Nancy Wolcott McKeown was an actress and dancer but still gained popularity as the ex-wife of Buddy Ebsen. Let’s dig deep and see if there is more to Nancy’s life than just being an ex-wife.
Nancy Wolcott McKeown’s early life
Nancy was born on 11 August 1918 in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Nancy was a lieutenant in Coast Guard and later she went to North Shore Country Day School as a child and growing up she took an interest in acting and performing. Nancy got into Vassar College in New York. Nancy was lucky to have Hallie Flanagan as her mentor in Vasser. Nancy then joined the Valley Vagabonds, a New York theater club for arts and performance.
While working as an actress Nancy came in contact with Buddy, a dominant figure in acting and dancing. Buddy was already at the peak of his career when he met Nancy.
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was a household name in the 60s. You can even ask your grandparents about Buddy and they might recall him from shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones and as tinman in Wizard of Oz. Buddy was known for his amazing dance performances, fitness affiliation and his passion for acting.
With a six feet three inch height and a dashing smile Ebsen could quickly make his place in the heart of any young girl. Any new development in Ebsen’s life was always covered by the media. Surely working with Ebsen could make you popular but marrying him could take you to cloud nine and this is exactly what Nancy did.
Nancy Wolcott McKeown and Buddy Ebsen
Nancy and Buddy met because of the same line of work. Buddy was a well established name in the industry then and Nancy was an up and coming name. Their frequent meetings made them fall in love and they decided to get married, except there was one hiccup, Buddy was already married to Ruth Cambridge.
Ruth and Buddy were married for 12 years and Nancy came in like a storm and broke the standing marriage, this became sensational news at the time and was the most talked about event in the film industry that year. All the publicity and fame didn’t really work out for Nancy, the news articles stated her as Buddy Ebsen’s new wife and slowly and steadily she was known as Buddy Ebsen’s wife and the name Nancy Wolcott McKeown faded with time.
With Nancy being overshadowed by Ebsen both literally and figuratively Nancy dropped out of working in Hollywood. Nancy and Buddy then had four daughters and one son. Among their children Kiki Ebsen was the only one who pursued singing and performing, making her a prodigy child.
Buddy and Nancy were looking solid for decades but in 1985 after 39 years of marriage Buddy and Nancy got divorced. After divorce Nancy got away from Buddy but failed to get away from his image. Nancy was now known as Ebsen’s ex-wife and still remained underappreciated.
Conclusion
Nancy was a coast Guard Lieutenant, a singer, an actress and a dancer. She raised four daughters and a son and the best she could get from life was being known as Ebsen’s ex-wife through no fault of her own she couldn’t shake this title from her, Nancy’s story will always be a reminder for everyone that a good name you earn through hard work can easily fall short under a bigger influence.