Gretchen Wyler
Gretchen Wyler | |
|---|---|
Wyler in 1977 | |
| Born | Gretchen Patricia Wienecke February 16, 1932 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | May 27, 2007 (aged 75) Camarillo, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress & Dancer |
| Years active | 1950–2002 |
| Spouse | |
Gretchen Wyler (born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke; February 16, 1932 – May 27, 2007) was an American actress and dancer. She was also an animal rights advocate and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Wyler was born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Peggy (née Highley) and Louis Gustave Wienecke, a petroleum engineer.[2] She was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and opened her own dancing school there before going to New York City to pursue a career as a professional actress and dancer.
Acting career
[edit]She appeared on Broadway in six original productions:[3]
- Guys and Dolls as a dancer and as understudy for "Miss Adelaide" (1950–1953)
- Silk Stockings as "Janice Dayton" (1955–1956)
- Damn Yankees as "Lola" as replacement for Gwen Verdon (1955–1957)
- Rumple as "Kate Drew" (1957)
- Bye Bye Birdie as "Rose Grant" as replacement for Chita Rivera (1960–1961)
- Sly Fox as "Miss Fancy" (1976–1978)
She also appeared at the 1964 World's Fair alternating with Chita Rivera in Wonder World. The Michael Kidd/Jule Styne extravaganza played at the outdoor amphitheater. Eventually she went west to Hollywood to pursue movie stardom, which eluded her, but did co-star in the sitcom On Our Own (1977-1978) and appeared on many television programs, ranging from The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko) to Naked City to Somerset, Diagnosis: Unknown, Charlie's Angels, Dallas, St. Elsewhere, Remington Steele, Falcon Crest, Santa Barbara, Punky Brewster, MacGyver, Who's the Boss, Designing Women, Friends, and Judging Amy. She made a number of appearances as a panelist on the game show To Tell the Truth; her last television appearance was on Chicken Soup for the Soul.[4]
She appeared in Rick McKay's 2004 award-winning feature documentary, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There, in which she recounted her "aggressive" nature and an almost Eve Harrington-esque ambition, when she recalled trying on the star (Yvonne Adair)'s outfits when she was merely second understudy in the pre-Broadway touring production of Silk Stockings. When Adair collapsed in the middle of a show one night, and the first understudy (Sherry O'Neil) had surreptitiously gone to New York City to audition for another play (which Wyler knew), Wyler stepped in, and played the role when the show arrived on Broadway. Wyler had already filmed her appearance in McKay's sequel, Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (2008) before she died.[citation needed]
Animal rights activism
[edit]In 1966, Wyler began to work for animal rights causes after visiting a dilapidated dog shelter in Warwick, N.Y.[5] In 1971, she became the first female to serve on the board of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) but later fell out with the board.[6] She filed a lawsuit against the board of ASPCA which was settled out of court.[7]
Wyler opposed animal testing and argued that "animals should have the right to run if they have legs, swim if they have fins and fly if they have wings".[6] Wyler became a vegetarian in 1969 for ethical reasons.[8] She was featured on the front cover of The British Vegetarian magazine, published by the Vegetarian Society.[9]
In 1986, she was Vice Chairperson of The Fund for Animals.[10] In 1991, she founded The Ark Trust, presenter of the annual Genesis Awards for animal protection; this event is now a program of The Humane Society of the United States. In 2005, Wyler was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame for her dedicated career in animal advocacy.[11] In 2007, the first Gretchen Wyler Award was given to Paul McCartney.[12]
Death
[edit]Wyler died on May 27, 2007, aged 75, from complications of breast cancer.[13]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Devil's Brigade | The Lady of Joy | |
| 1980 | Private Benjamin | Aunt Kissy | |
| 1991 | The Marrying Man | Gwen |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Fox, Margalit. (2007). "Gretchen Wyler, 75, Actress and Advocate for Animals, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Gretchen Wyler Biography
- ^ Gretchen Wyler at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Gretchen Wyler at IMDb
- ^ Gretchen Wyler official website.
- ^ a b "Gretchen Wyler, 75; Broadway actress became animal activist". latimes.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Animal activist Gretchen Wyler dead at 75". dailynews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "The Satya Interview with Gretchen Wyler". Satya. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Radical Objects: The British Vegetarian". historyworkshop.org.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Wyler, Gretcben (Fall 1986). "Bravo! What a fine first issue" (PDF). The Animals' Voice (letter to the editor). 1 (2). Chico, California: 3. OCLC 13990046. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
Of course, you must occasionally 'detour' and focus on things like the Silver Spring monkeys since there are many state actions on federal matters.
- ^ U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame Archived 2016-02-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ The Humane Society of the United States official website Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gretchen Wyler, 75, Actress and Advocate for Animals, Dies
Further reading
[edit]- Wyler, Gretchen (1985). "Gretchen Wyler Autobiography". Between the Species. 1 (2): 49–50. doi:10.15368/bts.1985v1n2.11.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1932 births
- 2007 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American dancers
- 21st-century American women
- Actresses from Oklahoma City
- American animal rights activists
- American female dancers
- American musical theatre actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American anti-vivisectionists
- Dancers from Oklahoma
- Deaths from breast cancer in California
- People from Camarillo, California
- People from Bartlesville, Oklahoma
- Singers from Oklahoma