英语文摘:Actress Barbara Billingsley dies at 94

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Actress Barbara Billingsley, who was best known for her portrayal of June Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver," passed away Saturday morning at her home in Santa Monica, California. She was 94.

Born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles on Dec. 22, 1915, Billingsley began playing drama in the mid-1930s. Due to her early film experience, she appeared at many sitcoms.

Actress Barbara Billingsley, one of the stars of the television show "Leave It To Beaver," poses as she arrives at the first annual TV Land Awards in Hollywood, California, in this March 2, 2003 file photo. Billingsley, who played the quintessential suburban American mom on the 1950s television comedy, died on October 16, 2010 at age 94.

Billingsley played an everyday mother June Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver" which debuted in 1957 and has been aired for six seasons. The comedy has attained an iconic status, representing the idealized suburban American family of the mid-twentieth century.

The portrayal was so successful that Billingsley had reprised it three times. She also appeared in movies including "The Careless Years"(1957), "Airplane!"(1980) and the 1997 film version of "Leave It to Beaver."

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and lifetime mentor Barbara Billingsley," Jerry Mathers, who played The Beaver on "Leave It to Beaver" told entertainment website TMZ. "She will live in the hearts of her fans as a wonderful actress and be remembered by her friends as a gracious lady."

In May 2008, the Academy of Television Arts & Science presented "A Salute to TV Moms" in honor of Billingsley and other 10 veteran actresses.