Beverly Lunsford

Beverly Lunsford (January 5, 1945 - May 22, 2019) was an American actress best known as the annoying female character, Shirley Fletcher, on the situation comedy television series, Leave it to Beaver, starring Jerry Mathers.[1][2]

Beverly Lunsford
Born	Beverly Jane Lunsford January 5, 1945 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Died	May 22, 2019 (aged 74) Canton, Georgia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1954–1969
Notable work	The Intruder, Leave it to Beaver

Early life

Lunsford was born in Atlanta, Georgia. [3]

Career

Lunsford's early career encompassed several stage performances as well as television and movies. She first appeared at the age of twelve in the 1957 Broadway production of The Rope Dancers starring Siobhán McKenna and Art Carney.[4] Lunsford's big-screen work started soon after. She appeared in several anthology dramas, then progressed onto guest-starring role on television series like National Velvet, My Three Sons, and Leave It to Beaver. She temporarily played the part of Amy Ames Britton Kincaid on the CBS soap opera, The Secret Storm, during which she filled in for the main star, Jada Rowland.[5]. She had previously played a role on The Edge of Night[6]

Lunsford's starring role came in 1961 when she played in Roger Corman's topical drama The Intruder.[7] The film dealt with race relations in the American South in the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling.

In 1963, Lunsford was cast in Herbert L. Strock's horror film, The Crawling Hand.[8] Lunsford made her last screen appearance in 1969, although she still attended various public celebrity-oriented events until her death in 2019.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1957	That Night!	Betsy Bowden
1962	The Intruder	Ella McDaniel
1963	The Crawling Hand	Patsy Townsen
1968	Jennie: Wife/Child	Jennie Pekingpraw

Television

Year	Title	Role
1956	Robert Montgomery Presents	Mark Pendel
1955–1958	United States Steel Hour	Sylvia/Allison
1960–1961	National Velvet	Marilyn Winters in "The Riding Mistress (with Roger Mobley)
1962	Leave It to Beaver	Shirley Fletcher
1969	My Three Sons	Betty Crawford

References

1. Lunsford, Beverly. "Wally's License". IMDb. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
2. https://www.caglefuneralhome.com/obituary/beverly-lunsford
3. Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford's early career". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
4. Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Rope Dancers". PlayBill Vault. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
5. Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford in The Secret Storm". AngelFire. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
6. http://edgehomepage.com/cast.html
7. Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Intruder". Amazon. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
8. Lunsford, Beverly. "Lunsford stars in The Crawling Hand". B Movie Central. Retrieved 27 July 2014.