Dorothy Van

Dorothy Van
as Aunt Effie on Mama's Family
Born	Dorothy Helene Vanberryl (1928-01-10)January 10, 1928 Moline, Illinois, U.S.
Died	May 16, 2002(2002-05-16) (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation(s)	Actress, TV writer
Years active	1946-1992
Spouse	Jim Evering (1950-2000) (his death) 3 children

Dorothy Van (January 10, 1928 - May 16, 2002) was an American stage and TV actress who is best remembered for her comedic role as Aunt Effie Harper on the 1980s situation comedy Mama's Family.

Early life

She was born Dorothy Helene Vanberryl in Moline, Illinois the daughter of a German father Elmer J. Van, a post office worker, and Emeline Franks Van, a devoted mother and housewife. As a little girl living the "small town life" during the Great Depression she often spent her time at the local movie house watching films containing the stars of the day; Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Fred Astaire, and Cary Grant. Her favorite actresses during this time were Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, and Bette Davis and she had even had a girlhood crush on Joel McCrea.

Aside from film watching she enjoyed reading, writing, painting, and she was devot Methodist who was active in the Sunday School at her church; the Christ United Methodist Church. She was a 1946 graduate of Moline Senior High School. Prior to her graduation her father suggested that she enroll in secretarial school and upon completion to find a husband and settle down. However young Dorothy had plans of embarking on an acting career on the stage. Because her father did not approve of this decision she began her career under the name "Dorothy Van" to avoid further embarrassment towards her father.

Acting career

When she arrived to Broadway she first began her career as a chorus girl in a number of different musicals. Leading roles didn't come easy for the aspiring starlet and she often appeared in uncredited dress roles in such plays as The Skin of Our Teeth, All My Sons, The Maids, The Heiress, The Shifting Heart, and The Mousetrap. After years of stagework she broke into her movie debut late in life playing the role of an army nurse in the film Loose Shoes. Later in the decade she landed a recurring role as Aunt Effie Harper to Vicki Lawrence's character of Thelma Harper on Mama's Family; she appeared in seven episodes between 1983 and 1989.

Writing career

Aside from acting Van also dabbled in TV writing. In 1985 she wrote two TV plays for the sitcom Silver Spoons; she also wrote episodes for:

• Mama's Family
• Punky Brewster
• Major Dad

Retirement and later life

In 1992, Van retired from acting and writing. She continued residing in Los Angeles with her husband and during the course of her retirement she was active in an array of different things; upon her moving to Los Angeles she became involved in the St. Mark United Methodist Church by becoming the director of the churches choir and Bible study sessions. Also, Van was a supporter for animal rights, the Republican Party, and campaigning civil rights for the elderly. Despite the fact that she only made a few TV appearances she took pride in receiving fan letters which she kept in a card box for many years. She was close friends with Vicki Lawrence and Ken Berry, who was also a native from her hometown, and she even became good friends with her childhood idol Shirley Temple who attended the same Methodist church in Los Angeles.

In 2000 Van had developed Parkinson's disease and had gotten so ill that she was unable to leave her home and her children hired a loving nurse to live in with her and give her care she needed but by Christmas 2001 her condition had worsened. On May 16, 2002 Van died from complications of Parkinson's disease in her Los Angeles, CA home. She was buried in Greenview Memorial Gardens in her hometown of Moline, Illinois.

External links

• Dorothy Van at IMDb
• Dorothy Van at Find a Grave