Gretchen Wyler
Gretchen Wyler | |
---|---|
Born | Gretchen Patricia Wienecke February 16, 1932 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Died | May 27, 2007 Camarillo, California, U.S. | (aged 75)
Occupation | Actress & Dancer |
Years active | 1950–2002 |
Spouse |
Gretchen Wyler (born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke; February 16, 1932 – May 27, 2007) was an American actress and dancer. She was also an animal rights advocate and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection.[1]
Biography
Early life
Wyler was born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke in
Acting career
She appeared on Broadway in six original productions:[3]
- Guys and Dollsas a dancer and as understudy for "Miss Adelaide" (1950–1953)
- Silk Stockings as "Janice Dayton" (1955–1956)
- Damn Yankees as "Lola" as replacement for Gwen Verdon (1955–1957)
- Rumple as "Kate Drew" (1957)
- Bye Bye Birdie as "Rose Grant" as replacement for Chita Rivera(1960–1961)
- Sly Fox as "Miss Fancy" (1976–1978)
She also appeared at the 1964 World's Fair alternating with
She appeared in
Animal rights activism
In 1966, Wyler began to work for animal rights causes after visiting a dilapidated dog shelter in Warwick, N.Y.[5] In 1971, she became the first female to serve on the board of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) but later fell out with the board.[6] She filed a lawsuit against the board of ASPCA which was settled out of court.[7]
Wyler opposed animal testing and argued that "animals should have the right to run if they have legs, swim if they have fins and fly if they have wings".[6] Wyler became a vegetarian in 1969 for ethical reasons.[8] She was featured on the front cover of The British Vegetarian magazine, published by the Vegetarian Society.[9]
In 1986, she was Vice Chairperson of The Fund for Animals.
Death
Wyler died on May 27, 2007, aged 75, from complications of breast cancer.[13]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | The Devil's Brigade | The Lady of Joy | |
1980 | Private Benjamin | Aunt Kissy | |
1991 | The Marrying Man | Gwen |
See also
References
- ^ Fox, Margalit. (2007). "Gretchen Wyler, 75, Actress and Advocate for Animals, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Gretchen Wyler Biography
- ^ Gretchen Wyler at the Internet Broadway Database
- IMDb
- ^ Gretchen Wyler official website.
- ^ a b "Gretchen Wyler, 75; Broadway actress became animal activist". latimes.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Animal activist Gretchen Wyler dead at 75". dailynews.com. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "The Satya Interview with Gretchen Wyler". Satya. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Radical Objects: The British Vegetarian". historyworkshop.org.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- OCLC 13990046. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
Of course, you must occasionally 'detour' and focus on things like the Silver Spring monkeys since there are many state actions on federal matters.
- ^ U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame Archived 2016-02-06 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ The Humane Society of the United States official website Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gretchen Wyler, 75, Actress and Advocate for Animals, Dies
Further reading
- Wyler, Gretchen (1985). "Gretchen Wyler Autobiography". .
External links
- Gretchen Wyler at IMDb
- Gretchen Wyler at the Internet Broadway Database