Who are Gloria Henry's children? Actress who played Dennis The Menace's mom on 1960s TV show dies at 98
Veteran actress Gloria Henry, best recognized for her iconic role of Alice Mitchell in the 1960s TV Show 'Dennis The Menace', died at the age of 98. She passed away on Saturday, April 3, 2021, just a day after celebrating her birthday. She died at her home in Los Angeles, as confirmed by her family.
Henry, who played the mother of the mischievous Dennis Mitchell on screen, is the mother to daughter Erin Ellwood and sons Jeffrey and Adam Ellwood in real life. Following her death, her children shared heartfelt tributes to her on their social media pages.
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Who are Gloria Henry's children?
Henry's first marriage with Robert D Lamb between 1943 and 1948 remained childless. From 1949 to 1977, Henry was married to architect Craig Allwood with whom she shared three children - Jeffrey, Adam and Erin. She was a doting mother and shared a close bond with all her children.
Her daughter Erin is an accomplished interior designer and the owner of Erin Ellwood Design. On her website, she speaks about being inspired by her father's architectural work which ignited her passion for design. For more than two decades, Erin worked as a production designer and art director for film and TV, eventually foraying into lifestyle branding and interior designing. She shared an emotional post about her mother on Instagram after her demise on April 3.
"She’s flying now, free of her body. She left on a countdown 4 3 2 1 @ 3:40pm. She was such an incredible woman in so many ways. This last year with her has been beautiful and heartbreaking. Thank you all for following me and supporting me on this journey - this beautiful land mine. Goodbye Momma, I love your guts forever ❤️ ," Erin Ellwood wrote.
Her son Adam is a musician specializing in rock and psychedelic music and based out of Los Angeles. On April 4, he posted about Henry on Facebook, "It is with great sadness to let of all my dear and amazing mother's fans know that she passed peacefully... in her home in Los Angeles....Please raise a glass and a toast to our beautiful mother Gloria Henry for a life well lived."
Henry reportedly died surrounded by daughter Erin and son Jeffrey. In Season 1 of her TV show 'Dennis The Menace', her son Jeffrey 'Jeff' Ellwood's name was used as Dennis's friend in the episode 'Dennis and the TV Set'.
A look back at Gloria Henry's illustrious career
Henry made her debut in Hollywood in 1947 with the film 'Sport of Kings'. She went on to star beside Lucille Ball in the rom-com movie 'Miss Grant Takes Richmond' and with Marlene Dietrich in 'Rancho Notorious'. She also acted in films like 'Triple Threat', 'Kill the Umpire' and 'Racing Luck', aside from starring in guest roles in TV shows like 'My Little Margie' and 'The Files of Jeffrey Jones'.
In 1959, Henry started playing her career-defining role of Alice Mitchell on the CBS comedy TV show 'Dennis the Menace' also starring Herbert Anderson and young Jay North. She played the role for four seasons till the show's cancellation in 1963.
After 'Dennis the Menace', Henry's career suffered a setback. She admitted much later that her classic role as the doting, patient mother on the show led to her being typecast in similar roles later. In 2005, she played a brief role on 'Her Minor Thing'. Later in 2012, Henry appeared as a guest on 'Parks and Recreation' on the episode 'Campaign Shake-Up' as Mary-Elizabeth Clinch.