Biography
Hope Summers could portray a friendly neighbor or companion as she did for Frances Bavier's Aunt Bee character on many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (1960) or a seemingly amiable Satanist in Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Born in Mattoon, Illinois, she developed an early interest in the theater. Graduating from Northwestern School of Speech in Evanston, Illinois, she subsequently taught speech and diction there. This, in turn, led to her the head position in the Speech Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, teaching students privately on the side as well. In the 1930s Hope began to focus on acting. She found work in community and stock theaters in Illinois and earned some notice for putting on one-woman shows such as "Backstage of Broadway." She made use of her vocal eloquence by building up her resumé on radio, performing in scores of dramatic shows, including "Authors' Playhouse," "First Night," "Ma Perkins", and "Step-Mother".
In 1950 Hope transferred her talents to the new medium of television and earned a regular role on the comedy series Hawkins Falls: A Television Novel (1950). By the age of 50 she was customarily called upon to play slightly older than she was, appearing in a number of minuscule matron roles in such films as Zero Hour! (1957), Hound-Dog Man (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Spencer's Mountain (1963), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), Charley Varrick (1973) and her last, Foul Play (1978). She never had any major stand-out roles in movies; TV would be a more prolific choice of medium. Her gently stern, old-fashioned looks allowed her to be a part of many small-town settings, including Dennis the Menace (1959) and Petticoat Junction (1963), and in various western locales such as Maverick (1957) and Wagon Train (1957).
She played a rustic regular for many years on The Rifleman (1958). Usually assigned to play teachers, nurses and other helpful, nurturing types, her characters were also known to be inveterate gossips. Hope worked until close to the end of her life, passing away from heart failure in 1979.
Filmography
all 70
TV Shows 39
Movies 31
Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective (2000)
Evil Town (1987)
Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws (1978)
Foul Play (1978)
Another Day (1978)
Lust of a Eunuch (1977)
Snip (1976)
Starsky & Hutch (1975)
Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)
Dr. Shagetz (1975)
Death Sentence (1974)
Chico and the Man (1974)
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
Our Time (1974)
Indict and Convict (1974)
Charley Varrick (1973)
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973)
M*A*S*H (1972)
Where Does It Hurt? (1972)
Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972)
Night Gallery (1970)
Mayberry R.F.D. (1968)
Adam-12 (1968)
Hawaii Five-O (1968)
The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
That Girl (1966)
The Pruitts of Southampton (1966)
Love on a Rooftop (1966)
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken (1966)
The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (1966)
The Hallelujah Trail (1965)
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964)
Bewitched (1964)
One Man's Way (1964)
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (1963)
Glynis (1963)
Petticoat Junction (1963)
Spencer's Mountain (1963)
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
The Couch (1962)
The Children's Hour (1961)
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
The New Breed (1961)
Dr. Kildare (1961)
Claudelle Inglish (1961)
Homicidal (1961)
Parrish (1961)
The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
My Three Sons (1960)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Hound-Dog Man (1959)
Edge of Eternity (1959)
Dennis the Menace (1959)
Law of the Plainsman (1959)
I Want to Live! (1958)
The Rifleman (1958)
Peter Gunn (1958)
Zero Hour! (1957)
Maverick (1957)
The Thin Man (1957)
State Trooper (1956)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
Gunsmoke (1955)
Letter to Loretta (1953)
General Electric Theater (1953)
Private Secretary (1953)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
Going Steady? (1951)
Better Use of Leisure Time (1950)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1896-06-07
Deathday1979-06-22 (83 years old)
Birth PlaceMattoon, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
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