Theona Bryant was an American actress who is best known for her roles in College Confidential, The Private Lives of Adam and Eve, and The Miracle of the Hills. She was born Theona Irene Pearce in Salisbury, Maryland, on May 23, 1931, and passed away in Raleigh, North Carolina, on February 28, 2021.
Personal and Family Life
Theona Bryant spent her teenage years in Greensboro, North Carolina. She had a brief marriage in 1952 that resulted in the birth of a daughter. In 1950, she married Everett Clyde Bryant Jr., but they divorced in 1951. Later, she married Jesse Graves Yates Jr. in 1967, but this marriage also ended in divorce in 1987.
Career
After moving to Raleigh, Theona worked as a receptionist for Governor William B. Umstead, where she was encouraged to pursue a career in television. She eventually moved to New York and began her modeling career, which led to her first television appearances on shows like The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1954, she worked for Twentieth Century Fox to promote the film The Egyptian, and later that year, she moved to Los Angeles, where she became a Carson Cutie on The Johnny Carson Show.
Death and Legacy
Theona Bryant passed away from pneumonia on February 28, 2021, at the age of 89. Throughout her life, she made significant contributions to the entertainment industry, and she requested that memorials be made to the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles, reflecting her commitment to her profession and peers.
Filmography
| Title | Release Date | Character |
|---|---|---|
| College Confidential | 1960-08-26 | Lois Addison |
| The Private Lives of Adam and Eve | 1960-01-20 | Sensuosa |
| Critic’s Choice | 1963-02-24 | Beauty Operator (uncredited) |
| The Miracle of the Hills | 1959-07-29 | Alison Wingate |
| The FBI Story | 1959-10-01 | Edit Crandall (uncredited) |
| Johnny Ringo | 1959-10-02 | Lisa |
| Maverick | 1957-09-22 | Cousin Hope |