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1-9 of 9
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Her trademark sass complemented by a distinctively adenoidal voice that could out-snarl Eartha Kitt and Fran Drescher put together, short (4'11"), round, and robust Nell Carter was one indomitable, in-your-face firecracker...and it made her a star. She was born Nell Ruth Hardy in 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama and raised there, one of nine children born to Horace and Edna Hardy. She grew up listening to the sounds of Dinah Washington and Elvis Presley and developed an early interest in singing that led to performances in various youth groups, her church choir, on local radio and even the gospel circuit. This was a positive distraction from the major traumas suffered during her early life which included the tragic death of her father, who was electrocuted when he accidentally stepped on a live power line, and a rape at gunpoint when she was a young teenager.
By age 19, Carter had relocated to New York where she found work singing in assorted niteries (Rainbow Room, Sweeney's), cafés, and musical revues to her liking. Studying at Bill Russell's School of Drama from 1970 to 1973, she made her Broadway debut in "Soon", a two-act musical show that lasted two days, and included such up-and-comers as Richard Gere, Peter Allen and Barry Bostwick. Other musical roles came with "Dude" (1972), "Be Kind to People Week" (1975) and "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope" (1976). Receiving further training in London, Carter, who continued to gain both in girth and talent, made a star-making leap when she was cast alongside Armelia McQueen, Charlayne Woodard, André De Shields and Ken Page in the 1978 ensemble revue, "Ain't Misbehavin'", a musical catalogue of Fats Waller songs. The stellar quintet ran for nearly four years and the scene-stealing Carter, with such show-stopping songs as "Mean to Me" and "Cash for Your Trash", received a multitude of awards, including the Theatre World, Drama Desk, Obie and Tony. The show was taped for TV in 1982 for which Carter also nabbed the Emmy, and a Broadway revival with all five performers reunited was restaged in 1988. Later musical vehicles included her own feisty version of "Dolly Levi" in a 1991 African-American revival.
Tough and temperamental with a larger-than-life presence, Carter was invariably drawn toward the small screen and was initially featured in the daytime soap Ryan's Hope (1975) and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979), the latter perfectly cast as a police sergeant. Audiences took to her immediately and, eventually, she was handed her own vehicle as the loving but no-nonsense housekeeper of a white family in the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! (1981). That show, which ran for six seasons, earned her two additional Emmy nominations for "Best Actress in a Comedy". Following this, she co-starred on You Take the Kids (1990), which fizzled, and the already established Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) as Mark Curry's boss. Other spunky guest shots over time included such popular programs as Amen (1986), 227 (1985), Touched by an Angel (1994), Ally McBeal (1997) and Reba (2001), as well as quiz show participations on Match Game (1990) and To Tell the Truth (1990). Her work in films, which included a standout musical song ("White Boys") in Milos Forman's film adaptation of Hair (1979) and a touching role as Piper Laurie's housekeeper in The Grass Harp (1995), was never fully engaged. Carter was notoriously opinionated and audaciously candid as a person, a true survivor in her off-stage life, which was riddled with misfortune. She endured constant weight problems and severe alcohol/cocaine habits (recovered) as well as two divorces, a suicide attempt, several miscarriages, bankruptcy, the death of a brother from AIDS and multiple surgeries after suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1992. She battled diabetes for much of her adult life and once collapsed on stage during a 1997 performance of "Annie", in which she played the boisterous "Miss Hannigan". To comfort and complete herself, she studied and adopted Judaism as her religion. In 1989 and 1990, she adopted two infant sons, Joshua and Daniel, to her family, which included daughter Tracey.
After a history of ups and downs, the 54-year-old singer/actress collapsed and died alone on January 23, 2003, in her Beverly Hills home, subsequently found by her 13-year-old adopted son, Joshua. The cause of death was not immediately established at the time but it was later established that she had suffered a fatal heart attack, complicated by her diabetes and obesity. She was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. At the time of her death, she was in rehearsals for another musical stage lead, this time in the Long Beach, California revival of the hit musical "Raisin". The musical opened a few days later as scheduled with Carter's understudy taking over the role.- One-half of the acting Borden twins with her sister Marilyn who started acting at age 3, but who are best known for an appearance on a classic "I Love Lucy" called "Tennessee Bound" staring Tennessee Ernie Ford, with the twins playing Teensy and Weensy. The twins also worked with Jimmy Durante, Bob Newhart, Andy Williams, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They appeared on dozens of TV shows from the 1950s through the 1980s, including "Maude" and "CHiPs." They also entertained American troops overseas. The sisters had a cruise ship line and other ventures they worked on together. They continued to go to "I Love Lucy" Conventions until her death at a Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, California, and age 70.
- Luis Corradi was born in Argentina. He was an actor, known for Arsenio Lupin (1961), Catita es una dama (1956) and Mujeres perdidas (1964). He died on 23 January 2003 in Argentina.
- Kenneth R. Hayles was a writer, known for Secret Venture (1955), The Saint (1962) and The Hideout (1956). He died on 23 January 2003 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
- Heikki Haravee was born on 29 April 1924. He was an actor, known for Verekivi (1973), Mees ja mänd (1980) and Teaduse ohver (1982). He died on 23 January 2003.
- Rúrik Haraldsson was born on 14 January 1926. He was an actor, known for The Viking Sagas (1995), Children of Nature (1991) and Cold Fever (1995). He died on 23 January 2003.
- Eddie Rocco was born on 15 December 1914 in Anson, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for The Great Mike (1944) and Dangerous Intruder (1945). He died on 23 January 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Gaston Bounoure was born on 28 July 1924 in Tonnerre, Yonne, France. He was an assistant director and writer, known for Les copains du dimanche (1958), L'exécution (1961) and La mort de Pompée (1961). He died on 23 January 2003 in Orléans, Loiret, France.- Johnny Mauro was born on 25 October 1910 in Denver, Colorado, United States. He died on 23 January 2003 in Golden, Colorado, United States.