Classic TV actress Nina Shipman, remembered for appearances on beloved shows including The Munsters and The Andy Griffith Show, has died at 88.
Shipman passed away Sunday from natural causes at a hospital in Gardena, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1938, Shipman came from a family deeply rooted in Hollywood.
Her father, Barry Shipman, was a writer known for Westerns and episodes of Lassie, while her mother, Gwynne Shipman, was an actress who appeared in films including Hopalong Cassidy Returns. Her grandmother, Nell Shipman, was also a silent-film star.
After graduating from UCLA and studying acting under legendary teacher Sanford Meisner, Shipman began building a career of her own.
She made an uncredited appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic Vertigo before landing roles in two Bing Crosby movies, Say One for Me in 1959 and High Time in 1960.
She also appeared alongside Fred MacMurray in the 1959 Western The Oregon Trail.
But millions of viewers would come to recognize Shipman from television.
She appeared in a memorable episode of The Munsters titled “Lily Munster, Girl Model,” in which Grandpa Munster, played by Al Lewis, is transformed into a beautiful female model portrayed by Shipman.
Shipman fondly remembered the unusual role decades later.
“It was really kind of cool,” she recalled in 2024, explaining that she performed the lines herself before Lewis’ voice was later dubbed over hers to make the character sound like Grandpa.
Shipman also appeared on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1966 episode “The County Clerk,” playing a nurse who becomes a romantic interest for Howard Sprague, portrayed by Jack Dodson.
Her television résumé stretched across some of the biggest shows of their eras.
Shipman appeared on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Maverick, Bonanza, Rawhide, Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Mod Squad.
Later in her career, she also appeared on Highway to Heaven and General Hospital.
Away from Hollywood, Shipman was married three times.
She married Richard Harrington in 1956, but the couple divorced in 1958. She later married actor and stuntman C. Ransom Walrod in 1961, with that marriage ending in divorce in 1973.
In 1975, Shipman married choral conductor Donald Bremer. They remained together until his death in 2015.
Shipman is survived by her daughters, Westerly and Lani, along with five grandchildren: Bryson, Serena, Cole, Charlie and Clover.
Her death marks the loss of another familiar face from television’s golden age, with a career that placed her alongside some of Hollywood’s most legendary stars.