1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Elaine Stritch Biography (1925?-)

Born February 2, 1925 (some sources say 1926), in Detroit (some sources citeBirmingham), MI; daughter of George J. (a business executive) and Mildred (ahomemaker; maiden name, Jobe) Stritch; married John M. Bay (an actor), February 2, 1973 (some sources cite 1972; died, 1982). Addresses: Agent: TheBlake Agency, 415 North Camden Dr., Suite 121, Beverly Hills, CA 90210; International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Nationality

American

Gender

Female

Occupation

Actress, singer, writer

Birth Details

February 2, 1925?

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Appearances
• Cow and tiger, Bobino, New School for Social Research, Adelphi Theatre, New York City, 1944
• Parlor maid, The Private Life of the Master Race, Theatre of All Nations, City College of New York Auditorium, New York City, 1945
• Betty Lord, Woman Bites Dog, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia,PA, 1946
• Lady Sybil, What Every Woman Knows, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT, 1946
• Miss Crowder, Made in Heaven, Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, 1946
• Pamela Brewster, Loco, Biltmore Theatre, New York City, 1946
• Ingabord, Little Nettie, Milly, and member of the ensemble, Angel in the Wings (revue), Coronet Theatre, New York City, 1947
• Member of the ensemble, The Shape of Things (revue), John Drew Theatre, East Hampton, Long Island, NY, 1947
• Regina Giddens, The Little Foxes, Rooftop Theatre, New York City,1947
• Roberts, Three Indelicate Ladies, Shubert Theatre, New Haven, CT,1947
• Dallas Smith, Texas Li'l Darlin', Westport Country Playhouse, 1949
• June Farrell, Yes, M'Lord, Booth Theatre, New York City, 1949
• Understudy for Ethel Merman, Call Me Madam, Imperial Theatre, NewYork City, c. 1950-1952
• Melba Snyder, Pal Joey, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1952-1953
• Carol Frazer, Once Married, Twice Shy, Westport Country Playhouse,1953
• Title role, Panama Hattie, Iroquois Amphitheatre, Louisville, KY,1954
• Peggy Porterfield, On Your Toes, 46th Street Theatre, New York City, 1954
• Grace, Bus Stop, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1955-1956
• Gertrude Muldoon, The Sin of Pat Muldoon, Cort Theatre, New York City, 1957
• Maggie Harris, Goldilocks, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1958-1959
• Leona Samish, The Time of the Cuckoo, Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, Jutland, NJ, 1959
• Mimi Paragon, Sail Away!, Broadhurst Theatre, 1961, then Savoy Theatre, London, 1962
• Martha, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Billy Rose Theatre, New York City, beginning 1963
• Babylove Dallas, The Grass Harp, Trinity Square Repertory Company,Providence, RI, 1966
• Ruth, Wonderful Town, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1967
• Amanda Prynne, Private Lives, Theatre De Lys, New York City, 1968
• Joanne, Company, Alvin Theatre, New York City, beginning 1970, later Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1972
• Leona Dawson, Small Craft Warnings, Hampstead Theatre Club, then Comedy Theatre, both London, 1973
• Evy Meara, The Gingerbread Lady, Phoenix Theatre, London, 1974
• Tell Me on a Sunday, London production, c. 1980
• Suite in Two Keys, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, 1982
• Madeleine Bernard, Dancing in the End Zone, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Coconut Grove, FL, 1983
• Hattie Walker, "Follies": In Concert, Avery Fisher Hall, New YorkCity, 1985
• Happy Birthday, Mr. Abbott! Or Night of 100 Years, Palace Theatre,New York City, 1987
• Melissa Gardner, Love Letters, Promenade Theatre, then Edison Theatre, New York City, 1990
• Rodgers and Hart Revue, Rainbow & Stars, New York City, 1991
• Lillian Hellman, Cakewalk, Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, MA, 1993,also Variety Arts Theatre
