Actress was wife of ‘Five-0’ creator

Rose Freeman, former actress and widow of Leonard Freeman, creator of the original “Hawaii Five-0” television series, died Sunday at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a brief illness. She was 83.

Acting under the name Joan Taylor, she appeared in 38 film and television projects from the late 1940s to 1963, starring in “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” and

“20 Million Miles to Earth.” One of her favorite roles was as Milly Scott in “The Rifleman” TV series, which put her alongside Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford.

Freeman stopped acting when her children were young and focused on raising them, said oldest daughter Robin Freeman Bernstein, who was 8 at the time.

After Leonard Freeman died in 1974, Rose Freeman focused on managing “Hawaii Five-0,” her husband’s “most beloved creation,” Bernstein said. The original version of the series ran from 1968 to 1980. The new version, now in its second season, premiered in September 2010.

“It was her purpose in getting up in the morning and how lucky at 83 she had a purpose in her life,” Bernstein said. “Her family was very grateful for this. It kept her young.”

Rose Freeman was born in Lake Forest, Ill. Her mother was a vaudeville singer and dancer and her father was a Hollywood prop man who went on to run a movie theater.

She headed west at 18 and became an actress at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where she met her future husband during a production of “Here Comes Mr. Jordan.”

Bernstein described her mother as a generous woman with a big heart. “She was just one of the most loving souls and everybody felt loved in her presence,” she said.

Peter Lenkov, executive producer of the new “Five-0,” told Bernstein her mother would be honored with a tribute at the end of the March 19 episode. In an emailed statement, Lenkov said he would miss his friendship with Freeman.

“Rose was one of a kind, smart, beautiful — a great mother, grandmother and wife,” he said. “We are honored to be able to keep her husband’s legacy alive. She was the torchbearer in many ways. We counted on Rose for feedback and to help keep the course set.”

Freeman is survived by three daughters, two brothers and six grandchildren.

Information on services was not available. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to: Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 and Skirball Hospice, 6345 Balboa Blvd., Suite 213, Encino, CA 91316.