{{Short description|American actress (1929–2024)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Jean Allison | image = Jean Allison in One Step Beyond (Tidal Wave).jpg | caption = Allison in an episode of ''One Step Beyond'' (1960) | birth_date = {{birth date|1929|10|24}} | birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|02|28|1929|10|24}} | death_place = Rancho Palos Verdes, California, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1957–1984 | spouse = Lee Philips (divorced)<br>Jerry Boyd (divorced)<br>Phil Toorvald (1961-1994) (his death)<ref>{{cite web | title=Jean Allison, Character Actress Seen in 'Bonanza', 'Perry Mason' and More, Dead at 94 | url=https://people.com/jean-allison-bonanza-perry-mason-actress-dead-at-94-8606778 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Jean Allison, character actress on television, film, dead at 94 | date=March 10, 2024 | url=https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/jean-allison-character-actress-television-film-dead-94/BLCZHOS7B5DUJKP3DTC5NLHQLI/ }}</ref> | children = Erin<br>Sven<br>Tina }}
'''Jean Allison''' (October 24, 1929 – February 28, 2024) was an American actress. She appeared in numerous films and television series throughout the 1950s to the 1980s.
==Biography== Jean Allison was born in New York City, on October 24, 1929.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kotar|first1=S. L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfNACgAAQBAJ&q=jean+allison+perry+mason&pg=PT112|title=Riverboat: The Evolution of a Television Series, 1959–1961|last2=Gessler|first2=J. E.|date=2009|publisher=BearManor Media|isbn=978-1593935054|language=en}}</ref> She made her debut on television in the mid-1950s and was credited with a host of minor roles and appearances as guest star in dozens of episodes of television series.
Allison appeared in one episode of ''The Rifleman;'' two episodes each of ''The Californians'', ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'', ''One Step Beyond'', ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'', ''Law of the Plainsman'', ''The Alaskans'', ''Hawaiian Eye'', ''Wanted Dead or Alive'', ''The Detectives'', ''Laramie'', ''Dr. Kildare'', ''Bonanza''<!-- chapter 26 first season -->, ''Gunsmoke'',''Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law'', ''Charlie's Angels'';<ref name="DIGI">{{Cite web|title=Jean Allison : Actress – Films, episodes and roles on digiguide.tv|url=https://digiguide.tv/celebrity/Jean+Allison/21398/|access-date=2020-11-07|website=digiguide.tv}}</ref> three episodes of ''Sheriff of Cochise'', and ''77 Sunset Strip''; and four episodes of ''Emergency!''. She played Nora Borden, whose legs were broken when thrown from a horse, on "Have Gun, Will Travel" Season 1 Episode 20 "The Last Laugh" which aired on 1/24/1958. In 1959 she appeared on ''Wagon Train'' S3 E8 "The Felizia Kingdom Story" as Angela Kingdom. On ''Adam-12'', she played a woman involved in a 415 (domestic dispute) in an episode that aired on March 7, 1973. She was on ''Starsky & Hutch'' for a double episode as Helen Yeager in 1977.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
Allison also appeared in secondary roles in several films - as Eleanor Hackett in ''Edge of Fury'', as Nell Lucas in ''Devil's Partner'',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Atkinson|first=Barry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9xJDwAAQBAJ&q=jean+allison+united+artist&pg=PT112|title=Atomic Age Cinema: The Offbeat, the Classic and the Obscure|date=May 30, 2013|publisher=Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media|isbn=978-1936168446|language=en}}</ref> as Florence Maguire in ''The Steagle'', as Mrs. Dixon in ''Bad Company'', and as Mrs. Steensma in ''Hardcore''.<ref name="DIGI" /> In 1971 and 1974, Allison had minor roles in ABC movies of the week: first in Aaron Spelling's ''The Death of Me Yet'',<ref>{{Cite book|last=McKenna|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVCFAAAAQBAJ&dq=jean+allison+actress+aaron+spelling&pg=PA223|title=The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen|date=August 22, 2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-9157-9|language=en}}</ref> then in ''The Elevator.''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Deal|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ilzBgAAQBAJ&dq=jean+allison&pg=PA57|title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s|date=January 27, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5514-0|language=en}}</ref> She also had a support role in the 1977 NBC made-for-television movie ''The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Young|first=R. G.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoJ4jTghUPYC&q=jean+allison&pg=PA186|title=The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies|date=2000|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-1-55783-269-6|language=en}}</ref>
