Beryl Vaughan

Beryl Vaughan (July 1, 1919 – April 26, 2016) was an American actress born in Monmouthshire, Wales, whose career spanned Broadway, radio, and stage touring productions. Her father worked as a draftsman and her mother as a designer. The family relocated to the United States when Vaughan was four years old. At age eight, she earned twenty-five cents for a recitation in a church play in St. Louis, an experience that sparked her interest in acting as a profession. By the time she was eleven, she had secured a twenty-six-week role on a radio serial, after which she balanced radio work with her schooling. Following her high school graduation, she spent two years at Wayne University in Detroit before committing more fully to her acting career.

Vaughan made her Broadway appearance in 1940, playing the role of Janey in Every Man for Himself. After the production's Broadway run, she continued in the same role through a 15,000-mile tour of the play. Her stage work also included a role with a traveling troupe performing Claudia.

Her radio career was extensive. In November 1942, the Chicago Press Photographers Association named her the most photogenic radio star, with the announcement made during the organization's exhibition of news photographs. Among her radio credits, she appeared in episodes of Grand Marquee, including the September 10, 1946 episode titled "Miss Livingstone, I Presume" and the January 23, 1947 episode titled "Love is a Better Word," as well as on Uncle Walter's Dog House. She also read commercials for the Lone Ranger. Beyond performing, Vaughan served as assistant director of the Detroit Children's Theater of the Air for forty-eight weeks.

In 1954, Vaughan married Ken Nordine, an actor and announcer known for his work in radio and television. The couple had three sons and resided in a mansion in the Edgewater community of Chicago, where Vaughan lived until her death on April 26, 2016.