• Company: The Original Cast in Concert (concerts), Long Beach CivicLight Opera, Long Beach, CA, and Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York City, both 1993
• Parthenia Ann "Parthy" Hawks, Show Boat, North York Performing Arts Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1993, then Gershwin Theatre, New York City, beginning c. 1994
• Claire, A Delicate Balance, Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1996
• Angela Lansbury--A Celebration (benefit production), Majestic Theatre, New York City, 1996
• Doin' What Comes Natur'lly (tribute concert), 1998
• Herself, My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies, Carnegie Hall,New York City, 1999
• Mimi Paragon, Sail Away! (concert version), Weill Recital Hall, New York City, 1999
• Elaine Stritch Talks, Musical Theatre Works, New York City, 2001
• Elaine Stritch At Liberty (solo show), Public Theatre, New York City, 2001-2002, later Neil Simon Theatre, New York City, 2002
• Elaine Stritch in Conversation with Judith Regan, 92nd Street Y, New York City, 2002
• Reader of writings by Dorothy Parker, Food for Thought (benefit series of readings), Food for Thought Lunch Hour Theatre, National Arts Club, New York City, 2004
• Major Tours
• Sally Adams, Call Me Madam, U.S. cities, 1952-1953
• Stella, The Time of the Barracudas, U.S. cities, 1963
• Anna Leonowens, The King and I, U.S. cities, 1965
• Martha, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, U.S. cities, 1965-1966
• Dorothy Cleves, Any Wednesday, U.S. cities, 1967
• Vera Charles and title role, Mame, U.S. cities, 1967
• Title role, Mame, U.S. cities, 1969
• Elaine Stritch At Liberty (solo show), U.S. and British cities, 2002-2003
• Television Appearances
• Series
• Laraine Payne, The Growing Paynes, DuMont, 1948-1949
• Regular, Pantomime Quiz, CBS, 1953, then DuMont, 1953-1954, laterABC, 1955
• Ruth Sherwood, My Sister Eileen, CBS, 1960-1961
• Miss G., The Trials of O'Brien, CBS, 1965-1966
• Dorothy McNab, Two's Company, London Weekend Television, 1975-1979
• Bill Hooper, Nobody's Perfect, London Weekend Television, 1980-1982
• Mrs. DeGroot, The Edge of Night (also known as Edge of Night), ABC, 1984
• Sydney Brewer, The Ellen Burstyn Show, ABC, 1986-1987
• Wilma Bern, One Life to Live, ABC, 1993
• Narrator, EGG, the Arts Show, PBS, c. 2000-2002
• Voice of Mom, Life's a Bitch (animated), The Comedy Network, 2003-2004
• Miniseries
• Song by Song, PBS, c. 1975
• Rose Cliveden, An Inconvenient Woman, ABC, 1991
• Movies
• Nurse, The Spiral Staircase, 1975
• Maxine, Stranded, NBC, 1986
• Marti Sparks, Sparks: The Price of Passion, CBS, 1990
• Rowena Sharphorn, The Secret Life of Archie's Wife (also known asArchie's Wife and Runaway Heart), CBS, 1991
• Sybil Sedgwick, Chance of a Lifetime (also known as A Change ofHeart and Heather's Journey), NBC, 1991
• Lucinda Sadwich, An Unexpected Life, USA Network, 1998
• Specials
• Washington Square, NBC, 1956
• Carmenita, Full Moon over Brooklyn, NBC, 1960
• Lily Pepper, "Red Peppers," Three in One, NBC, 1960
• Aunt Polly, Pollyanna, 1973
• Herself, Night of 100 Stars (also known as Night of One HundredStars), 1977
• The Royal Variety Performance 1979, 1979
• Herself, Broadway Plays Washington, 1982
• Hattie Walker, "Follies: In Concert," Great Performances, PBS, 1985
• "Sylvia Fine Kaye's Musical Comedy Tonight III (The Spark and the Glue),"Great Performances, PBS, 1985
• Older Marianne, "Sensibility and Sense," American Playhouse, PBS,1990
• Ouiser Boudreaux, Steel Magnolias, CBS, 1990
• Herself, Marlene Dietrich: Shadow and Light (also known as Marlene Dietrich: Her Life and Legend), 1996
• Herself, My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies, PBS, 1999
• The Noel Coward Story, PBS, 1999
• Herself, Once Upon a Sleigh Ride (documentary), PBS, 2000
• Herself, The Royal Variety Performance 2002, 2002
• Herself, Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (also known as Broadway: The Golden Age and Broadway: The Movie), 2003
