Gretchen Wyler
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| Gretchen Wyler | |
|---|---|
 Wyler surrounded by Humane Society supporters Kevin Norte and Don Norte at the 20th Annual Genesis Awards at the Beverly Hilton in March of 2006 |
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| Born | February 16, 1932 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Died | May 27, 2007 Camarillo, California |
Gretchen Wyler (February 16, 1932 – May 27, 2007) was an American actress.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Wyler was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as Gretchen Patricia Wienecke, the daughter of Peggy (née Highley) and Louis Gustave Wienecke, who was a petroleum engineer. [1] She was raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She opened her own dancing school there before heading east to New York City to pursue a professional career as an actress and dancer.
[edit] Acting career
She appeared on Broadway in the following original productions:[2]
- Sly Fox as "Miss Fancy"
- Bye Bye Birdie as "Rose Grant" as replacement for Chita Rivera
- Rumple as "Kate Drew"
- Damn Yankees as "Lola" as replacement for Gwen Verdon
- Silk Stockings as "Janice Dayton"
- Guys and Dolls as a dancer and as understudy for "Miss Adelaide"
She appeared at the 1964 World's Fair alternating with Chita Rivera in Wonder World. The Michael Kidd/Jule Styne extravaganza played at the outdoor amphitheater. Eventually she went west to Hollywood to pursue movie stardom, which eluded her, but she appeared on many television programs, from [3] The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko) to Naked City to Somerset, Charlie's Angels, Dallas, St. Elsewhere, Remington Steele, Falcon Crest, Santa Barbara, MacGyver, Who's the Boss, Designing Women, Friends, and Judging Amy; her last TV appearance was on Chicken Soup for the Soul.
She appeared in Rick McKay's 2004 award-winning feature documentary, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There, which has been telecast on PBS, in which she recounted her "aggressive" nature and an almost Eve Harrington-esque ambition when she recalled trying on the star (Yvonne Adair)'s outfits when she was merely second understudy in the pre-Broadway touring production of Silk Stockings. When Ms. Adair collapsed in the middle of a show one night, and the first understudy (Sherry O'Neil) had surreptitiously gone to New York to audition for another play (which Wyler knew), Wyler stepped in, and played the role when the show arrived on Broadway. Wyler has already filmed her appearance in McKay's sequel, Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age(2008).
[edit] Personal life
In the mid-1960s, Wyler began to work for animal welfare causes. She founded The Ark Trust, presenter of the annual Genesis Awards for animal protection. This event is now a program of The Humane Society of the United States. In 2007, the first Gretchen Wyler Award was given to Paul McCartney.[4]
Wyler died on May 27, 2007, aged 75, from complications of breast cancer.[5] She had been married, but had no children.
