Elaine Stritch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elaine Stritch
Portrait by Allan Warren, 1973
Born	(1925-02-02)February 2, 1925 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	July 17, 2014(2014-07-17) (aged 89) Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer comedian
Years active	1944–2014
Spouse(s)	John Bay ​ ​ (m. 1973; died 1982)​

Elaine Stritch (born February 2, 1925 – died July 17, 2014) was a famous American actress and singer. She was well-known for her work on Broadway stages and later on television. Elaine started her acting career in 1944. She appeared in many plays, musicals, movies, and TV shows. In 1995, she was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Elaine Stritch first appeared on Broadway in 1946 in a comedy called Loco. She was nominated for four Tony Awards, which are big awards for theater. These nominations were for her roles in the play Bus Stop (1956), the musical Sail Away (1962), and the musical Company (1970). In Company, she sang a famous song called "The Ladies Who Lunch". She also got a nomination for the play A Delicate Balance (1996). Her own show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, won a Tony Award in 2002 for being a special theatrical event.

In the 1970s, Elaine moved to London. There, she starred in several West End shows, which are like London's Broadway. She also acted with Donald Sinden in a British TV comedy called Two's Company (1975–79). This role earned her a BAFTA TV Award nomination in 1979. She won an Emmy Award in 1993 for a guest role on Law & Order. She won another Emmy in 2004 for a TV documentary about her show Elaine Stritch at Liberty. From 2007 to 2012, she played Colleen Donaghy on the TV show 30 Rock, which won her a third Emmy in 2007.

Early Life and Family

Elaine Stritch was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 2, 1925. She was the youngest daughter of Mildred and George Joseph Stritch. Her father worked as an executive for a company called B.F. Goodrich. Elaine had two older sisters, Georgene and Sally. Her family was Catholic and had a good life. Her father had Irish roots, and her mother had Welsh ancestry. A famous church leader, Cardinal Samuel Stritch, was one of her cousins. Elaine studied acting at The New School in New York City. She learned from a teacher named Erwin Piscator, and some of her classmates were Marlon Brando and Bea Arthur.

Elaine Stritch's Acting Career

Starting on Stage

Elaine Stritch began acting on stage in 1944. Her first Broadway show was Loco in 1946. After that, she appeared in Made in Heaven and then Angel in the Wings in 1947. In Angel in the Wings, she performed funny sketches and sang a song called "Civilization".

She was a backup actress for Ethel Merman in the musical Call Me Madam. At the same time, she was in a 1952 show called Pal Joey, where she sang "Zip". Later, Elaine starred in a national tour of Call Me Madam. She also had a supporting role in the original Broadway play Bus Stop. In 1958, she played the main role of Maggie Harris in the musical Goldilocks.

In 1961, she starred in Noël Coward's Sail Away on Broadway. Elaine's role in the show grew bigger because audiences loved her. A director suggested giving her more songs and a bigger part. When the show opened, a newspaper critic said Elaine gave "the performance of her career."

In 1966, she played Ruth Sherwood in the musical Wonderful Town in New York. In 1968, she appeared in an Off-Broadway show called Private Lives.

She was the first actress to play Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company (1970) on Broadway. After many successful years in New York, Elaine moved to London in 1972. There, she also starred in the London production of Company. She also performed in musicals like No, No, Nanette, The King and I, and Mame.

Television Roles

Elaine Stritch's first TV appearances were in The Growing Paynes (1949) and the Goodyear Television Playhouse (1953–55). She also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1954. She was the first actress to play Trixie Norton in a Honeymooners sketch.

Elaine Stritch in 1996

Elaine also appeared in many TV dramas in the 1950s and 1960s, including Studio One. In 1960, she played writer Ruth Sherwood in the TV comedy My Sister Eileen. She played a character looking for her lost son in an episode of Wagon Train in 1960.

In 1975, Elaine starred in the British comedy series Two's Company with Donald Sinden. She played Dorothy McNab, an American writer living in London. The show was funny because of the differences between Dorothy's American style and her English butler's very British ways. Two's Company was very popular in Britain and ran for four seasons. In 1979, both Elaine and Donald were nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for their roles.

In 1980, Elaine starred in another British series called Nobody's Perfect. She played Bill Hooper alongside Richard Griffiths. Elaine herself helped change the American scripts to fit the British show.

