Actor renowned for 'gruff but lovable' characters
OSCAR-NOMINATED ACTOR
3-9-1932 - 28-7-2013
Eileen Brennan, a veteran actress best known for an Oscar-nominated turn in the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin, one of her many tough-talking, soft-hearted roles, has died aged 80.
The actress was the epitome of the "gruff but lovable" type, often bringing comedic sparkle to workaday frustrations while playing figures worn weary by their lives but still able to laugh off the worst.
It was in her role as the growling Captain Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin, who oversaw the unlikely army enlistee played by Goldie Hawn, that Brennan found her biggest success. The film was a box-office hit and earned three Oscar nominations, including one for Brennan as best supporting actress. She won an Emmy for her part in the television spin-off. Brennan was nominated for an Emmy seven times, including for appearances on Taxi, Thirtysomething, Newhart and Will & Grace.
Verla Eileen Regina Brennan was born on September 3, 1932, in Los Angeles to Regina Menehan, a former silent film actress, and John Gerald Brennan, a doctor. By the end of the 1950s Brennan had made her way east, studying at Georgetown University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Onstage, she played the title role in the 1959 off-Broadway production of Little Mary Sunshine and co-starred in the 1964 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!
She made her film debut in the 1967 comedy Divorce American Style, starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds and Jason Robards. More recently, she was in the film Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous and TV's 7th Heaven.
In Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971), she played a waitress in a small Texas town diner. Brennan also appeared in Bogdanovich's 1974 adaptation of Daisy Miller, his 1975 musical At Long Last Love and the 1990 Picture Show sequel, Texasville.
In 1973, she had supporting parts in The Sting and Scarecrow.
She often excelled in roles as a wisecracking, hard-bitten sidekick, such as the madam in The Sting and her turns in the Neil Simon-scripted Murder By Death (1976) and The Cheap Detective (1978).
The unexpected strength she often showed on screen came through in her off-screen life as well. In October 1982, Brennan was hit by a car in Venice, California, and was seriously injured. Her long recovery led to a drug addiction. After appearing in the 1984 sitcom Off The Rack, she checked into the Betty Ford Centre for treatment.
She fell from the stage while appearing in a 1989 production of Annie, breaking a leg. In 1990, she was treated for breast cancer.
Of her survivor's strength, in a 1999 interview Brennan said: "I'm here, aren't I? What else can they do to me? The lesson is, you just take it day by day. That's what all of us have to do. Some of us just have to learn it the hard way."
Her marriage to British-born poet and photographer David
Lampson ended in 1973. She is survived by two sons, two grandchildren and a sister.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Eileen Brennan was an Oscar‑nominated and Emmy‑winning American actress known for tough‑talking, lovable characters. According to the article she was born on September 3, 1932, and died on July 28, 2013, aged 80.
Brennan’s most famous role was as the growling Captain Doreen Lewis in the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin, a performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and helped make the film a box‑office hit.
The article notes Brennan earned an Oscar nomination for Private Benjamin and won an Emmy for her part in the television spin‑off. She was nominated for an Emmy seven times for appearances including Taxi, Thirtysomething, Newhart and Will & Grace.
Her career included films such as Private Benjamin, The Last Picture Show, The Sting, Scarecrow, Murder By Death, The Cheap Detective, Daisy Miller, At Long Last Love, Texasville and Miss Congeniality 2. TV and stage credits mentioned include Taxi, Thirtysomething, Newhart, Will & Grace, 7th Heaven, the sitcom Off The Rack, the off‑Broadway Little Mary Sunshine and the 1964 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!
Born in Los Angeles to former silent‑film actress Regina Menehan and Dr. John Gerald Brennan, she studied at Georgetown University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before finding success onstage and in film.
Yes. In October 1982 she was hit by a car in Venice, California, and was seriously injured; her long recovery led to a drug addiction and she later checked into the Betty Ford Center for treatment. She also fell from the stage in 1989, breaking a leg, and was treated for breast cancer in 1990.
In a 1999 interview quoted in the article, Brennan reflected on her resilience: "I'm here, aren't I? What else can they do to me? The lesson is, you just take it day by day."
Her marriage to British‑born poet and photographer David Lampson ended in 1973. At the time of the article she was survived by two sons, two grandchildren and a sister.
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