Advertisement
Advertisement
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield

Mary Grace Canfield 1924 - 2014

Mary Grace Canfield was born on September 3, 1924, and died at age 89 years old on February 15, 2014. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Mary Grace Canfield.
Mary Grace Canfield
September 3, 1924
February 15, 2014
Female
Looking for another Mary Canfield?
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers Mary.
Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.
Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...
Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

Mary Grace Canfield's History: 1924 - 2014

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.
  • Introduction

    Mary Grace Canfield (3 September 1924 – 15 February 2014), character actor. OBITUARIES Mary Grace Canfield dies at 89; character actress was on ‘Green Acres’ Actress Mary Grace Canfield dies at 89 Mary Grace Canfield, an actress best known for her role as Ralph the carpenter on TV’s “Green Acres,” has died in Santa Barbara. She was 89. (Orion Television Entertainment) By STEVE CHAWKINS FEB. 18, 2014 12 AM Mary Grace Canfield, a character actress best known as part of the daffy Ralph-and-Alf brother-sister carpenter team on the TV comedy “Green Acres,” died Saturday in a Santa Barbara hospice. She was 89. The cause was lung cancer, her daughter Phoebe Alexiades said. On “Green Acres,” Canfield was Ralph Monroe, who, with her brother Alf, was perennially working on the bedroom of a city slicker couple (Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor) at their newly acquired farm near Hooterville. She was a down-home gal in bib overalls and a white painter’s cap worn backward, a funny, plain-spoken woman doing “man’s work” before feminism made the term quaint. The show ran from 1965 to 1971. Looking back at it, Canfield had mixed feelings. “To be remembered for Ralph kind of upsets me — only in the sense that it was so easy and undemanding,” she said in a 2006 interview with the Bangor Daily News in Maine, where she lived for many years. “It’s being known for something easy to do instead of something you worked hard to achieve.” Canfield also appeared on TV in “Bewitched,” “General Hospital,” “The Love Boat” and other shows. In a memorable 1963 episode of “The Andy Griffith Show,” she was Gomer Pyle’s blind date; the two socially awkward, lovable bumpkins defied everyone’s expectations and had a wonderful time, jitterbugging. Born in Rochester, N.Y., on Sept. 3, 1924, Canfield attended an acting school run by famed teacher Jason Deeter in Rose Valley, Pa. “I didn’t want to go to college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” she said. “Later, when I asked my parents what they thought of this little skinny girl wanting to be an actress, they said they were so relieved that I wanted to do something.’' Canfield appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway plays before heading to Hollywood. Her early TV shows included “The Hathaways,” a 1961-62 sitcom about a Los Angeles couple and their three performing chimps. Canfield played the housekeeper. Her film work includes a role as the ironically named Angelica, a sourpuss upstairs maid in “Pollyanna” (1960). In “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” a 1983 adaptation of a Ray Bradbury story, she plays a seventh-grade teacher whose world is shattered by a diabolical traveling circus. Canfield lived in Montecito from 1968 to 1984 and then moved to Sedgwick, Maine. She had fallen in love with the state during summer stock productions there years before, her daughter said. She relocated to Santa Barbara in 2011, when her health was declining. Her first marriage, to Charles Carey, ended in divorce in 1955. In addition to daughter Phoebe, Canfield is survived by John Bischof, her husband of 25 years; daughter Alison Carey; and three grandsons. [contact link]
  • 09/3
    1924

    Birthday

    September 3, 1924
    Birthdate
    Unknown
    Birthplace
  • Professional Career

    Character Actress Biography Born September 3, 1924 in Rochester, New York, USA Died February 15, 2014 in Santa Barbara, California, USA (lung cancer) Mini Bio (1) Mary Grace Canfield was born on September 3, 1924 in Rochester, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Green Acres (1965), The Best of Broadway (1954) and Pollyanna (1960). She was married to John Theodore Bischof and Charles Orlebar Carey, Jr. She died on February 15, 2014 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. Spouse (2) John Theodore Bischof (24 October 1989 - 15 February 2014) ( her death) Charles Orlebar Carey, Jr. (12 December 1950 - 1955) ( divorced) ( 2 children) Was best-known for her role of handy-woman, "Ralph Monroe", in some 40 episodes of Green Acres (1965) (1965 to 1971). She moved to Sedgwick, Maine in the 1980s. She had fallen in love with the area during summer stock productions there years before. She appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway plays before heading to Hollywood. Personal Quotes (1) I didn't want to go to college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Later, when I asked my parents what they thought of this little skinny girl wanting to be an actress, they said they were so relieved that I wanted to do something.
  • 02/15
    2014

    Death

    February 15, 2014
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Unknown
    Death location
  • share
    Memories
    below
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 Memories, Stories & Photos about Mary

Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
A photo of Mary Grace Canfield
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Loading...one moment please loading spinner
Be the 1st to share and we'll let you know when others do the same.
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement

Mary Canfield's Family Tree & Friends

Mary Canfield's Family Tree

Parent
Parent
Partner
Child
Sibling
Advertisement
Advertisement
Friendships

Mary's Friends

Friends of Mary Friends can be as close as family. Add Mary's family friends, and her friends from childhood through adulthood.
Advertisement
Advertisement
3 Followers & Sources
Loading records
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement
Other Biographies

Other Mary Canfield Biographies

Other Canfield Family Biographies

Advertisement
Advertisement
Back to Top