Nina Shipman, 1938 – 2026

Actress Nina Shipman, 88, died on Sept. 6. Shipman was from a show-business family: her parents, Barry and Gwynne Shipman, were a screenwriter and actress, respectively, her grandfather Ernest Shipman was a Shakespearean actor, and her grandmother, Nell Shipman, was a silent movie actress. Nina started her career as a model and beauty queen (queen of the 33rd annual Great Western Livestock Rodeo!). From the 1950s through her retirement in the 1980s, Shipman was a regular presence on TV, in Perry Mason, Maverick, Burke’s Law, The Beverly Hillbillies, 77 Sunset Strip, Dr. Kildare, The Munsters, The Andy Griffith Show, The Mod Squad, Family Affair, and many others. She also turned up in such films as Blue Denim, Vertigo, Compulsion, Wake Me When It’s Over, High Time, and The Oregon Trail. In the 1980s, she hosted the public-service series Contemporary Health Issues. “I have had ‘be prepared’ drilled into me ever since I can remember,” Shipman once said. “No matter when you leave the house, be prepared to meet anyone without apologies, my mother always told me. And she felt the same thing applies around the house: be prepared for an unexpected visitor. This has become a habit with me now I’ve been very glad that I’ve followed her advice on many occasions.”