{{Short description|American actress (1936–2021)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Arlene Golonka | image = Arlene Golonka Mayberry RFD 1969.JPG | alt = Arlene Golonka as Millie Swanson | caption = Golonka on ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'' in 1969 | birth_name = Arlene Leanore Golonka | birth_date = {{Birth date |1936|1|23}} | birth_place = [[Chicago]], Illinois, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|May|31|1936|1|23}} | death_place = [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]], California, U.S. | known_for = {{hlist|[[The Andy Griffith Show]]|[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]|[[Speed Buggy]]}} | spouse = {{plainlist| * Christopher Michael Haenel<br>({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??; {{abbr|div.|divorced}} 19??)<br>{{marriage|[[Mike Longo]]|1963|1967|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Larry Delaney|1969|1977|end=divorced}} }} | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1958–2005 }}
'''Arlene Leanore Golonka''' (January 23, 1936 – May 31, 2021) was an American actress. She is known for playing Millie Hutchins on the television comedy ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' and Millie Swanson on ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'', and often portrayed bubbly, eccentric blondes in supporting character roles on stage, film, and television.
==Early years== Golonka was born in Chicago on January 23, 1936, the daughter of Elinor (née Wroblewski) and Frank Golonka, of Polish descent,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_7xWszDkHwC&dq=%22Arlene+was+an+adorable+Polish-%E2%80%8BAmerican+blonde+from+Chicago.%22&pg=PA46 |title=I, Rhoda |first=Valerie |last=Harper |date=January 15, 2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4516-9948-7 |accessdate=Jun 2, 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL9S-SVT6 |title=Sign In |website=[[FamilySearch]] |accessdate=Jun 2, 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="ci">{{cite journal |title=Arlene Golonka, 85 |journal=[[Classic Images]] |date=September 2021 |issue=553 |page=43}}</ref> She worked as a waitress and began her acting career in her early teens, going professional in a [[Summer stock|summer-stock]] troupe.<ref name=r/><ref name="ci" />
==Career== A life member of [[The Actors Studio]],<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Garfield|title=A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio |url=https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf |url-access=registration |year=1980 |publisher=MacMillan |location=New York |isbn=978-0-02-542650-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/278 278] |chapter=Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980}}</ref> she appeared in her first major production, ''The Night Circus'', with [[Ben Gazzara]],<ref name="r">{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Dan |title=She Had To Be Better |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36242767/arlene_golonka/ |accessdate=September 22, 2019 |work=The Record |date=October 5, 1969 |location=Hackensack, New Jersey |page=140 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> at the [[Shubert Theatre (New Haven)|Shubert Theater]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], Connecticut on November 17, 1958. After a week-long trial run, the play moved to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on December 2, 1958, but closed after only seven performances.<ref name="ibdb">[http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=86192 "Arlene Golonka profile"]. ''IBDb''. accessed April 27, 2014.</ref>
Despite that setback, she continued working in other plays such as ''[[Take Me Along]]'' with [[Jackie Gleason]], [[Walter Pidgeon]] and [[Robert Morse]] (448 performances from late 1959 to late 1960), [[Neil Simon]]'s first Broadway play, ''[[Come Blow Your Horn]]'', which ran 677 performances from February 1961 until October 1962, and ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'', starring [[Kirk Douglas]], from November 1963 until January 1964. Golonka appeared in two other Broadway plays from 1965 to 1966, and took supporting roles in films produced in the New York City area.<ref name="ibdb"/>
Golonka also recorded a comedy album, ''[[You Don't Have to Be Jewish]]'' on June 14, 1964.<ref name="ci" /><ref name="digital.library.upenn/W-012(b)">{{cite web |title=Album W-012(b) : Bob Booker & George Foster Present You Don't Have To Be Jewish |url=https://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/freedman/lookupalbum?hr=&catlg=W-012(b) |website=Freedman Catalogue |publisher=digital.library.upenn.edu |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref> When the time came to record its sequel, ''When You're in Love the Whole World Is Jewish'', she was unavailable, but encouraged her roommate, aspiring actress [[Valerie Harper]], to audition to take her place.<ref name="outsider/lived-with-valerie-harper">{{cite web|last1=Molseed|first1=Megan|title='The Andy Griffith Show' Star Lived with Valerie Harper, Put 'Rhoda' Actor on Fast Track to Success |url=https://outsider.com/entertainment/the-andy-griffith-show-star-lived-with-valerie-harper-put-rhoda-actor-on-fast-track-to-success|website=Outsider|access-date=30 December 2022|date=12 October 2021}}</ref>