Other British TV shows Elaine appeared in included Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. She also read stories on the BBC 1 children's series, Jackanory, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

After returning to the United States, she appeared on The Edge of Night. She also had a regular role on The Ellen Burstyn Show in 1986. She played a strict schoolteacher, Mrs. McGee, on three episodes of The Cosby Show (1989–90). She had a recurring role on Law & Order (1992, 1997) as Lanie Stieglitz. She also played Judge Grace Lema on Oz (1998) and Martha Albright on 3rd Rock From the Sun (1997, 2001). From 2007, she made guest appearances on the NBC comedy 30 Rock as Colleen, the strong mother of Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy.

Elaine was considered for a role on The Golden Girls, but she said she "blew her audition." The role went to Beatrice Arthur. She also appeared on One Life to Live (1993) and on Late Show with David Letterman in 1996.

Film Appearances

Elaine Stritch acted in more movies later in her career. She found making movies interesting and wanted to do more. She said that acting in a play was like being with audiences for a year, while a movie was only for a few months.

Early in her career, she appeared in Three Violent People (1956) with Charlton Heston. She also co-starred with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones in A Farewell to Arms (1957). In The Perfect Furlough, she co-starred with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. She had a notable role in the film Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965). She played a tough nurse in The Spiral Staircase (1975) and was praised for her acting in Providence (1977).

When she came back to the United States in the mid-1980s, Woody Allen cast her as a former movie star mother in his film September (1987). People magazine said her performance was "acclaimed." Allen later cast her in his comedy Small Time Crooks (2000).

She joined the cast of Cocoon: The Return (1988). She played an apartment manager who helped a man named Jack Gilford after his wife died. She appeared in Out to Sea (1997) as Dyan Cannon's funny mother. She also played Winona Ryder's grandmother in the film Autumn in New York (2000).

Elaine had a co-starring role in the comedy Screwed (2000). She also appeared in the comedy Monster-in-Law (2005) with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, playing Fonda's mother-in-law.

Radio and Later Stage Work

In 1982, Elaine Stritch appeared on a BBC Radio comedy show called Just a Minute. She was known for bending the show's rules in a funny way.

After her husband, John Bay, passed away in 1982, Elaine returned to America and started performing again. She appeared in a concert of Company in 1993. In 1994, she played Parthy in a Broadway revival of the musical Show Boat.

In 1996, she played Claire in a new production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance.

Elaine Stritch at Liberty

Her one-woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, told the story of her life and career. It first opened in New York in 2001. Then it moved to Broadway in 2002 and later to London.

A Little Night Music

Elaine appeared in the Broadway revival of the musical A Little Night Music from July 2010 to January 2011. She took over the role of Madame Armfeldt from Angela Lansbury.

Cabaret Shows

Elaine Stritch performed cabaret shows in New York City at the Cafe Carlyle. She lived at the Carlyle Hotel from 2005 until she left New York in 2013. Her first show there was called "At Home at the Carlyle".

During her shows, Elaine would sing songs and tell stories from her life on stage and screen. She shared personal moments, both sad and happy. She performed at the Cafe Carlyle in 2010 and 2011 with a show called At Home at the Carlyle: Elaine Stritch Singin' Sondheim...One Song at a Time.

Personal Life

Elaine Stritch was married to actor John Bay from 1973 until he passed away in 1982. John's family owned the Bay's English Muffins company. Elaine would often send English muffins as gifts to her friends. She was good friends with gossip columnist Liz Smith, and they even shared the same birthday.

In March 2013, Elaine announced she was leaving New York. She moved to Birmingham, Michigan, which was close to where she grew up.

Passing Away

Elaine Stritch passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Birmingham, Michigan, on July 17, 2014. She was 89 years old. She had been dealing with diabetes and had stomach cancer. However, cancer was not listed as the direct cause of her death. She was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Cook County, Illinois.

Awards and Honors

The Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event was given to the producers of Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Elaine happily accepted the award at the 56th Tony Awards.

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special for the HBO special of Elaine Stritch at Liberty was given to its producers.

Elaine Stritch was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1995, recognizing her important contributions to theater.

Acting Credits

Theatre Performances

Filmography

Television Roles

• Two's Company (1975 - 1979) - Dorothy McNab
• 30 Rock (2007-2012) - Colleen Donaghy
• Wagon Train Season 3 Episode 22 - Guest Star as the title character in "The Tracy Sadler Story" (aired 3/8/1960).

See also

In Spanish: Elaine Stritch para niños