Olive Deering

American actress (1918–1986)

Olive Deering

Deering in 1943

Born|

Olive Corn

(1918-10-11)October 11, 1918

New York City, U.S.

Died| March 22, 1986(1986-03-22) (aged 67)

New York City, U.S.

Burial place| Kensico Cemetery
Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1936–1973
Spouse(s)|

Leo Penn

(m. 1947; div. 1952)​

Alan James (1959–1969; his death)
Relatives| Alfred Ryder (brother)

Olive Deering (née Corn; October 11, 1918 – March 22, 1986) was an American actress of film, television, and stage, active from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. She was a life member of The Actors Studio,[1] as was her elder brother, Alfred Ryder.

## Early life

[edit]

Deering was the daughter of Zelda "Sadie" (née Baruchin)[2] and Max Corn,[3][2] a dentist. [4] Her brother was actor Alfred Ryder. She began attending the Professional Children's School when she was age 11.[5]

## Career

[edit]

### Stage

[edit]

Her first stage role was a walk-on bit in Girls in Uniform (1933). She appeared onstage in Moss Hart's Winged Victory, Richard II (starring Maurice Evans) and Counsellor-at-Law (starring Paul Muni). She received kudos for her performance in the Los Angeles production of Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer. Other stage appearances included No for an Answer, Ceremony of Innocence, Marathon '33, The Young Elizabeth, They Walk Alone, and Garden District.[6]

In 1940, siblings Deering and Ryder co-starred in Medicine Show on Broadway.[7] In 1980, Deering and Ryder appeared in revival of Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play at the studio theater of The Harold Clurman Theater. Deering received good notices for the play.[citation needed]

### Film

[edit]

as Miriam, with Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston, in The Ten Commandments (1956)

The films she appeared in included Shock Treatment and Caged. In 1948, director Cecil B. DeMille cast her as Miriam, the Danite girl who loves Samson, in his film Samson and Delilah. In his autobiography, DeMille wrote that Deering was "one whose talent and dedication to her art should carry her very far in the theater, whether on screen or stage."[8] DeMille cast her again as the biblical Miriam, sister of Moses, in The Ten Commandments (1956).[9]

### Radio

[edit]

Deering also appeared on many radio programs, which included  Lone Journey,[10] True Story and Against the Storm, playing in more than 200 television programs, including Desdemona on the Philco Summer Playhouse production of Othello.

### Television

[edit]

Deering's early television appearances included co-starring in "The Unconquered", an episode of Somerset Maugham TV Theatre, on November 19, 1950,[11] and appearing in an episode of Suspense on June 12, 1951.[12] Others included the role of murderess Rebecca Gentrie in the 1958 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Empty Tin". On June 6, 1962, she starred in "Journey to Oblivion", an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre.[13]

She had a supporting role in the Sci Fi series Outer Limits in the episode "The Zanti Misfits", which aired on December 30, 1963. One of her later television appearances was in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, titled "One of the Family" (original air date February 8, 1965).[14]

## Personal life and death

[edit]

Deering married film director Leo Penn on February 19, 1947 in Los Angeles, California;[15] they later divorced. She was married, secondly, to Alan James from 1959 until his death in 1969.[citation needed]

A Democrat, she supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.[16]

She died of cancer at the age of 67, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. She had no children and was survived by her brother Alfred Ryder.[citation needed]

## Film appearances

[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1948 | Gentleman's Agreement | First Woman | uncredited
1949 | Air Hostess | Helen Field |
1949 | Samson and Delilah | Miriam |
1950 | Caged | June Roberts, Inmate |
1956 | The Ten Commandments | Miriam |
1964 | Shock Treatment | Mrs. Mellon |
1973 | Howzer | Mary Carver |

## Radio appearances

[edit]

Year | Program | Episode

|
|

1951 | Grand Central Station | God's Own Mountain[17]
1953 | Marcia Akers | Marcia Akers[18]
1956 | City Hospital | [19]

