Elena Verdugo

Elena Angela Verdugo (April 20, 1925[1] – May 30, 2017) was an American actress who began in films at the age of five in Cavalier of the West (1931). Her career in radio, television, and film spanned six decades.

Elena Verdugo
Verdugo in 1955
Born	Elena Angela Verdugo April 20, 1925 Paso Robles, California, U.S.
Died	May 30, 2017 (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1931–1985
Spouse(s)	Charles R. Marion ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1955)​ Charles R. Rosewall ​ ​ (m. 1972; died 2012)​
Children	Richard Marion

Early years

The daughter of Mrs. Beatrice K. Verdugo, she studied dance, drama, and music as a youngster.[2]

Film

When Verdugo was 15, a judge appointed her mother as her legal guardian so that she could sign a film contract.[2] One of her early appearances was in Down Argentine Way (1940).[3] She made numerous film appearances through the 1940s, including two Universal horror films. While filming the Abbott and Costello comedy Little Giant (1946), she met and married screenwriter Charles R. Marion, who also wrote for the comedy team's radio show.

Verdugo starred with Gene Autry and Stephen Dunne in The Big Sombrero (1949). She had a small part as the orange girl smitten by Cyrano's gallantry in the opening theater scene of the 1950 José Ferrer version of Cyrano de Bergerac.

She co-starred in Thief of Damascus (1952) with Paul Henreid and John Sutton.

Verdugo had a starring role as a singer in 1957's Panama Sal, a musical comedy film.

Radio and television

Verdugo had a flair for comedy, and she garnered much laughter and applause in the title role of the hit situation comedy Meet Millie on both radio[4] and television (1952–1956).[5]^:677–678 She guest starred on The Bob Cummings Show in a 1958 episode titled "Bob and the Ravishing Realtor", playing the part of the realtor. In 1959, she played Maria Carroyo in "Incident at Spanish Rock", an episode of Rawhide. In 1963, she played Gerry in the short-lived NBC half-hour Western dramatic series Redigo,[5]^:882 actually the second season of Egan's earlier hour-long Empire, in which she also played Gerry.[5] Verdugo appeared as herself in 1963 on the NBC game show Your First Impression.

From February to June 1964, Verdugo played Audrey, the widowed sister of Phil Silvers' character Harry Grafton, in Silvers' CBS sitcom The New Phil Silvers Show.[6]

In the full 1964–1965 season, Verdugo played Lynn Hall, an employee of a complaint department at a Los Angeles department store in CBS's Many Happy Returns.[5]^:654 In 1965–1966, she played Alice in Mona McCluskey.[5]^:710

Verdugo is perhaps best known today for her role as office assistant/nurse Consuelo Lopez in the ABC series Marcus Welby, M.D., starring with Robert Young in the title role and James Brolin as the medical associate. The series aired from 1969 to 1976.[5]^:655

Recognition

In 1971 and 1972, Verdugo was nominated for Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama category. Both nominations were for her performances on Marcus Welby, M.D.[7]

She has a star at 1709 Vine Street in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.[8]

Personal life

Verdugo is a descendant of the Verdugo family that was one of the founders of Los Angeles.[9]

Verdugo and Marion had one son, Richard Marion (1949–1999), who became an actor/director. Her second husband was Charles "Rosy" Rosewall, M.D., a psychiatrist, who died in 2012.[9][10]

Verdugo died on May 30, 2017 in Los Angeles at the age of 92.[9]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1931	Cavalier of the West	Little Girl	Uncredited
1940	Down Argentine Way	Argentine Dancer	Uncredited
1941	Blood and Sand	Specialty Dancer	Uncredited
	The Hard-Boiled Canary	Girl	Uncredited
	Belle Starr	Young Girl	Uncredited
1942	To the Shores of Tripoli	Spanish Dancer	Uncredited
	The Moon and Sixpence	Ata
1944	Rainbow Island	Moana
	House Of Frankenstein	Ilonka
1945	The Frozen Ghost	Nina Coudreau
1946	Little Giant	Martha Hill
	Strange Voyage	Carmelita Lopez
1947	Song of Scheherazade	Fioretta
1948	Shed No Tears	Marilyn
	El Dorado Pass	Dolores
1949	The Big Sombrero	Estrellita Estrada
	Tuna Clipper	Bianca Pereira
	The Lost Tribe	Li Wanna
	Sky Dragon	Connie Jackson, alias Marie Burke
1950	The Lost Volcano	Nona
	Snow Dog	Andrée Blanchard
	Cyrano de Bergerac	Orange Girl
1951	Gene Autry and the Mounties	Marie Duval
1952	Thief of Damascus	Neela
	Jet Job	Marge Stevens
	The Pathfinder	Lokawa
1953	The Marksman	Jane Warren
1957	Panama Sal	Sal Regan
1965	Day of the Nightmare	Miss Devi
1968	How Sweet It Is!	Vera Wax
1969	Angel in my Pocket	Lila Sinclair
1978	The Boss' Son	Betty

References

1. "Elena Verdugo profile". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
2. "Girl Moves Toward Film Career Goal". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. August 30, 1940. p. 17. Retrieved March 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "(untitled brief)". The Brooklyn Citizen. New York, Brooklyn. September 19, 1940. p. 12. Retrieved March 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 223.
5. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 307.
6. Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 598
7. "Elena Verdugo | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
8. "Elena Verdugo". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
9. Elena Verdugo, Emmy-Nominated Actress on 'Marcus Welby, M.D.,' Dies at 92
10. "Dr. Charles (Rosy) ROSEWALL - obituary". legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary. Legacy.com. Retrieved August 19, 2018.

External links

• Elena Verdugo at IMDb
• Elena Verdugo discusses the Internet in handwritten letter (5/2/2002)