Skip to content
Ellen Corby

Ellen Corby

Acting·1911–1999·102 films

Ellen Corby (June 3, 1911 – April 14, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. She is best remembered for playing the role of Esther "Grandma" Walton on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Aunt Trina in I Remember Mama (1948).

As Actor

Vertigo
Vertigo (1958)Manager of McKittrick Hotel
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)Ms. Davis (uncredited)
Sabrina
Sabrina (1954)Miss McCardie
Shane
Shane (1953)Liz Torrey
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)Lily
The Spiral Staircase
The Spiral Staircase (1946)Neighbour (uncredited)
Sons of the Desert
Sons of the Desert (1933)Partygoer at Table Next to Charley's (uncredited)
Little Women
Little Women (1949)Sophie
The Gunfighter
The Gunfighter (1950)Mrs. Devlin
Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)Soho Sal
Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland (1934)Townswoman at Tom-Tom's Trial (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Mighty Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young (1949)Orphanage matron (uncredited)
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)Neva Tremaine
Support Your Local Gunfighter
Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)Abigail
Born to Kill
Born to Kill (1947)Maid (uncredited)
Caged
Caged (1950)Emma Barber
Bedlam
Bedlam (1946)Betty, Queen of the Artichokes (uncredited)
Night Passage
Night Passage (1957)Mrs. Feeney
The Family Jewels
The Family Jewels (1965)Airline Passenger
The Dark Corner
The Dark Corner (1946)Maid (uncredited)
The Gnome-Mobile
The Gnome-Mobile (1967)Etta Pettibone (uncredited)
The Glass Bottom Boat
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)Anna Miller
I Remember Mama
I Remember Mama (1948)Aunt Trina
4 for Texas
4 for Texas (1963)Widow
Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary (1949)Félicité
They Won't Believe Me
They Won't Believe Me (1947)Screaming Woman in Courtroom (uncredited)
Illegal
Illegal (1955)Miss Hinkel
Macabre
Macabre (1958)Miss Kushins
A Woman's Secret
A Woman's Secret (1949)Nurse who reads paper to Susan
The Locket
The Locket (1946)Ginny (uncredited)
Cornered
Cornered (1945)Swiss Maid (uncredited)
The Long Night
The Long Night (1947)Observer in Crowd (uncredited)
The Dark Past
The Dark Past (1948)Agnes (uncredited)
The Big Trees
The Big Trees (1952)Sister Blackburn
Napoleon and Samantha
Napoleon and Samantha (1972)Gertrude
Slightly Scarlet
Slightly Scarlet (1956)Martha - June Lyons' Maid (uncredited)
Crack-Up
Crack-Up (1946)Reynold's Maid (Uncredited)
Forever Amber
Forever Amber (1947)Marge
On Moonlight Bay
On Moonlight Bay (1951)Miss Mary Stevens
Visit to a Small Planet
Visit to a Small Planet (1960)Mrs. Mabel Mayberry
The Night of the Grizzly
The Night of the Grizzly (1966)Hazel Squires
Susan Slept Here
Susan Slept Here (1954)Coffee Shop Waitress (uncredited)
The Legend of Lylah Clare
The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)Script Girl
Harriet Craig
Harriet Craig (1950)Lottie
Railroaded!
Railroaded! (1947)Mrs. Wills (uncredited)
Angels in the Outfield
Angels in the Outfield (1951)Sister Veronica
The Mating Season
The Mating Season (1951)Annie
The Strangler
The Strangler (1964)Mrs. Kroll
All Mine to Give
All Mine to Give (1957)Mrs. Raiden
Woman They Almost Lynched
Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)First Townswoman
The Noose Hangs High
The Noose Hangs High (1948)Hilda - Maid (uncredited)
The Unfaithful
The Unfaithful (1947)Courtroom Spectator
Edge of Doom
Edge of Doom (1950)Jeanette Moore
Sister Kenny
Sister Kenny (1946)Hospital Scrub Woman (uncredited)
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)Esther Walton
Here Comes the Groom
Here Comes the Groom (1951)Mrs. McGonigle
A Lion Is in the Streets
A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)Singing Woman
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)Amelia Gravesend
The Vanquished
The Vanquished (1953)Mrs. Barbour
Mansfield 66/67
Mansfield 66/67 (2017)
From This Day Forward
From This Day Forward (1946)Mother
The Caretakers
The Caretakers (1963)Irene
Goodbye, My Fancy
Goodbye, My Fancy (1951)Miss Birdshaw
Rafter Romance
Rafter Romance (1933)Telemarketer (uncredited)
The Seventh Sin
The Seventh Sin (1957)Sister Saint Joseph
A Tattered Web
A Tattered Web (1971)Mrs. Simmons
About Mrs. Leslie
About Mrs. Leslie (1954)Mrs. Croffman
Captain China
Captain China (1950)Miss Endicott
A Fine Pair
A Fine Pair (1968)Maddy Walker
The Fabulous Joe
The Fabulous Joe (1947)Cathy, the Maid
Fearless Fagan
Fearless Fagan (1952)Mrs. Ardley
Cannon
Cannon (1971)Teacher
Stagecoach To Fury
Stagecoach To Fury (1956)Sarah Farrell
The Truth About Murder
The Truth About Murder (1946)Betty
Living in a Big Way
Living in a Big Way (1947)Broken Arms' Sailors Wife (uncredited)
Fighting Father Dunne
Fighting Father Dunne (1948)Colpeck's Secretary
The Sea Hornet
The Sea Hornet (1951)Mrs. Drinkwater
Peggy
Peggy (1950)Mrs. Privet, the Librarian
A Day for Thanks on Waltons Mountain
A Day for Thanks on Waltons Mountain (1982)Esther Walton
Lover Come Back
Lover Come Back (1946)Rita
The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons
The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons (1980)
A Walton Easter
A Walton Easter (1997)Grandma Walton
A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion
A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993)Grandma Walton
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974)Ma Floyd
Saintly Sinners
Saintly Sinners (1962)Mrs. McKenzie
The Judge Steps Out
The Judge Steps Out (1947)Mother at Party (uncredited)
Rockabilly Baby
Rockabilly Baby (1957)Mrs. Wellington
A Wedding on Waltons Mountain
A Wedding on Waltons Mountain (1982)Grandma Walton
All the Way Home
All the Way Home (1981)Great-Gandmaw
The Barefoot Mailman
The Barefoot Mailman (1951)Miss Della (uncredited)
Untamed Heiress
Untamed Heiress (1954)Mrs. Flanny
Monsoon
Monsoon (1952)Katie
God Is My Partner
God Is My Partner (1957)Mrs. Dalton
Rusty Saves a Life
Rusty Saves a Life (1949)Miss Simmons
Beat the Band
Beat the Band (1947)Gertrude's Mother
Strike It Rich
Strike It Rich (1948)Annie Harkins
Speed Limited
Speed Limited (1935)Secretary
A Walton Wedding
A Walton Wedding (1995)Grandma Walton
Tom, Dick and Harriet
Tom, Dick and Harriet (1960)Aunt Emily

As Writer