Alice Playten

hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Alice Playten
Born	Alice Plotkin (1947-08-28)August 28, 1947 New York City, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2011(2011-06-25) (aged 63) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, voice actress
Years active	1959–2009

Alice Playten (née Plotkin; August 28, 1947 – June 25, 2011) was an American actress and voice actress known for her high pitched, childlike voice.

Life and career[]

Born in New York City, Playten began her career in the Broadway musical Gypsy (1959). Her other Broadway credits included Oliver!, Henry, Sweet Henry, Hello, Dolly!, Rumors, Seussical, and Caroline, or Change.

Her many off-Broadway credits include Promenade, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, Up from Paradise, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, , , First Lady Suite, A Flea in Her Ear, National Lampoon's Lemmings and Shlemiel the First.^[1]

Playten's screen credits include Ladybug Ladybug (1963), Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? (1971), California Dreaming (1979), Legend (1985), and I.Q. (1994). She wore heavy makeup and prosthetics in Legend to portray the character of 'Blix', a major minion of the Lord of Darkness; she also dubbed the voice of Gump. She did voice work in several animated features, including Felix the Cat (as Pearl), Really Rosie (as an alligator), Heavy Metal (as Gloria), Doug (as Beebe Bluff and Elmo), Doug's 1st Movie and My Little Pony: The Movie.

She was a regular on the children's television series The Lost Saucer and That's Cat, appeared in National Lampoon's Disco Beaver from Outer Space during the early days of HBO, and had guest shots on Frasier, Law & Order, Third Watch, and As the World Turns, among others.

She performed a romantic dialog with Rupert Holmes in his song "Our National Pastime" on his 1974 debut album Widescreen.

Playten may have been best known for her role of the newlywed who makes a gigantic dumpling as the first meal she cooks for her husband (Terry Kiser) in two classic 1969-1970 Alka-Seltzer commercials.^[1]

In 1977 she wed the psychedelic light show innovator, director and artist Joshua White and remained married until her death.

Death[]

Playten died on June 25, 2011, at Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan from heart failure after a lifetime of juvenile diabetes, complicated by pancreatic cancer.^[1] On November 14, 2011 a retrospective of her work was held at the Second Stage Theater, New York.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

Awards and honors[]

• 1968 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Henry, Sweet Henry)
• 1968 Theatre World Award (Henry, Sweet Henry)
• 1973 Obie Award for Distinguished Performance (National Lampoon's Lemmings)^[2]
• 1989 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Spoils of War)
• 1994 Obie Award (First Lady Suite)

References[]

Notes

External links[]

• Alice Playten on IBDB
• Alice Playten on IOBDB
• Alice Playten at IMDb
• Alice Playten at the TCM Movie Database
• Alice Playten Passes Away at 63
• Alice Playten at Find a Grave