Elizabeth Kerr
Elizabeth Kerr | |
---|---|
Born | Kansas City, Missouri, US | August 15, 1912
Died | January 13, 2000 Long Beach, California, US | (aged 87)
Occupation | Actor |
Elizabeth Kerr (August 15, 1912 – January 13, 2000) was an American actress, theatre producer and director.
Early years[]
Kerr was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of John and Anna Kerr. She attended Northwestern University and the University of Kansas.[1] As a girl, she dreamed of being an actress, but family responsibilities prevented her from doing so until she was a grandmother.[2] After she married, she wrote reviews of books and plays for the newspaper that she and her husband owned. She also read book reviews at meetings of women's clubs, which she said helped to prepare her for acting.[3]
Career[]
Kerr's acting career began at the Pasadena Playhouse. She was selected for a role there after her first audition, and in two years she became a professional.[4]
Kerr's Broadway debut came in Angel in the Pawnshop (1951).[2] Her other Broadway credits included The Conquering Hero (1961), Redhead (1959), and The Righteous Are Bold (1955).[5] She also made national tours of a similar number of plays, besides performing in regional theatrical productions.[4]
On television, Kerr played Mother Elliott in The Betty White Show,[6] and Cora Hudson in Mork & Mindy.[6]:715
Kerr also produced plays. She founded the Glendale Civic Theater in 1947[1] and launched the Resident Theater in North Hollywood in 1952.[7] She also directed at the Resident Theater.[8]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "'Mork and Mindy' Star to Visit". Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Chieftain. Kansas, Bonner Springs. August 9, 1979. p. 2. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Grandma Reaches Broadway Via Dishes and Poetry Route". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. March 18, 1951. p. 31. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Even Mork espects Elizabeth Kerr". The Newark Advocate. Ohio, Newark. Copley News Service. August 4, 1979. p. 13. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Harper, Hilliard (August 17, 1983). "Elizabeth Kerr: The Stage Was Her School". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. Part II 7. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elizabeth Kerr". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Plays Will Be Showcased in Valley Theater". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. November 9, 1952. p. Part IV - 10. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ von Blon, Katherine (October 27, 1953). "Whimsical Comedy Entertaining Fare". California, Los Angeles. California, Los Angeles. p. Part III - 9. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
External links[]
- 1912 births
- 2000 deaths
- Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri
- 20th-century American actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American theatre managers and producers