Lynn Borden
| Lynn Freyse Borden
(American actress of film, television, and stage) | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 24, 1937 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | March 3, 2015 (aged 77) Encino, Los Angeles |
| Spouse | Chris Borden (divorced) Roger Brunelle (1982–2015; her death) |
Lynn Borden (March 24, 1937 – March 3, 2015) was an American actress best known for her role as "Barbara Baxter" in the final season of the situation comedy Hazel, with Shirley Booth (1898-1992) in the title role.[1] The series aired its fifth and final season on CBS from 1965 to 1966 though the program began in 1961 on NBC, before Borden joined the cast.
Background
Born Lynn Freyse in Detroit, Michigan to William Henry "Bill" Freyse (1898-1969) and Evelyn S. Freyse (1908–2003), her family moved to Cleveland, Ohio and later Tucson, Arizona, in hopes of coping with her mother's health needs, which required a warm, dry climate. She had a brother, Steve. Lynn's father, also a Detroit native, was a cartoonist who drew the classic comic strip, "Our Boarding House."[2][3] from 1939 until his death thirty years later. Syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association, the strip ended its run in 1984.
Her mother enrolled Lynn in acting classes as a way to overcome her childhood bashfulness. The training helped her to land the better parts in class plays and some small roles in western films shot in Arizona. The blonde Borden won scholarships as the 1957 Miss Arizona and hence as a contestant in the 1958 Miss America pageant. She lost to Marilyn Elaine Van Derbur of Colorado but was nevertheless a preliminary swimsuit winner and a Top 10 semi-finalist. She enrolled at the University of Arizona at Tucson, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. During this time, she performed theater work in Tucson, and garnered small parts in westerns shot in the area.[4]
Marriages
In 1958, she married Chris Borden; the couple divorced in 1963. She kept his surname professionally.[2] In 1982, she wed Roger Brunelle, and they remained married until her death.[1]
Career
After college, she relocated to San Francisco, California, and secured a small, credited part on the ABC series, Hawaiian Eye.[2] Her first role was uncredited as a party guest in the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses. The next year she had another uncredited part as a bus passenger in David Janssen's ABC drama, The Fugitive. Following the cancelation of Hazel after four seasons by NBC, the show was picked up by CBS for one final season. CBS made cast changes to the show and Borden was selected for the role of Barbara Baxter opposite Ray Fulmer as her television husband, Steve Baxter. Her role came to a conclusion when Hazel ended because of Shirley Booth's health problems.
Borden appeared in the 1973 film, Walking Tall and the low-budget 1972 horror film Frogs, about a town overrun by amphibians and reptiles.[2] Other film appearances include Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Black Mama White Mama (1973), Breezy (1973), Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), Savannah Smiles (1982) and Hell Hole (1985).[3] She made guest appearances on such television series as My Three Sons, The F.B.I., Family Affair (twice), Ironside, Get Smart, The Mod Squad, Petrocelli, McMillan and Wife, Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, and CSI: NY. In her later years, Borden worked in commercials and plays.[2]
Personal life
Borden was a collector of frog and elephant figurines. The interest in frogs comes from her film role, when fans gave her frog figures after the premiere of Frogs at the Rialto Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. She stated, "I love frogs. They're cute, they won't harm you, and they're good luck. You know, kiss the frog and marry a prince, that kind of thing. ...[2]
Her father drew elephants regularly in his cartoon strip. Some of her elephant figurines were a gift from her friend, actress Mala Powers, who had a recurring role as the next-door neighbor on Hazel. Borden recalls that Powers was "admiring the elephants my father had left me and said, 'You're collecting elephants!'" Borden replied, "No I'm not," but Powers insisted, "Oh, yes you are!"[2]
Death
On March 3, 2015, Lynn Borden died of a lengthy illness in Encino, California,[1] following an extended illness.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harris Lentz, III. Obituaries, Classic Images, April 2015 (Issue 478, pp. 5056.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Ken Hall. Lynn Borden Collects Frog and Elephant Figures. go-star.com. Retrieved on April 15, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lynn Borden. Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on April 8, 2021.
- ↑ Lynn Borden profile (August 29, 1965)
- ↑ Obituary, legacy.com; accessed March 6, 2015.