Her last appearance on television was in 1984 on the series ''Highway to Heaven''.<ref name="DIGI" /><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sklar|first1=Elizabeth S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sy61CgAAQBAJ&dq=jean+allison+highway+to+heaven&pg=PA91|title=King Arthur in Popular Culture|last2=Hoffman|first2=Donald L.|date=October 3, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0527-2|language=en}}</ref>
Allison died in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on February 28, 2024, at the age of 94.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jean Allison Toorvald |url=https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/san-pedro-ca/jean-toorvald-11696313 |website=Neptune Society |access-date=8 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jean-allison-dead-edge-of-fury-1235846974/|title=Jean Allison, Actress in 'Edge of Fury' and Loads of TV Shows, Dies at 94|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Mike|last=Barnes|date=March 8, 2024|access-date=March 8, 2024}}</ref>
==Selected filmography== ===Film=== * ''Edge of Fury'' (1958) * ''Devil's Partner'' (1961) * ''The Steagle'' (1971) * ''Bad Company'' (1972) * ''Hardcore'' (1979)
===Television=== {{div-col}} * ''General Electric Theater'' (1957) * ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' (1959) Episode: Shotgun Slade-The Salted Mine<ref>{{Cite book|last=Terrace|first=Vincent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ot6_DwAAQBAJ&dq=jean+allison&pg=PA313|title=Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 2,470 Films Broadcast 1937–2019, 2d ed.|date=September 5, 2019|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-7874-0|language=en}}</ref> * ''The Californians'' (1958-1959) * ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (1958-1959) * ''Whirlybirds'' (1958-1959) * ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' (1958) * ''Letter to Loretta'' (1958) * ''The Restless Gun'' (1958) in Episode "Jebediah Bonner" * ''M Squad'' (1958) * ''Maverick'' (1958) * ''The Rough Riders'' (1958) * ''Trackdown'' (1958)<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 23, 1958|title=Actress Jean Allison|pages=128|work=Sunday News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62803070/actress-jean-allison/|access-date=2020-11-08}}</ref> * ''Wanted Dead or Alive'' (1959–1961) S2 E10 "Reckless" 11/6/1959 - Madge Nelson * ''One Step Beyond'' (1959) Episode: "Twelve Hours to Live" * ''Sugarfoot'' (1959) * ''Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959) * ''Lawman'' (1959) Episode: "The Posse" * ''Rawhide'' (1959) * ''Bronco'' (1960) Episode: "Death of an Outlaw"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pitts|first=Michael R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aTX2mv0uX7UC&q=Jean+Allison+westerns&pg=PA46|title=Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed.|date=December 21, 2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-6372-5|language=en}}</ref> * ''One Step Beyond'' (1960) Episode: "Tidalwave" * ''Johnny Ringo'' (1960) * ''Bonanza'' (1960) Episode: "The Avenger" * ''Perry Mason'' (1961) *''Hennesey'' (1961) Episode: "Hennesey vs. Crandall"<ref>{{Cite news|date=February 19, 1961|title=Henry Kulky learns...|pages=76|work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62804433/henry-kulky-learns/|access-date=2020-11-08}}</ref> * ''The Rifleman'' (1961) * ''Bat Masterson'' (1961) * ''Wanted Dead or Alive'' (1961) season 3 episode 17 (''Bounty on Josh'') : Carol Frazer * ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1963) * ''Gunsmoke'' (1970–1974) * ''Bewitched'' (1970) * ''Adam-12'' (1973) * ''Emergency!'' (1976) * ''The Bionic Woman'' (1976) Episode: "Angel of Mercy"<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXeNAwAAQBAJ&dq=jean+allison&pg=PT105|title=Science Fiction Television Series: Episode Guides, Histories, and Casts and Credits for 62 Prime-Time Shows, 1959 through 1989|last2=Garcia|first2=Frank|date=May 12, 2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1030-6|language=en}}</ref> {{div-col-end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name|id=0021446|name=Jean Allison}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Jean}} Category:1929 births Category:2024 deaths Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Actresses from New York City Category:21st-century American actresses