Reta Shaw (September , â€" January , ) was an American character
actress known for playing strong, working women in film and on many of
the most popular television programs of the s and s in the United
States. She may be best remembered as the housekeeper, Martha Grant,
on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and as the cook, Mrs.
Brill, in the film Mary Poppins.Reta M. Shaw was born in South Paris,
Maine, on September , , to Edna M. (née Easson) and Howard Walker
Shaw. Her father was an orchestra leader. Shaw's younger sister was
actress Marguerite Shaw. The daughter and granddaughter of women who
believed in spiritualism, Shaw reportedly once told a newspaper
interviewer that she had been "brought up on a ouija board."She was a
graduate of the Leland Powers School of the Theater in Boston,
Massachusetts.Shaw's first credited appearance on the Broadway stage
was in 's It Takes Two. She then appeared in Virginia Reel and on
Broadway in a comedic role as Mabel in the original production of The
Pajama Game in , as well as in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Picnic, and
Annie Get Your Gun, the last on tour with Mary Martin. She had
featured roles in several motion pictures, including Picnic, The
Pajama Game, Mary Poppins, Pollyanna, The Ghost And Mr. Chicken,
Bachelor in Paradise and Escape to Witch Mountain.
actress known for playing strong, working women in film and on many of
the most popular television programs of the s and s in the United
States. She may be best remembered as the housekeeper, Martha Grant,
on the television series The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and as the cook, Mrs.
Brill, in the film Mary Poppins.Reta M. Shaw was born in South Paris,
Maine, on September , , to Edna M. (née Easson) and Howard Walker
Shaw. Her father was an orchestra leader. Shaw's younger sister was
actress Marguerite Shaw. The daughter and granddaughter of women who
believed in spiritualism, Shaw reportedly once told a newspaper
interviewer that she had been "brought up on a ouija board."She was a
graduate of the Leland Powers School of the Theater in Boston,
Massachusetts.Shaw's first credited appearance on the Broadway stage
was in 's It Takes Two. She then appeared in Virginia Reel and on
Broadway in a comedic role as Mabel in the original production of The
Pajama Game in , as well as in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Picnic, and
Annie Get Your Gun, the last on tour with Mary Martin. She had
featured roles in several motion pictures, including Picnic, The
Pajama Game, Mary Poppins, Pollyanna, The Ghost And Mr. Chicken,
Bachelor in Paradise and Escape to Witch Mountain.
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