• Herself, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, HBO, 2004
• Awards Presentations
• Herself, The 49th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1995
• The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1996
• The 53rd Annual Tony Awards, 1999
• Herself, The 56th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 2002
• Herself, The Mark Twain Prize: Lily Tomlin, 2003
• The 26th Annual Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the PerformingArts, CBS, 2003
• The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 2004
• Episodic
• "A Cup of Kindness," Kraft Television Theatre, NBC, 1953
• "Nothing to Sneeze At," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1953
• Hazel Beck, "The Family Man," Motorola TV Hour, ABC, 1954
• "Here's Father," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1954
• The Ed Sullivan Show (also known as Toast of the Town), CBS, 1954
• "Beloved Stranger," Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1955
• "Escape from Vienna," Appointment with Adventure, CBS, 1955
• "The House on Gellen Street," Appointment with Adventure, CBS, 1955
• Mr. Peepers, NBC, 1955
• "He's for Me," The Alcoa Hour, NBC, 1957
• Kristie Crane, "The Disappearance of Daphne," Climax!, CBS, 1958
• Shirley, "The Left-Handed Welcome," Studio One, CBS, 1958
• "The Red Mill," DuPont Show of the Month, CBS, 1958
• Ethel, "The Haunted," Adventures in Paradise, ABC, 1959
• Tracy Sadler, "The Tracy Sadler Story," Wagon Train, NBC, 1960
• Irma Downey, "The Witch of the East Wing," The Nurses, NBC, 1963
• Anna, "The Wedding," Esso Repertory Theater, syndicated, 1965
• "Pins and Needles," New York Television Theater, NET (later PBS),1966
• Herself, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, multiple episodes in 1970 and 1971
• Herself, The Dean Martin Show, NBC, 1971
• "Two Gentle People," Shades of Green, PBS, 1976
• Mary Pearl, "William and Mary," Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, syndicated, 1979
• Pamela Beauchamp, "My Lady Love, My Dove," Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, syndicated, 1980
• "Super Nurse," Trapper John, M.D., CBS, 1983
• Herself, Wogan, BBC, 1986
• Franny Tattinger, "Rest in Peas," Tattinger's, NBC, 1988
• Mrs. McGee, "Cliff la Douce," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1989
• Mrs. McGee, "Shall We Dance?," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1989
• "Rock Hudson: Tall, Dark and Handsome," Crazy about the Movies, Cinemax, 1989
• Mrs. McGee, "Mr. Sandman," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1990
• Herself, The Full Wax, 1991
• Lanie Stieglitz, "Point of View," Law & Order, NBC, 1992
• Sheila, "Misery on 34th Street," Bless This House, CBS, 1995
• The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1996
• Lanie Stieglitz, "Working Mom," Law & Order, NBC, 1997
• Martha Albright, "Dick-in-Law," 3rd Rock from the Sun (also knownas Life as We Know It), NBC, 1997
• Mrs. Foster, "Grabbed by an Angel," Soul Man, ABC, 1997
• Judge Grace Lema, "Losing Your Appeal," Oz, HBO, 1998
• Mia Farrow: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1998
• Herself, "A&E Biography: Sal Mineo--Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1999
• Herself, Rock Hudson: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1999
• Herself, Theater Talk, PBS, 1999 and 2001
• Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1999 and 2002
• Martha Albright, "My Mother, My Dick," 3rd Rock from the Sun (alsoknown as Life as We Know It), NBC, 2001
• Herself, Intimate Portrait: Dixie Carter (documentary), Lifetime,2001
• Herself, Intimate Portrait: Liz Smith (documentary), Lifetime, 2001
• Herself, "Steve Coogan, Diana Krall, Jeremy Paxman, Elaine Stritch," Parkinson, BBC, 2002
• Herself, 60 Minutes, CBS, 2002
• Pilots
• Ruth Sherwood, "You Should Meet My Sister," Alcoa Theatre, NBC, 1960
• "The Mourner," The Powder Room, NBC, 1971
• Isabella, Paradise, Showtime, 2003
• Film Appearances
• Gun Fury, 1953
