Our favorite character actors: Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

One in an occasional series

“Jeanette Nolan…well, she continues to amaze me,” Richard Boone said in 1963 at the end of the initial broadcast of the anthology show that bore his name.

“She’s a remarkable actress,” Boone said. Nolan was part of the “company of players” who appeared in the weekly Richard Boone Show anthology series.

Indeed, Nolan proved her talents repeatedly over a half-century career.

From playing Lady Macbeth opposite Orson Welles in a 1948 movie to numerous guest appearances on television, Nolan was a chameleon. Her appearance, diction and accent all changed in response to the characters she played.

Naturally, such a versatile talent was seen many times on spy and related television shows.

Among them: Edith Partridge, the eccentric but deadly wife of villain G. Emory Partridge in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.; two episodes of I Spy (one as the contact for Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott); one episode of Hawaii Five-O; and one episode of The FBI.

Nolan was part of an acting family. Her husband was veteran character actor John McIntire (1907-1991) and her son was Tim McIntire (1944-1986). She on occasion acted together with her husband, including the Western series The Virginian.

Jeanette Nolan was never a star, with the exception of Dirty Sally, a short-lived spinoff series from Gunsmoke.

Nolan’s IMDB.COM entry lists 200 acting credits. She died on June 5, 1998, at the age of 86.