In 1967, Golonka moved to Los Angeles to try her hand at television. She made numerous TV appearances on such series as ''[[Car 54, Where Are You?]]''; ''[[Get Smart]]''; ''[[Barnaby Jones]]''; ''[[The Flying Nun]]''; ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]''; ''[[That Girl]]''; ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]''; ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''; ''[[All in the Family]]''; ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]''; ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]''; ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''; ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]''; ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]''; ''[[The Rockford Files]]''; ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]''; ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]''; ''[[The San Pedro Beach Bums]]''; ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]''; ''[[Sweepstakes (TV series)|{{Proper name|$weepstake$}}]]''; ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''; ''[[The King of Queens]]''; ''[[Valerie (TV series)|Valerie]]''; ''[[Sunset Beat]]''; and ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]''; among others.<ref>Terrace, Vincent. ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007''. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. 2008). p. 1469.</ref>
In 1992, Golonka appeared as Sally Nash in the 13th episode "Fool for Love" in season 5 of the television series ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'' with [[Carroll O'Connor]]. In this episode she played the other woman to a philandering Dr. Vance Talbot (played by actor [[Robert Ginty]]) who tries to frame her for the murder of his wife before murdering Nash as well. Golonka was a regular on the animated cartoon ''[[Speed Buggy]]'', providing the voice of "Debbie", and had a recurring role on the short-lived TV series ''[[Joe & Valerie]]''. She performed voices in other animated series including ''[[The New Yogi Bear Show]]'', ''[[Capitol Critters]]'', ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'', and ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]''.
Golonka had supporting roles in some 30 films, including ''[[Harvey Middleman, Fireman]]'' (1965), ''[[Penelope (1966 film)|Penelope]]'' (1966), ''[[The Busy Body (film)|The Busy Body]]'' (1967), ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' (1967), ''[[Hang 'Em High]]'' (1968), ''[[The Elevator (1974 film)|The Elevator]]'' (1974), ''[[Airport '77]]'' (1977), ''[[The In-Laws (1979 film)|The In-Laws]]'' (1979), ''[[Love At First Bite]]'' (1980), ''[[The Last Married Couple in America]]'' (1980), ''[[My Tutor]]'' (1983), ''[[The End of Innocence (film)|The End of Innocence]]'' (1990), and ''[[A Family Affair (2001 film)|A Family Affair]]'' (2001).
Golonka performed in a number of productions for the West Coast Jewish Theatre.<ref>{{cite news |title=L.A. Jewish Theatre to Digest Fugumetunachai at Dec. 12 Reading |url=https://playbill.com/article/la-jewish-theatre-to-digest-fugumetunachai-at-dec-12-reading-com-85725 |access-date=30 December 2022 |work=playbill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Productions |url=https://wcjt.org/productions-2/ |website=WCJT.org |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref>
== Personal life == Golonka was married and divorced three times. Her first husband was Christopher Michael Haenel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Christopher Michael Haenel |url=https://obituaries.desertsun.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?n=christopher-michael-haenel&pid=181437868&fhid=17371 |access-date=March 26, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]] |via=[[Legacy.com]] |date=September 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326230620/https://obituaries.desertsun.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?n=christopher-michael-haenel&pid=181437868&fhid=17371 |archive-date=March 26, 2021 |location=Palm Springs, Calif}}</ref> In 1962, she married jazz pianist and composer [[Mike Longo]], and they divorced in 1967.<ref name="ci" /> She wed actor Larry Delaney, who appeared with her in one episode of ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'',<ref name="r" /> in 1969, and they divorced in 1977.<ref name="ci" />
==Death== Golonka died due to complications from [[Alzheimer's disease]] in [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]], California on May 31, 2021, at age 85.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shanfeld |first1=Ethan |title=Arlene Golonka, 'Mayberry R.F.D.' and Sitcom Veteran, Dies at 85 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/arlene-golonka-mayberry-r-f-192301035.html |access-date=June 2, 2021 |work=[[Yahoo!]] |date=June 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602003947/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/arlene-golonka-mayberry-r-f-192301035.html?guccounter=1 |archive-date=June 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/arlene-golonka-dead-mayberry-rfd-1234961215/ |title=Arlene Golonka, Actress on Broadway and 'Mayberry R.F.D.,' Dies at 85 |first=Mike |last=Barnes |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=June 1, 2021 |accessdate=June 2, 2021}}</ref>
==Filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} *1963: ''[[Car 54, Where Are You?]]'' as Laverne Montaine, Season 2, Episode 16 *1963: ''[[Love with the Proper Stranger]]'' as Marge (uncredited) *1964: ''[[Diary of a Bachelor]]'' as Lois *1965: ''[[Harvey Middleman, Fireman]]'' as Harriet *1966: ''[[Penelope (1966 film)|Penelope]]'' as Honeysuckle Rose *1967: ''[[The Busy Body (film)|The Busy Body]]'' as Bobbi Brody *1967: ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' as Mae *1967: ''[[The Flying Nun]]'' as Dottie, Season 1, Episode 3 *1967: ''[[The Big Valley]]'' as Gail Miller, Season 3, Episode 10–11 *1967: ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' as Millie Hutchins (2 episodes) *1967–1968: ''[[That Girl]]'' (3 episodes) *1968: ''[[Get Smart]]'' as Zelda, Season 3, Episode 16–17 *1968: ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]'' as Melanie, Season 3, Episode 26 *1968: ''[[Hang 'Em High]]'' as Jennifer *1968–1971: ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'' as Millie Hutchins-Swanson (49 episodes) *1971–1974: ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'' (2 episodes) *1972: ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' as Lt. Edwina “Eddie” Ferguson, [[Edwina (M*A*S*H)|Season 1, Episode 13]] *1972: ''[[The Rookies]]'' as Store Clerk *1973: ''[[Speed Buggy]]'' as Debbie (voice) *1973–1975: ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'' (2 episodes) *1973: ''[[All in the Family]]'' as Tina, Season 3, Episode 16 *1973: ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]'' as Melissa "BJ" Franklin, Season 2, Episode 15 *1974–1975: ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'' (2 episodes) *1974: ''[[The Elevator (1974 film)|The Elevator]]'' as Wendy Thompson *1974: ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]'' as Carolee English, Season 1, Episode 12 *1975: ''[[The Secret Night Caller]]'' as Charlotte *1975–1976: ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'' (2 episodes) *1977: ''[[Airport '77]]'' as Mrs. Jane Stern *1977: ''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' as Shirley Bartlett, Season 1, Episode 19 *1978: ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]'' as Joyce Emerson, Season 4, Episode 3 *1978: ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' as Sheila, Season 1, Episode 7 *1979: ''[[The In-Laws (1979 film)|The In-Laws]]'' as Jean Ricardo *1979–1982: ''[[The Love Boat]]'' (2 episodes) *1979–1982: ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' (3 episodes) *1980: ''[[The Last Married Couple in America]]'' as Sally Cooper *1981: ''Longshot'' as Evelyn Gripp *1981: ''Separate Ways'' as Annie Donahue *1982–1983: ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'' as Maxine (2 episodes) *1983: ''[[Simon & Simon]]'' as Joyce Allreed, Season 3, Episode 5 *1983: ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'' as Betty Braxton, Season 5, Episode 11 *1983: ''[[My Tutor]]'' as Mrs. Chrystal *1986: ''Foxtrap'' as Emily *1986: ''[[Detective School Dropouts]]'' (uncredited) *1986–1990: ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' (2 episodes) *1987: ''[[Valerie (TV series)|Valerie]]'' as Darlene Franklin, Season 2, Episode 22 *1987: ''Survival Game'' as Barbara Hawkins *1988–1990: ''[[Growing Pains]]'' (2 episodes) *1989: ''[[Dr. Alien]]'' as Mom *1989: ''Trained to Kill'' as Martha Cooper *1990: ''The Gumshoe Kid'' as Gracie Sherman *1990: ''[[The End of Innocence (film)|The End of Innocence]]'' as Claire *1991–1993: ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'' (2 episodes) *1992: ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In The Heat of The Night]]'' as Sally Nash, Season 5, Episode 13 *1993: ''[[Amore!]]'' as Acting Coach *1995: ''Cops n Roberts'' *1997: ''[[Leather Jacket Love Story]]'' as Mom *2001: ''[[A Family Affair (2001 film)|A Family Affair]]'' as Leah Rosen *2005: ''[[The King of Queens]]'' as Annette, Season 8, Episode 7 {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}} <!-- Demetria Fulton; preview of Golonka in Barnaby Jones episode titled “ Bond of Fear” (04/14/1975). -->
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0326626}} * {{IBDB name}} * {{TV Guide person|3030031455}} * {{Discogs artist|1658741-Arlene-Golonka}} * [https://www.facebook.com/arlene.golonka Facebook memorial page (official)]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Golonka, Arlene}} [[Category:1936 births]] [[Category:2021 deaths]] [[Category:Actresses from Chicago]] [[Category:American film actresses]] [[Category:American stage actresses]] [[Category:American television actresses]] [[Category:American voice actresses]] [[Category:20th-century American actresses]] [[Category:21st-century American actresses]] [[Category:American people of Polish descent]]