• Phyllis Rycker, The Scarlet Hour, Paramount, 1956
• Ruby LaSalle, Three Violent People, Paramount, 1956
• Helen Ferguson, A Farewell to Arms, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1957
• Liz Baker, The Perfect Furlough (also known as Strictly for Pleasure), Universal, 1958
• Marge, Kiss Her Goodbye, 1959
• Billie (some sources cite Marian Freeman), Who Killed Teddy Bear?,Magna, 1965
• Too Many Thieves, 1966
• Herself and Joanne, Original Cast Album: Company (documentary), Docurama, 1970
• Tough lady, The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (also known asPigeons), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Plaza, 1970
• Helen Weiner and Molly Langham, Providence, Cinema V, 1977
• Diane Frazier, September, Orion, 1987
• Ruby Feinberg, Cocoon: The Return, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1988
• The widow, Cadillac Man, Orion, 1990
• Mavis LeBreche, Out to Sea, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1997
• Irene Hargrove, Krippendorf's Tribe, Buena Vista, 1998
• Foolproof, 1999
• Chi Chi Potter, Small Time Crooks, DreamWorks SKG, 2000
• Dolly, Autumn in New York, Columbia/TriStar, 2000
• Miss Virginia Crock, Screwed, Universal, 2000
• Grace Murder, Romance & Cigarettes, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2004
• Radio Appearances
• Episodic
• Lillian Hellman, Cakewalk, L.A. Theatre Works, KCRW (Los Angeles),c. 2000
• Appeared in Inner Sanctum, Real Life Stories, and YoungWidder Brown.
• RECORDINGS
• Albums
• Stritch, Stet Records, 1976, DRG, 1995
• Albums with Others
• Cole Porter, Volume III, 1990
• Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century, Sony, 1999
• You're Sensational: Cole Porter in the 20s, 40s & 50s, Koch International Classics, 1999
• Soundtrack Albums
• Pal Joey (1952 original Broadway cast), Capitol, 1952
• Tell Me on a Sunday (original London cast), Decca, 1980
• "Follies": In Concert, RCA Red Seal, 1985
• Show Boat (1993 Toronto revival cast), Quality Music, 1994
• Drat! The Cat! A Musical Comedy (1997 studio cast), Varese, 1997
• On Your Toes (1954 revival cast), Decca, 1997
• Company--A Musical Comedy, Sony, 1998
• My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies, Hybrid (Red), 1999
• Elaine Stritch At Liberty, DRG, 2002
• Sail Away (original 1962 London cast recording), Varese, 2003
• Videos
• Stephen Sondheim's "Follies": In Concert (documentary), Image Entertainment, 2001
• WRITINGS
• Teleplays
• Specials
• (With John Lahr) Footage from the stage production Elaine Stritch At Liberty, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, HBO, 2004
• Episodic
• Nobody's Perfect (based on the American television series Maude), London Weekend Television, various episodes, 1980-1982
• Writings for the Stage
• (With John Lahr) Elaine Stritch At Liberty (solo show), Public Theatre, New York City, 2001-2002, later Neil Simon Theatre, New York City, 2002, later toured U.S. and British cities, 2002-2003
• Nonfiction
• Am I Blue?: How to Live with Diabetes, Granada, 1983, published inthe United States as Am I Blue?: Living with Diabetes and Dammit, HavingFun!, Evans, 1984

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

• After Dark, March, 1975
• American Theatre, July/August, 1993, pp. 10-11
• Christian Science Monitor, February 1, 2002, p. 18
• Cosmopolitan, April, 1988, p. 96
• Daily Mail (London), September 13, 2002, p. 51
• Entertainment Weekly, June 14, 1996, p. 38; March 8, 2002, p. 64
• InTheater, November 8, 1999
• Newsweek, February 11, 2002, p. 58
• New York, June 12, 1995, pp. 40-42
• New York Daily News, May 28, 1967; May 19, 1996
• New York Times, June 23, 1968; November 8, 2001, p. E1; May 12, 2002, pp. BU1, BU11; June 4, 2002, p. E1
• New York Times Magazine, February 24, 2002, p. 6.11
• People Weekly, January 11, 1988, p. 76
• Playbill, February 28, 2002, pp. 39-41; December 31, 2002, pp. 30,33
• Spectator (London), January 26, 2002, p. 60
• Washington Post, February 22, 2002, p. C1