Carol Kane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Kane
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Kane in 2018
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Carolyn Laurie Kane
June 18, 1952 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1966–present |
Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She is famous for her many roles in movies and TV shows. She became well-known in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of her popular films include Hester Street (1975), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Annie Hall (1977), and The Princess Bride (1987).
Carol Kane also starred in the TV series Taxi in the early 1980s. She played Simka Gravas, the wife of Latka, a character played by Andy Kaufman. For this role, she won two Emmy Awards. Later, she played Madame Morrible in the musical Wicked for many years. From 2015 to 2020, she was a main character, Lillian Kaushtupper, in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. More recently, she plays Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023–present).
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Early Life and First Roles
Carol Kane was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother, Joy, was a jazz singer, teacher, dancer, and pianist. Her family is Jewish, and her grandparents came from Russia, Austria, and Poland. Her parents divorced when she was 12 years old.
She went to a boarding school called Cherry Lawn School. She also studied acting at HB Studio and the Professional Children's School in New York City. Carol Kane started her acting career in a play called The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1966.
Career Highlights
Starting Out in the 1970s
Carol Kane began her movie career as a teenager. She had small parts in films like Desperate Characters and Carnal Knowledge in 1971. In Carnal Knowledge, she became friends with the lead actor, Jack Nicholson.
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In 1975, Kane starred in Hester Street. She played a Russian-Jewish immigrant trying to fit in New York in the early 1900s. Her acting in this film earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She says this is still her favorite role. Also in 1975, she was a bank teller in the crime movie Dog Day Afternoon. This was her first time working with Al Pacino.
After these serious roles, Carol Kane showed her talent for comedy. She appeared in Gene Wilder's 1977 comedy The World's Greatest Lover. This movie helped people see her funny side. That same year, she was in Woody Allen's romantic comedy Annie Hall. She also acted in horror films like When a Stranger Calls (1979). It's funny because she admits she can't even watch horror movies herself!
Taxi and Comedy Roles in the 1980s
From 1980 to 1983, Carol Kane played Simka Dahblitz-Gravas on the TV show Taxi. She played the wife of Andy Kaufman's character, Latka. She won two Emmy Awards for her work on Taxi. This role really helped her become known for comedy.
In 1987, she appeared in The Princess Bride, a popular fantasy movie. She played a witch in the film. In 1988, she was in Scrooged with Bill Murray. She played a funny, modern version of the Ghost of Christmas Present. Critics said she was the "comic highlight" of the movie. She also appeared in My Blue Heaven (1990) with Steve Martin.
TV and Film in the 1990s and Early 2000s
Carol Kane was a regular on the NBC show American Dreamer from 1990 to 1991. In 1993, she played Grandmama Addams in Addams Family Values. This movie reunited her with her Taxi co-star, Christopher Lloyd. She also made guest appearances on popular shows like Seinfeld (1994) and Ellen (1996).
She continued to act in many films during this time, including Jawbreaker (1999) and My First Mister (2001). In 1999, she even made a cameo in Man on the Moon, a movie about Andy Kaufman, playing her Taxi character.
Wicked and Beyond
From 2005 to 2014, Carol Kane was famous for playing Madame Morrible in the Broadway musical Wicked. She performed this role in different cities and on Broadway.
In 2014, she had a recurring role on the TV series Gotham. She played Gertrude Kapelput, the mother of Oswald Cobblepot, also known as Penguin.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Recent Work
In 2015, Kane joined the cast of the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She played Lillian Kaushtupper, the landlord of the main character. She joined the show because she admired the creator, Tina Fey. This show ran for four seasons, making it one of her longest TV roles. She even came back for an interactive special called Kimmy vs the Reverend.
She continued to appear in movies like The Sisters Brothers (2018) and The Dead Don't Die (2019). In 2020, she was in the Amazon series Hunters with her old friend Al Pacino.
In 2022, it was announced that Carol Kane would join Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as Chief Engineer Pelia. She had never seen the original Star Trek before! In 2023, she was cast in an upcoming comedy film called Between the Temples.
Personal Life
Carol Kane is often recognized for her unique, high, and breathy voice. Over the years, her voice has become a bit rougher.
Awards and Recognitions
Carol Kane has received several awards and nominations for her acting:
- In 1976, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Hester Street.
- She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on the TV series Taxi in 1982 and 1983.
- She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Taxi in 1983.
- In 1996, she received another Emmy nomination for her guest role in Chicago Hope.
- In 2024, she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for Between the Temples.
See also
In Spanish: Carol Kane para niños
