Terry Burnham
{{short description|American former child performer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox person
|image=
|birth_name=Elizabeth Teresa Burnham
|birth_date={{Birth date|1949|08|08}}
|birth_place=Los Angeles, California, US
|death_date={{Death date and age|2013|10|07|1949|08|08}}{{cite web|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2016/02/06/twilight-zone-child-stars-belongings-remains-draw-devoted-fans/|title=‘Twilight Zone’ child star’s belongings, remains draw devoted fans|newspaper=Press-Telegram|date=2016-02-06|access-date=2024-09-17|quote=Fans of the show agree that Burnham, who died Oct. 7, 2013,[...]}}
|death_place=Long Beach, California, USDulaney, Josh. (February 2, 2016). "Twilight Zone' fans plan marker for child star". Los Angeles Daily News. pp. [http://twilightzonemuseum.com/actors/terry/dailynews1.jpg 1], [http://twilightzonemuseum.com/actors/terry/dailynews2.jpg 8]. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
|occupation=Actress
|years_active=1955–1971[https://archive.org/details/independent-press-telegram-1959-03-01/page/n9/mode/2up?q=+%22pigtailed+blonde%22 "Pig-Tailed Blonde Has Role as Lana Turner's Daughter"]. Long Beach Independent-Press-Telegram. March 1, 1959. p. A11. Retrieved October 29, 2022.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111835703/ "Cissy Finds Apartment"]. The Ithaca Journal. October 11, 1969. p. 51. "Cissy feels the way to handle a crisis in her teen-age life is to move in with her young friend Rita Stone (Terry Burnham), but she finds that Rita's lifestyle is not necessarily her own." Retrieved October 23, 2022.Wilson, Scott (2016). [https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA103&dq=%22elizabeth+teresa+burnham%22 Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.]. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 103. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-7992-4}}.
|spouse=
}}
Elizabeth Teresa "Terry" Burnham (August 8, 1949 – October 7, 2013) was an American actress. She had most of her career as a child actress in television series. She is best known for her performance in the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare as a Child", which originally aired in 1960.Rubin, Steven Jay (2018). [https://books.google.com/books?id=iSLXDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT127&dq=%22elizabeth+teresa+burnham%22 Twilight Zone Encyclopedia]. Chicago, Ill: Chicago Review Press. {{ISBN|978-1-61373-888-7}}.
Burnham played the young daughter of Lana Turner's character in the film Imitation of Life (1959), which was widely popular. Burnham retired from acting in 1971.
Life and career
Elizabeth Teresa Burnham was born on August 8, 1949, in Los Angeles, California. She was the younger of two children born to Guy Calvin Burnham, an aeronautics engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company, and his wife Elizabeth Teresa Buelna Symons, a homemaker.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111901266/long-beach-press-telegram/ "Course to Start in Aircraft Engineering"]. Long Beach Press-Telegram. p. 7. "Guy C. Burnham and Fred Dow of Douglas Aircraft's engineering department will conduct the lectures and discussions, which include drafting, aircraft materials and specifications, A. N. standards, commercial and company standards, limits and tolerances, welded assemblies, sheet metal work and jigs, fixtures, die and mold work.""California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VLJL-574 : 27 November 2014), Symons in entry for Elizabeth Teresa Burnham, 08 Aug 1949; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento. She was raised Catholic and attended St. Maria Goretti Catholic School,[http://www.twilightzonemuseum.com/actors/terrymemorial.php "The Terry Burnham Memorial Project 2016"]. TwilightZoneMuseum.com. St. Cornelius School, Mark Twain Middle School,[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111466049/press-telegram/ "Child Actress Played Lana's Daughter; Lakewood Girl Keeps Busy in TV, Film Roles"]. Long Beach Press-Telegram. October 18, 1960. p. B-1.Resnik, Bert (March 26, 1961). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111837390/press-telegram/ "Bert's Eye View"]. Long Beach Press-Telegram. and Bancroft Junior High School.[https://archive.org/details/independent-press-telegram-1964-03-08/page/n141/mode/2up "'Taste of Melon' for Terry"]. Long Beach Independent-Press-Telegram. March 8, 1964. p. 140. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
On December 22, 1955, Burnham made her television debut at age six alongside Brandon deWilde in the series Climax!, in an episode entitled "The Day They Gave the Babies Away". (This was based on the 1946 novel of the same title, which was also adapted for the 1957 film All Mine to Give.) More prominent roles soon followed, most notably in 1957 with "Let There Be Light", an episode of the series M Squad, which starred Lee Marvin, who Burnham later singled out as her favorite actor. Also that year, Burnham was set to star in a new child-centered series, Turquoise, Inc., whose writer/producers Dick Chevillat and Ray Singer touted her as "TV's first Shirley Temple".O'Brian, Jack (August 16, 1957). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111494561/pittsburgh-sun-telegraph/ "Looking and Listening: Record Tycoon Sees End of Rock-Roll; Talent Fugits"]. Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. p. 16. That projected series was never produced, but a year later, Burnham appeared on an episode of Temple's own series, entitled "The Magic Fishbone". It was adapted by Margaret Fitts from the Charles Dickens short story of the same name.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48537795/ "The Magic Fishbone"]. Tampa Bay Times.Ross, H. Albert (August 18–24, 1958) ["Talent Showsheet and Script Report - August 18 - August 24: Thursday August 19"]. Ross Reports — Television Index, pg. A.
She first attracted national attention as "Susie", the 8-year-old daughter of Lana Turner's character in Imitation of Life (1959).[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W3g0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ZUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=terry%20burnham&pg=7534%2C893704 "Lana in Fulton's No. 1 Film"]. The Pittsburgh Press, May 3, 1959. pp.3, 6. See also:
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112149812/the-boston-globe/ "Lana Turner is estranged from her child..."]. The Boston Globe. March 29, 1959, pg. 66.
- Gardner, R.H. (April 1, 1959) [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112149774/ "Of Stage and Screen: Lana Turner in Film 'Soap Opera'"], The Baltimore Sun, pg. 12.
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112149856/quad-city-times/ "Coming Attractions: Two scenes from 'Imitation of Life'"], Quad-City Times. April 19, 1959. pg. 63.
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112150245/ "Fannie Hurst Classic"], Honolulu Advertiser, April 12, 1959, pg. 39.
Sandra Dee played the girl as a teenager.
Burnham worked in numerous episodes of TV series through the late 1950s and 1960s. She retired from acting in 1971.
Death
On October 7, 2013, Terry Burnham died of a cardiac arrest. As she had no surviving next of kin, her unclaimed cremated remains were stored at Los Angeles County Crematorium. On August 8, 2018, which would have been her 69th birthday, Burnham's ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach.
Filmography
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111495268/independent/ "L.B. Girl, 8, in Air Series"]. Long Beach Independent. May 1, 1958. p. 22
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111917235/ "Dance Maestro"]. The Nashville Tennessean. December 25, 1966. p. 65
- [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111839065/ "The Face That Launched a Thousand Slurps"]. The Bradenton Herald. April 30, 1967. p. 21
External links
- {{IMDb name|0122519}}
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Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American women
Category:Actresses from Long Beach, California
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:American child actresses