## Television appearances

[edit]

Year | Program | Episode | Role

|
|
|

1950 | Television Theater | Portrait in Smoke[20]
1951 | Kraft Television Theatre | Kelly | Odette
1951 | Danger | Lady on the Rock | Loreli
1951 | Tales of Tomorrow | The Search for the Flying Saucer[21]
1955 | Studio One Summer Theater | The Pit[22]
1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | The Wild Swant[23]
1958 | Climax! | Deadly Tattoo[24]
1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Season 4 Episode 25: "The Kind Waitress"[25] | Thelma Tompkins
1959 | Johnny Staccato | The Wild Reed[26]
1959 | One Step Beyond | The Burning Girl
1960 | Markham | "The Searing Flame" episode[27] |
1960 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | The Numbers Racket[28]
1963 | The Outer Limits | The Zanti Misfits[29]
1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Season 3 Episode 16: "One of the Family" | Christine Callendar

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
2. ^ a b "Max Corn mentioned in the record of Max Corn and Sadie Baruchin". FamilySearch. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
3. ^ "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org.
4. ^ Krampner, Jon (2006). Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley. Back Stage Books. p. 103\. ISBN 0823088472. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
5. ^ Heimer, Mel (March 23, 1950). "My New York". Marysville Journal-Tribune. The Marysville Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "OLIVE DEERING". The New York Times. March 27, 1986. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
7. ^ "Brother and Sister In 'Medicine Show'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 7, 1940. p. 51. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ DeMille, Cecil B. (1959). The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille. Prentice Hall. p. 400\. ISBN 0-82-405757-0. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
9. ^ Orrison, Katherine (1999). Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille's Epic The Ten Commandments. Vestal Press. p. 51\. ISBN 1-46-173481-9.
10. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 186.
11. ^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1950. p. 20-A. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Video Highlights". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 12, 1951. p. 13. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Alcoholic's Story To Be Theme of Circle Theatre". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. June 3, 1962. p. 65. Retrieved May 11, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "OLIVE DEERING". The New York Times. March 27, 1986.
15. ^ "Olive Deering mentioned in the record of Leo Z Penn and Olive Deering". FamilySearch. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
16. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers
17. ^ Kuhns, Kay C. (July 5, 1951). "MBS Spotlight Focuses On Major Sports Events". The Kokomo Tribune. The Kokomo Tribune. p. 41. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ "Dial Chatter". The la Crosse Tribune. The La Crosse Tribune. November 11, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ Russell, Fred H. (November 27, 1956). "'City Hospital' Back on Radio Saturday". The Bridgeport Post. The Bridgeport Post. p. 28. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
20. ^ "(TV listing)". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 22, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
21. ^ "The Search for the Flying Saucer". IMDb. November 9, 1951.
22. ^ "Picture Lines". Daily Independent Journal. Daily Independent Journal. September 12, 1955. p. 12. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
23. ^ "TV Scout". El Paso Herald-Post. El Paso Herald-Post. September 12, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
24. ^ "(TV listing)". Independent. Independent. May 1, 1958. p. 24. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
25. ^ "East Is East but West Is Bullets Plus Badmen". The Salt Lake Tribune. The Salt Lake City Tribune. March 28, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
26. ^ "Johnny Staccato: The Wild Reed Full Episode". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
27. ^ Rich, John (April 7, 1960), "The Searing Flame", Markham, Ray Milland, Olive Deering, Penny Santon, retrieved May 6, 2025
28. ^ "TV Viewing Highlights". Lake Charles American-Press. Lake Charles American-Press. April 13, 1960. p. 9. Retrieved May 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
29. ^ "The Zanti Misfits". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 12, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Biography portal

* Olive Deering at IMDb
* Olive Deering at the Internet Broadway Database

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* France
* BnF data

Other|

* SNAC
* Yale LUX

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced