Bea Benaderet (April 4, 1906–October 13, 1968) was an American actress, born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She is probably best remembered for starring in the hit 1960s television series Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies as Jed Clampett's cousin Pearl Bodine (Jethro's mother), and as the original voice of Granny of Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes media franchise and Betty Rubble on The Flintstones. Benaderet reached stardom in her late 50s after over 20 years of active work as a supporting player on radio and early television, as well as a career doing voice work for 1940s and 1950s Warner Bros. cartoons.

Career

Benaderet began voicing the character of Granny—the sometimes dimwitted, sometimes assertive owner of Tweety Bird—in the Warner Bros. cartoon series beginning in 1947, and was one of the few female voice artists associated with the studio in the early days. Benaderet continued to play the voice of Granny into the 1950s, before June Foray took over the role.