Carrie Hamilton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carrie Hamilton
Hamilton at the White House in 1983
Born	Carrie Louise Hamilton (1963-12-05)December 5, 1963 New York City, U.S.
Died	January 20, 2002(2002-01-20) (aged 38) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Burial place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Alma mater	Pepperdine University
Occupation	Actress playwright singer
Known for	Fame Tokyo Pop
Spouse(s)	Mark Templin ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1998)​
Parent(s)	Joe Hamilton Carol Burnett
Relatives	Erin Hamilton (sister) Kipp Hamilton (aunt)

Carrie Louise Hamilton (born December 5, 1963 – died January 20, 2002) was a talented American actress, writer for plays, and singer. She was the daughter of famous comedian Carol Burnett and producer Joe Hamilton. Carrie was also the older sister of Jody Hamilton and singer Erin Hamilton. She was known for her roles in the TV show Fame and the movie Tokyo Pop.

About Carrie's Life and Career

Carrie Hamilton worked in many different shows and movies. She also performed on stage. She studied music and acting at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Early Roles and Stage Work

Carrie played the character Reggie Higgins in the TV show Fame. This was during the show's fifth and sixth seasons, from 1985 to 1987. She also performed as Maureen Johnson in the first national tour of the musical Rent. People really loved her performance in that show.

Movies Carrie Starred In

One of Carrie's well-known movies was Tokyo Pop (1988). In this film, she played an American singer who travels to Japan. There, she connects with a singer named Yutaka Tadokoro and his band. They even made it into the Top Ten of the Tokyo pop charts! Carrie sang several songs in the movie herself.

In 1992, Carrie had a smaller role in the live-action movie Cool World. This film featured actors like Gabriel Byrne, Kim Basinger, and Brad Pitt.

Family and TV Appearances

Carrie Hamilton married musician Mark Templin in 1994. Their wedding took place on the same sound stage where The Carol Burnett Show was filmed. They later divorced in 1998.

Carrie sometimes appeared on television with her mother, Carol Burnett. In 1987, Carol Burnett was a guest star on an episode of Fame called "Reggie and Rose." Carrie and her mother also starred together in a 1988 TV movie called Hostage.

They appeared on five episodes of Family Feud in 1995. They competed with Carrie's husband Mark Templin and his mother. In 1997, Carrie and Carol starred in an episode of Touched by an Angel. Carrie played a young woman who wanted to be a Broadway star. Her mother, played by Carol Burnett, had also tried for Broadway fame.

In 1999, Carrie Hamilton starred in a popular episode of The X-Files. The episode was titled "Monday." She played Pam, a character who was stuck reliving the same day over and over again.

Inspiration for a Song and a Play

Carrie was the inspiration for a hit song in 1983 called "Carrie's Gone." Her former boyfriend, Fergie Frederiksen, wrote the song after they broke up. His band, LeRoux, recorded it.

Carrie also worked with her mother, Carol Burnett, to turn Carol's book, One More Time, into a stage play. The play was called Hollywood Arms. Sadly, Carrie passed away before she could see the play produced.

To honor her daughter, Carol Burnett wrote a book called Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story. This book was released in 2014. It became a New York Times bestselling memoir. People Magazine called it a "loving, poignant" tribute to Carol's oldest daughter.

Carrie's Passing

Carrie Hamilton passed away on January 20, 2002, in Los Angeles, California. She was 38 years old. She died from pneumonia and cancer. She is buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Honoring Carrie's Memory

In July 2006, a theater was named after Carrie Hamilton. The Balcony Theatre of the Pasadena Playhouse became the Carrie Hamilton Theatre. Carol Burnett is a board member there. This theater hosts readings and other performances. In 2007, a famous architect named Frank Gehry was chosen to redesign the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.

On March 23, 2010, Carol Burnett helped create the Anaheim University Carrie Hamilton Entertainment Institute. At the event, a quote from Carrie Hamilton was read. It talks about the importance of art and how we touch others' lives:

ABOUT ART...The legacy is really the lives we touch, the inspiration we give, altering someone's plan – if even for a moment, and getting them to think, rage, cry, laugh, argue...walk around the block, dazed...(I do that a lot after seeing powerful theater!) More than anything, we are remembered for our smiles; the ones we share with our closest and dearest, and the ones we bestow on a total stranger, who needed it then, and God put you there to deliver.

Carrie's Work in Film

• Love Lives On (1985, played Kathy)
• Hostage (1988, played Bonnie Lee Hopkin, with Carol Burnett)
• Tokyo Pop (1988, played Wendy Reed)
• Shag (1989, played Nadine)
• Single Women, Married Men (1989, played April Clay)
• Checkered Flag (1990, played Alex Cross)
• A Mother's Justice (1991, played Debbie)
• Cool World (1992, played a comic-book store cashier)

Carrie's Work in Television Series

• Fame (played Reggie Higgins, 1986–1987, 29 episodes)
• Knightwatch (1988, one episode)
• Murder, She Wrote (played Geraldine Stone, 1990, one episode)
• Equal Justice (played Jillian Weeks, 1991, one episode)
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (played Sky, 1991, one episode)
• Thirtysomething (played Callie Huffs, 1991, one episode)
• Walker, Texas Ranger (played Mary Beth McCall, 1995, two episodes)
• Touched by an Angel (played Allison Bennett, 1997, one episode, with Carol Burnett)
• Brooklyn South (played Gerrie Fallon-Scranton, 1998, one episode)
• The X-Files (played Pam, 1999, one episode - "Monday")
• The Pretender (played Jill Arnold, 2000, one episode)

Songs Carrie Performed

• "Where Does the Night Begin?" (on Fame)
• "Always You" (on Fame)
• "Who Put the Bomp" (on Fame)
• "The Shoop Shoop Song" (on Fame)
• "Some Day, Some Way" (on Fame)
• "We Are the Ones" (on Fame)
• "Catch Me I'm Falling Fast" (on Fame)
• "Look and Learn" (on Fame)
• "It's Love I'm After, After All" (on Fame)
• "East of Eden" (on Fame)
• "Only Love Will Hold Fast" (on Fame)
• "We Have The Right" (on Fame)
• "Think" (on Fame)
• "See Your Face Again" (on Fame)
• "He Looks Like Romeo" (on Fame)
• "A Couple of Swells" (on Fame)
• "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" (on Tokyo Pop)
• "Do You Believe in Magic?" (on Tokyo Pop)
• "Never Forget" (on Tokyo Pop)
• "Home on the Range" (on Tokyo Pop)
• "Diff'rent God" (music video)
• "I Am a Boy" (music video)