Biography
Ellen Corby (born Ellen Hansen) was an American actress and screenwriter. She appeared in supporting roles in numerous films from the 1940s onwards, including It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Shane (1953), Sabrina (1954) and Vertigo (1958), in which she played the manager of the McKittrick Hotel.
She received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Aunt Trina in I Remember Mama (1948). Corby became best known for portraying Esther 'Grandma' Walton on the CBS series The Waltons (1972–1981), a role she originated in the 1971 television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. She won three Emmy Awards for the part.
Corby suffered a stroke in 1976 that limited her later appearances, though she returned for several Waltons reunion films. She died on 14 April 1999.
