‘Private Benjamin’ actress Eileen Brennan dies at 80
Posted July 31, 2013 7:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Eileen Brennan has died.
Brennan passed away early Sunday at her home in Burbank, Calif., of bladder cancer. She was 80.
The veteran actress got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, playing tough drill captain Doreen Lewis opposite Goldie Hawn in the comedy Private Benjamin.
Brennan reprised her role from Private Benjamin for the CBS television series, winning an Emmy Award, one of her seven career nominations.
Brennan also memorably appeared as brothel madam Billie in the Oscar best-picture winner The Sting (1973); as Peter Falk’s long-suffering secretary Tess in Murder by Death (1976); and as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (1985).
She often played world-weary, sympathetic characters yet demonstrated a real comic flair throughout her career.
