Spring Byington
Known for
Born in Colorado Springs in 1886, Spring Byington built a long career as one of Hollywood's most reliable comic character actresses. She earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the role of Penny Sycamore in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You (1938) and had already worked as Marmee in George Cukor's Little Women (1933). She played warm mothers, gossipy neighbours and unflappable widows across dozens of studio pictures. On television she anchored the sitcom December Bride through the 1950s, extending a career that ran from the silent stage to network primetime.
Spring Byington
97 Movies
9 Series
Born in Colorado Springs in 1886, Spring Byington built a long career as one of Hollywood's most reliable comic character actresses. She earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the role of Penny Sycamore in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You (1938) and had already worked as Marmee in George Cukor's Little Women (1933). She played warm mothers, gossipy neighbours and unflappable widows across dozens of studio pictures. On television she anchored the sitcom December Bride through the 1950s, extending a career that ran from the silent stage to network primetime.
Movies
Plays Sister Edwitha
Angels in the Outfield
1951
Plays Mrs. Byam
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935
Plays Penny Sycamore
You Can't Take It with You
1938
Plays Magda
Dragonwyck
1946
Plays Bertha Van Cleve
Heaven Can Wait
1943
Plays Mrs. Kendrick
Jezebel
1938
Plays Suzie Robinson
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
1960
Plays Mary Sunshine
Roxie Hart
1942
Plays Lady Octavia Warrenton
The Charge of the Light Brigade
1936
Plays Mme Mitchell
Meet John Doe
1941
Plays Marmee
Little Women
1933
Plays Mrs. Minerva Alsop Morgan
Living in a Big Way
1947
Plays Matey Pearson
Dodsworth
1936
Plays Ettie Coombes
Werewolf of London
1935
Plays Mrs. Hubbard
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
1939
Plays Nellie Burke
In the Good Old Summertime
1949
Plays Violet Price
The Enchanted Cottage
1945
Plays Mrs. Mars
Presenting Lily Mars
1943
Plays Mrs. Milwright
Please Believe Me
1950
Plays Aunt Ella
It's Love I'm After
1937
Plays Mummy Tyl
The Blue Bird
1940
Plays Mrs. Brooks
Salty O'Rourke
1945
Plays Mrs. Marshall
I'll Be Seeing You
1944
Plays Mrs. Edna Montville
Because You're Mine
1952
Plays Mama Kingshead
No Room for the Groom
1952
Plays Nona Glenn
Thrill of a Romance
1945
Plays Bridget 'Bridgie' Drake
When Ladies Meet
1941
Plays Gladys Fulton
B.F.'s Daughter
1948
Plays Mrs. Masters
Devil's Doorway
1950
Plays Mrs. Loomis
Bannerline
1951
Plays Mary Coy
The Big Wheel
1949
Plays Mrs. Maybelle Worthington
Rings on Her Fingers
1942
Plays Elizabeth Ellis
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941
Plays Mrs. Harriet Hoyle
According to Mrs. Hoyle
1951
Plays Mrs. Louisa Bartlett
Way Down East
1935
Plays Mrs. Frost
Captain Eddie
1945
Plays Rosa Yancey
The Vanishing Virginian
1942
Plays Clara Malette
My Love Came Back
1940
Plays Agnes Thorndyke
The Skipper Surprised His Wife
1950
Plays Mrs. Mamie West
A Child is Born
1939
Plays Dolly Madison
The Buccaneer
1938
Plays Nancy Potter
The Heavenly Body
1944
Plays Sophia Sommerfield
The Affairs of Martha
1942
Plays Emily Hardy
A Family Affair
1937
Plays Martha Stafford
It Had to Be You
1947
Plays Clara Fields
Love Me Forever
1935
Plays Carlotta Emerson
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941
Plays Mrs. Dexter
Green Light
1937
Plays Mrs. Bellows
Singapore
1947
Plays Justice Amelia Brown
The Rocket Man
1954
TV Shows
Plays Lily Ruskin
December Bride
1954
Plays Daisy Cooper
Laramie
1959
Plays J. Pauline Spaghetti
Batman
1966
Plays Eloise Adams
The Danny Thomas Show
1953
Plays Alice Wagner
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Plays Mrs. Miller
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Plays Aunt Cordelia
The Ford Television Theatre
1952
Plays Mother
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
Plays Mother General
The Flying Nun
1967
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Full Filmography
The Flying Nun
Mother General · 1 episode
1967–
TV
Batman
J. Pauline Spaghetti · 2 episodes
1966–
TV
I Dream of Jeannie
Mother · 1 episode
1965–
TV
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Suzie Robinson
1960
Film
Laramie
Daisy Cooper · 60 episodes
1959–
TV
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Mrs. Miller · 1 episode
1955–
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alice Wagner · 1 episode
1955–
TV
December Bride
Lily Ruskin · 157 episodes
1954–
TV
The Rocket Man
Justice Amelia Brown
1954
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spring Byington still alive?
Spring Byington passed away on September 7, 1971 at age 84.
What are the most famous roles of Spring Byington?
Spring Byington is best known for roles in You Can't Take It with You, Mutiny on the Bounty, Meet John Doe.
How many movies has Spring Byington been in?
Over a 38-year career (since 1933), Spring Byington has appeared in 97 movies and 9 TV shows.
What was Spring Byington's first movie?
The career of Spring Byington began with Little Women (1933).
What is Spring Byington's most recent movie or series?
Spring Byington's most recent release is The Flying Nun, which premiered on September 7, 1967.
What TV shows has Spring Byington appeared in?
On television, Spring Byington has appeared in I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Flying Nun.
Spring Byington
1886-10-16 · Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Spring Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of December Bride. She was a key MGM contract player, appearing in films from the 1930s through the 1960s.