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Elizabeth Teresa "Terry" Burnham (August 8, 1949 – October 7, 2013[1]) was an American actress. She had most of her career as a child actress in television series. She is best known for her performance in the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare as a Child", which originally aired in 1960.[6]
Burnham played the young daughter of Lana Turner's character in the film Imitation of Life (1959), which was widely popular. Burnham retired from acting in 1971.[6]
Elizabeth Teresa Burnham was born on August 8, 1949, in Los Angeles, California. She was the younger of two children born to Guy Calvin Burnham, an aeronautics engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company, and his wife Elizabeth Teresa Buelna Symons, a homemaker.[3][7][8] She was raised Catholic and attended St. Maria Goretti Catholic School,[9] St. Cornelius School,[3] Mark Twain Middle School,[10][11] and Bancroft Junior High School.[12]
On December 22, 1955, Burnham made her television debut at age six alongside Brandon deWilde in the series Climax!, in an episode entitled "The Day They Gave the Babies Away". (This was based on the 1946 novel of the same title). This novel was also adapted for the 1957 film All Mine to Give).
More prominent roles soon followed, most notably in 1957 with "Let There Be Light", an episode of the series M Squad. It co-starred Burnham and series regular Lee Marvin, whom Terry later singled out as her favorite actor.[3] Also that year, Burnham was set to star in a new child-centered series, Turquoise, Inc., whose writer/producers Dick Chevillat and Ray Singer touted her as "TV's first Shirley Temple".[13] That projected series was never produced, but a year later, Burnham appeared on an episode of Temple's own series, entitled "The Magic Fishbone". It was adapted by Margaret Fitts from the Charles Dickens short story of the same name.[14][15]
Burnham first attracted national attention as the 8-year-old daughter "Susie" of Lana Turner's character in Imitation of Life (1959).[16] Sandra Dee played the girl as a teenager.
Burnham worked in numerous episodes of TV series through the late 1950s and 1960s. She retired from acting in 1971.[6]
On October 7, 2013, Terry Burnham died of a cardiac arrest.[1] As she had no surviving next of kin, her unclaimed cremated remains were stored at Los Angeles County Crematorium. On August 8, 2018, which would have been her 69th birthday, Burnham's ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach.[9]
| Year | Title | Director | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Climax! | Allen Reisner | NA | "The Day They Gave Babies Away" | [10] |
| 1957 | Whirlybirds | Allen H. Miner | Josie Fisher | "Rampage" | [3][17] |
| 1957 | I Love Lucy | James V. Kern | Girl at birthday party (uncredited) | "Lucy and Superman" | [17] |
| 1958, 1960 | M Squad | John Brahm, Paul Stewart | Laurie Grayson, Patti Blocker | "Let There Be Light," "Hideout" | [18][19] |
| 1958 | Hi, Grandma! | Arch Oboler | NA | [20] | |
| 1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Oscar Rudolph | Princess | "The Magic Fishbone" | [21] |
| 1959 | The Danny Thomas Show | Sheldon Leonard | Girl in Play | "Bob Hope and Danny Become Directors" | [17] |
| 1959, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964 | Wagon Train | Allen H. Miner, David Butler, Mitchell Leisen, Jerry Hopper, Joseph Pevney | Marguerite Lindstrom (uncredited), Mary Belle MacAbee, Prudence, Marie Lefton, Charlotte Endicott | "The Ella Lindstrom Story," "The Jess MacAbee Story," "The Patience Miller Story," "The Martin Gatsby Story," "The Melanie Craig Story" | [3][17] |
| 1959 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Earl Bellamy | Josie Brown | "The Branding Iron" | [3][22] |
| 1959 | Cimarron City | Jerry Hopper | Cynthia Barton | "The Unaccepted" | [3][17] |
| 1959 | Imitation of Life | Douglas Sirk | Susie (6) | [23] | |
| 1959 | Colt .45 | William J. Hole Jr. | Emily Bass | "The Saga of Sam Bass" | [17] |
| 1959 | The Rough Riders | Franklin Adreon | Molly | "The Wagon Raiders" (aka "Ambush") | [23] |
| 1959, 1961, 1962 | General Electric Theater | David Butler, John Rich, Charles F. Haas | Cissy Owens, Lily, Penny | "The Day of the Hanging," "Labor of Love," "Go Fight City Hall" | [17] |
| 1960 | The Twilight Zone | Alvin Ganzer | Markie | "Nightmare as a Child" | [24] |
| 1960 | Markham | R. Hamer Norris | Judy Frost | "The Cruelest Thief" | [17] |
| 1960 | Hawaiian Eye | Alvin Ganzer | Patty Seldon | "With This Ring" | [25] |
| 1960 | Key Witness | Phil Karlson | Gloria Morrow | [24] | |
| 1960 | Shotgun Slade | NA | Linda | "Ghost of Yucca Flats" | [17] |
| 1960, 1962 | Thriller | Paul Henreid, Jules Bricken | Tessa Kilburn, Joan Wilson (uncredited) | "The Mark of the Hand," "The Fingers of Fear" | [17] |
| 1961 | 87th Precinct | John Brahm | Jane Mencken | "Killer's Payoff" | [26][23] |
| 1962 | I Love My Doctor | David Butler | Liz Barkley | TV pilot | [27] |
| 1962, 1963 | Leave It to Beaver | David Butler, Hugh Beaumont | Virginia, Beaver's Date (uncredited) | "Beaver's Autobiography," "Lumpy's Scholarship" | [17] |
| 1964 | The Magical World of Disney | Byron Paul | Willadean Wills | "For the Love of Willadean: A Treasure in the Haunted House," "For the Love of Willadean: A Taste of Melon" | [28] |
| 1966 | Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! | George Marshall | Doris Meade | [23] | |
| 1966 | My Three Sons | James V. Kern | "Call Her Max," "Grandma's Girl" | Georgie, Gail McGee | [29][30][17] |
| 1967, 1969 | Family Affair | Charles Barton | Ingrid, Rita Stone | "Best of Breed," "Cissy's Apartment" | [17] |
| 1967 | Insight | Paul Stanley | Ellen Harriman | "Seeds of Dissent" | [31] |
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