- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGloria Carolyn Hirst
- Height5′ 1½″ (1.56 m)
- Born in Los Angeles, Gloria worked in show business as a child. Small roles in movies led Gloria to be cast as Jackie Gleason's daughter "Babs" on the television series "The Life of Riley" (1949). This show ran during the 1949-50 season. Her next television series was "Sky King" (1951), wherein she was cast as the niece, "Penny". This show ran from 1951 to 1959, and during that run Gloria began dating Dean Vernon, the show's sound engineer. This dating soon led to marriage. Gloria also played "Penny" in the comedy 'Hold That Line (1952)', which starred the Bowery Boys. Gloria retired from show business after "Sky King" ended, but she remained close to Kirby Grant until his death in 1985.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
- SpouseDean Vernon(November 28, 1959 - August 3, 2001) (his death)
- Wrote the 1964 book "Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity" which was used in the 1996 grunge song Popular by Nada Surf
- 1957 Deb Star.
- Younger sister of Phyllis Hurst.
- Sister of Alan Hurst.
- [about working on Sky King (1951)] The relationship [with series star Kirby Grant] lasted all our lives. Kirby was the ultimate. He was serious about seeing things done right, but he also had a sense of humor. We did personal appearances together. Kirby sang . . . and I was a singer, so we did a solo and a number together and traveled all around, even after the series ended. Ewing Mitchell, who played the sheriff, had a ranch near our home in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He'd ride in the parades every New Year's Day. Everybody was a huge tease. They'd pull all kinds of tricks. I was the victim and I loved it.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
