Veteran actress Eileen Brennan passed away in her home on Sunday at the age of 80, as her manager confirmed the news that she had lost her battle with bladder cancer, according to the New York Times. Brennan was an accomplished stage, film and TV actress with a career that spanned almost 50 years, having been a regular performer on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In in 1968, and stealing scenes in such motion pictures as The Last Picture Show, The Sting and the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin, among others. Brennan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Captain Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin.
But she’ll always be Mrs. Peacock from the motion picture Clue to me and so many other people who have adored that 1985 cult classic, as I still use the term beatnik as an insult among my friends on occasion. I also still sometimes sing, “I… am… a singing telegram BANG!” but that’s really neither here nor there. What matters is that we celebrate the life and career of a great actress, and I’ve included a few of Mrs. Peacock’s best moments below.
And this isn’t a Brennan moment, but it still involves Mrs. Peacock and makes me laugh.
