Irish McCalla
| Irish McCalla | |
|---|---|
1961 publicity still
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| Born |
December 25, 1928 Pawnee City, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2002 (aged 73) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film, television actress |
| Spouse(s) | Patrick McIntyre (1951-57); 2 sons Patrick Horgan (1964-69) Chuck Rowland (1982-89; separated) |
Nellie Elizabeth "Irish" McCalla (December 25, 1928 – February 1, 2002) was an American actress and artist best known as the title star of the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Sheena co-starred actor Chris Drake. McCalla was also a "Vargas Girl" model for pinup girl artist Alberto Vargas.
Born in Pawnee City, Nebraska, she was one of eight siblings born to Lloyd, a butcher, and Nettie (née Geiger) McCalla. The family moved often, settling in Des Moines, Iowa in late 1939 when Lloyd began working for Condon Bros. meat dealers. The family lived at 1070 10th Street. Nellie attended Washington Irving Junior High School before the family moved to Marshalltown, Iowa in November 1941, and Omaha, Nebraska in September 1942, before returning to Pawnee City, where she completed high school. At 17, she joined some of her siblings in Southern California, where she worked as a waitress and at an aircraft factory.
In 1951, she married insurance salesman Patrick McIntyre, with whom she had two sons. McCalla was already a popular pinup model by 1952, when she and several other models appeared in the film River Goddesses, comprising voluptuous young women frolicking in Glen Canyon.
In a newspaper interview, McCalla recalled being discovered by a Nassour Studios representative while throwing a bamboo spear on a Malibu, California, beach, adding of her Sheena experience, "I couldn't act, but I could swing through the trees". Her 26-episode series aired in first-run syndication from 1955-56.
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