Jean Byron
Actress

Jean Byron Net Worth

Jean Byron, born Imogene Burkhart in Paducah, Kentucky in 1925, was an actress and singer best known for her role as Natalie Lane on The Patty Duke Show (1963). She began her career as a teen singer on radio before transitioning to film and television. She appeared in a variety of shows, including Yancy Derringer (1958), Fury (1955), My Friend Flicka (1955), Cheyenne (1955) and Laramie (1959). She was also a spokesperson for Revlon and Lux soap. After the end of The Patty Duke Show, she appeared in a few more television shows and musical stage shows. She retired in the 1980s and moved to Mobile, Alabama to be closer to family. Her final appearance was a reunion show with former cast members in 1999. She passed away in 2006 at the age of 80.
Jean Byron is a member of Actress

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actress, Soundtrack
Birth Day December 10, 1925
Birth Place  Paducah, Kentucky, United States
Age 95 YEARS OLD
Died On February 3, 2006(2006-02-03) (aged 80)\nMobile, Alabama, U.S.
Birth Sign Capricorn
Other names Jeane Byron
Occupation Actress
Years active 1952–1999
Spouse(s) Michael Ansara (m. 1955–1956)

💰 Net worth: $100K - $1M

Biography/Timeline

1925

Byron was born Imogene Audette Burkhart on December 10, 1925, in Paducah, Kentucky. Her parents were Anna Gertrude (née Bastin; 1906 – 1988) and Edward Burkhart (1892 – 1958). Her family moved to Louisville when she was still quite young, and then to California when she was 19 during World War II. She appeared briefly as a singer on radio, first with Tommy Dorsey's band, followed by a stint with Jan Savitt's group. She then studied drama from 1947 to 1950, followed by a run with the Players Ring, a theatre group that did not pay well, but offered the performers needed exposure. There, in a play titled Merrily We Roll Along, she came to the attention of Harry Sauber, elderly talent adviser for Sam Katzman. She was asked to read from the script and imitate a British accent, which she did. She got her union card then and there. When asked her name, she replied Imogene Burkhart. Katzman rejected that name, so she volunteered the stage name, Jean Byron, which she had already been using and which the Columbia Pictures brass found more palatable.

1950

In the 1950s, Byron appeared in several B-movies, including The Magnetic Monster and Serpent of the Nile, in addition to guest roles on The Millionaire, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, Science Fiction Theatre, Fury, and Bourbon Street Beat. Byron also served as spokeswoman for Revlon and Lux products on NBC's The Rosemary Clooney Show.

1955

Byron was married to actor Michael Ansara from 1955 to 1956. Some sources have it as 1949 to 1956. The couple had no children and Byron never remarried.

1959

In 1959, Byron landed a semiregular spot on CBS's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis playing Dr. Imogene Burkhart, her real name. During her time on the show, she was cast in a spinoff pilot about Dobie Gillis' girlfriend, Zelda, where she would have played the girl's mother. However, the pilot was not picked up. In the show's final season, Byron convinced producers to allow her character to discard the plain, repressed appearance she presented, and show a more modern version of a schoolteacher.

1963

The following year, she starred in the short-lived soap opera Full Circle, which also co-starred Dyan Cannon. In 1963, she won the role of Natalie Lane on The Patty Duke Show. After the series ended in 1966, she continued appearing in guest roles on Batman, Marcus Welby, M.D., Maude, and Hotel.

1999

Byron's last on-screen role was in the 1999 television movie The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights.

2006

On February 3, 2006, Byron died in Mobile, Alabama, of complications following hip replacement surgery.

Some Jean Byron images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.