Mona Bruns

Mona Bruns (November 26, 1899 – June 13, 2000) was an American actress on the stage, films, radio, and television. She appeared in such television series as Dr. Kildare, Little House on the Prairie, Green Acres, and Bonanza, among others

Mona Bruns
Mona Bruns with Frankie Thomas in 1952
Born(1899-11-26)November 26, 1899
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 2000(2000-06-13) (aged 100)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1934–1981
SpouseFrank M. Thomas
ChildrenFrank M. Thomas, Jr.

Early years

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Bruns debuted as an actress when she was 15 years old. She was the sister of actress Julia Bruns.[1]

Career

Bruns debuted in The Innocent Sinner, after which she acted a year in stock theater. That was followed by a year in Capt. Kidd, Jr. She went on to act at the Greenwich Village Theater.[1] In 1922 she began acting with the Bonstelle company in Buffalo, New York.[2] She joined the Montclair Theatre Guild's company in October 1930.[3]

She appeared on Broadway with her husband, Frank M. Thomas. She appeared in the 1934 Broadway play Wednesday's Child as Miss Chapman[4] with her son, Frankie Thomas, playing "Bobby Phillips". He recreated this role in the 1934 film, Wednesday's Child, necessitating their move to Los Angeles in the 1930s, where she and her husband acted in several films also. She played "Aunt Emily" in The Brighter Day,[5] for eight years. After the show ended, she was asked to create the role of Emily Hastings on NBC's Another World. She appeared on many popular television shows of the 1950s/60s.

Personal life

Bruns wrote an autobiography, By Emily Possessed. She and her husband, Frank M. Thomas,[6] were the parents of actor Frankie Thomas.

Death

She died in Los Angeles in 2000 at the age of 100, and is interred next to her husband, who also died at 100, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood, California.[7]

See also

References
  1. "The Rise of Mona Bruns". The Washington Herald. District of Columbia, Washington. March 30, 1919. p. 17. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Bonstelle company has new leading man". Buffalo Evening News. April 29, 1922. p. 5. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "She Likes to Be Blonde -- and Petite". The Montclair Times. October 8, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Mona Bruns". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  5. Holbrook, Hal (2011). Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 448. ISBN 978-1-4299-6901-7. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  6. "New Shepherd Elected by the Lambs". The New York Times. November 4, 1961. p. 14. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  7. Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 742. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved August 4, 2022.


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