Topic: Edie McClurg

Edie McClurg (born July 23, 1951) is an American character actress. She is known for her perky Upper Midwestern accent.

McClurg began her career with a role in the 1976 Brian De Palma horror film Carrie as Helen Shyres, one of Carrie's classmates. The following year, she was a member of the cast of The Richard Pryor Show. In 1980, she was a regular performer on The David Letterman Show in the persona of Mrs. Marv Mendenhall. She also had a role in Elvira's first motion picture, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, in which she plays the Town Council President Chastity Pariah who uses her uptight conservative views to convince the townsfolk to get rid of Elvira. She also had a minor role in Cheech & Chong's Next Movie.

She has performed in nearly 90 movies and 55 TV episodes, usually typecast as a middle-aged, somewhat stubborn and dimwitted Midwesterner. McClurg is known for a number of roles, including Mr. Rooney's secretary Grace in Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Lucille Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati; perky PTA member (and ally of Stella Johnson), Willamae Jones, in the television remake of Harper Valley PTA; motherly and very friendly next-door neighbor Mrs. Patty Poole on The Hogan Family, nosy next-door neighbor Bonnie Brindle on Small Wonder, the car-rental agent whom Steve Martin berates in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mrs. Violet Bleakman on Clifford the Big Red Dog; and as Mrs. Beeker on the long-running family drama 7th Heaven. McClurg guest starred as Barri's mother in a January 2007 episode of Campus Ladies.