Ann Morgan

Ann Morgan Guilbert was an American actress, comedian, and singer born on October 16, 1928, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father, Gerald Guilbert, was a physician, and her mother was Cornelia, née Morgan. Her paternal grandfather, Lionel Guilbert, had emigrated from England. She attended Solomon Juneau High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later studied theater arts at Stanford University after relocating to California.

Guilbert began her professional career as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes Revues during the 1950s and 1960s. Her stage work also brought her to Broadway, where she appeared in two productions between 1945 and 1946: Truckline Cafe and the musical The Dream Girl.

She became widely recognized for her television work, most notably for two long-running sitcom roles. In the early 1960s, she played Millie Helper across 61 episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and from 1993 to 1999 she portrayed Yetta Rosenberg, the grandmother of Fran Fine, in 56 episodes of The Nanny. In December 2004, she returned to the role in the reunion special The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh to Remember alongside Fran Drescher and other cast members. Beyond those two series, Guilbert made guest appearances on numerous television programs, including the premiere episode of Adam-12, The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl, Love American Style, Dragnet, The Love Boat, Cheers, Seinfeld, Picket Fences, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law and Order Special Victims Unit, and Life in Pieces.

In her personal life, Guilbert was first married to writer and producer George Eckstein from 1951 until their divorce in 1966. Together they had two children, actress Hallie Todd and acting coach Nora Eckstein. Her second marriage, to Guy Raymond, lasted from 1969 until his death in 1997.

Guilbert died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 14, 2016, at the age of 87. An episode of Life in Pieces was dedicated to her memory.