her gangster boyfriend. In the debut Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Restless Redhead" she played movie star Helene Chaney. Gloria Henry was capable of a wide range of roles and performed all of them well.