Classic TV Birthdays: February 15

UK actress Jane Seymour is first on today’s birthday list. The 63 year old Seymour appeared on a number of TV movies and miniseries, plus guested on 1970s classics Battlestar Galactica and McCloud. She is best known for her long-running role as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Sherry Jackson is 72 today. She played Danny Thomas’ daughter on Make Room for Daddy and later appeared on 77 Sunset Strip, Barnaby Jones and Batman. Also celebrating a birthday is TV personality Geoff Edwards (83). As an actor, he guested on I Dream of Jeannie and That Girl. Edwards went on to emcee game shows Jackpot! and The New Treasure Hunt, and later co-hosted a local Los Angeles daytime talk show with the late Meredith MacRae (Petticoat Junction).

There are a number of classic TV stars born on February 15 but since passed. The list includes Allan Arbus (M*A*S*H, Quincy M.E.), Mary Jane Croft (The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy), Rusty Hamer (Make Room for Daddy), Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show, The Harvey Korman Show) and Kevin McCarthy. The stage and film star guested on such TV classics as Burke’s Law, Flamingo Road, Hawaii Five-0 and The Rifleman. McCarthy may be best remembered for his role in the 1956 movie Invasion of The Body Snatchers.

Also born this day was film and TV star Cesar Romero. He starred in the mid-1950s adventure series Passport to Danger, later guesting on such shows as Daniel Boone, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. Romero later had a recurring role on the primetime soap Falcon Crest, but most classic TV fans will always remember him as The Joker on the campy 1960s series Batman.

February 15 also marks the day we lost many classic TV friends, including singer Nat King Cole (The Nat King Cole Show), Walker Edmiston (best known as the voice of Ernie the Keebler Elf), composer Ray Evans (Bonanza, The Bugs Bunny Show), Tim Holt (Chevron Theatre, The Virginian), actress-singer Ethel Merman (Batman, The Lucy Show), stage-film-radio actress Jan Miner (played Palmolive spokeswoman Madge for nearly 3 decades), Tommy Rettig (Lassie), newsman Howard K. Smith (CBS News, ABC News) and McClean Stevenson. Stevenson starred on The Doris Day Show, Hello Larry and the short-lived McClean Stevenson Show. His biggest role was as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake on M*A*S*H.

wally-cox
Wally Cox also died on this day. He starred in the 1950s comedy series Mr. Peepers, later guesting on Here’s Lucy and The Twilight Zone. He was also a frequent guest on the game show Hollywood Squares. His most enduring role? Cox was the voice of canine superhero Underdog!