Elaine Stritch
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Some sources list Ms. Stritch's birth year as 1926.
"I put up this facade of being terribly sure of myself. But underneath I had enormous fear of going onstage, of losing my talent, of--hell, I was afraid of everything." --Elaine Stritch on why she began drinking before performing in the 1950s, quoted in Daily News, May 19, 1996.
Biography
A bona fide legend of Broadway, Elaine Stritch spent over five decades on the musical and dramatic stage, though her reputation as a sharp-tongued, unapologetically audacious personality spread far beyond the boards of New York and London. With her whiskey-soaked voice and wry comic timing, Stritch established herself as an unconventional leading lady in 1950s Broadway productions "Pal Joey" and "Bus Stop," with her show-stopping performance of the cynical and world-weary number "Ladies Who Lunch" from the 1970 musical "Company" becoming her career-long signature piece. The long-legged dame starred in several British sitcoms during the 1970s and remained a fixture in the American theater scene during the 1980s and 1990s, touring nationally and making a small dent in the film world with an acclaimed role in Woody Allen's 1987 film "September." She was 77 years old when she unveiled the one-woman show "Elaine Stritch at Liberty" and earned rave reviews for the autobiographical music and monologue production that won a Tony, Emmy and new fans as it morphed from Broadway to screen to cabaret. Into the new century, Stritch was tapped for scene-stealing character roles in film and TV including an Emmy-winning appearance on "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-13), and enjoyed her status not only as a revered treasure of Broadway's old guard, but as a salty addition to any stage or screen gathering. Heath at the age of 89 in July 2014 led to fond remembrances from generations of fans and fellow actors.
Born on Feb. 2, 1925 (some sources state 1926) and raised the youngest of three girls in Detroit, MI, Stritch was the daughter of a well-to-do rubber company executive and his homemaker wife. Stritch was the entertainer of her family - always telling stories and doing imitations to the delight of party guests. The born entertainer with an early desire for a glamorous lifestyle moved to New York City in 1944, and with her fast-talking bravado, had no problem finding work off-Broadway and in regional theater, appearing in several productions a year and making her Broadway debut in the revue "Angels in the Wings." She appeared in "The Little Foxes" and "Three Indelicate Ladies" before playing Trixie in an early pilot for the TV classic "The Honeymooners" (CBS, 1955-56). However she was fired by the show's star Jackie Gleason who complained that she was too much like him. Stritch's gig as Ethel Merman's understudy in "Call Me Madam" led to a headlining role in the national tour in 1952. That same year, her legendary portrayal of gossip columnist Melba Snyder in the revival of "Pal Joey" brought her critical raves, with her striptease send-up earning her reputation as an audacious personality. In 1955 she garnered her first Tony Award nomination for her role as the wry diner owner in "Bus Stop" (1955) on Broadway, and the following year she made her big screen debut with "The Scarlet Hour" (1956).
Expanding into film and television, Stritch provided comic relief as an American nurse in the overblown screen remake of "A Farewell to Arms" (1957) and starred in the short-lived sitcom "My Sister Eileen" (CBS, 1960 - 1961). She played a long-suffering cruise director in "Sail Away!" (1961), earning another Tony nomination for the role written expressly written for her by N l Coward; following the production to London after a successful Broadway run. Stritch replaced Uta Hagen in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on Broadway in 1962 and took a subsequent break from the stage, playing a lesbian nightclub owner in "Who Killed Teddy Bear?" (1965) and enjoying a featured character role on the series "The Trials of O'Brien" (CBS, 1965-66). She toured nationally with "The King and I" and "Mame" before returning to Broadway to give a Tony Award- nominated portrayal of the acerbic Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Company" (1970), which gave birth to her signature song, the show-stopper "Ladies Who Lunch." Stritch turned the role into a career calling card. After earning another Tony nomination, she followed the production on a national tour, ending up with a run in London, where she moved into the Savoy Hotel and stayed for over a decade.
Stritch married actor John Bay in 1972 and starred in London stage productions including "Small Craft Warnings" and "The Gingerbread Lady" before landing headlining roles on two British sitcoms. In "Two's Company" (London Weekly Television, 1975-79), Stritch played an expatriate mystery writer who engages in verbal battles with her English butler (Donald Sinden), "Nobody's Perfect" (London Weekly Television, 1980-82) was a British version of the hit American sitcom "Maude" with Stritch in the lead role as the aging, acerbic lead. On the big screen, Stritch more than held her own in a dual role opposite John Gielgud and Dirk Bogarde in Alain Resnais' fascinating "Providence" (1977).
Following the death of her husband in 1982, Stritch moved back to New York City, where she began teaching at the Stella Adler Conservatory and had roles in regional productions around the country. She played Ellen Burstyn's mother on the short-lived ABC sitcom "The Ellen Burstyn Show" (1986-87) and after a long absence from the big screen, provided one of the high points of the Woody Allen film "September" (1987). Oscar buzz about her stellar performance essaying an aging sex symbol did not materialize into a nomination, but the actress remained busy with a role in the sequel "Cocoon: The Return" (1988), a recurring role on "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992) and an Emmy Award win for her guest appearance on a 1990 episode of the legal drama "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010).
Stritch returned to Broadway in 1990's "Love Letters," and appeared in several revues and concerts before an extended run as Parthy Hawks in a revival of "Showboat" in 1994. She quickly followed up with another Tony nomination for playing the alcoholic Claire in Edward Albee's drama "A Delicate Balance" in 1996. Her film career enjoyed a resurgence with a role as Dyan Cannon's mother in the uneven but charming Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau vehicle "Out to Sea" (1997). In quick succession, she supported Richard Dreyfuss and Jenna Elfman in the comedy "Krippendorf's Tribe" (1998), and appeared opposite Norm MacDonald and Dave Chappelle in the crass comedy "Screwed" (2000).
After reuniting with Woody Allen in his madcap caper "Small Time Crooks" (2000), Stritch wrote and starred in the one-woman show "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty," which featured performances of over a dozen Broadway standards strung together by anecdotes from her personal and professional life - focusing particularly on her recent sobriety after years of alcoholism. The show was warmly received, and Stritch took the production on the road across the U.S. and U.K. while documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker shot a film version that aired on HBO in 2004. The stage show won a Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event and for the television airing, Stritch won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, with her salty acceptance speech proving to be one of the ceremony's water cooler moments.
A resident of Manhattan's Carlyle Hotel, Stritch became a featured act there in 2005, performing a cabaret style version of her one-woman show that found the 80-year-old debuting an entirely new collection of songs to thrilled audiences. In 2007, she picked up a new generation of fans with memorable guest appearances on "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-13), playing the domineering mother of Alec Baldwin's television executive on the late night television spoof. Stritch stole the show and earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The following year she revived her one-woman show for a Hartford, Connecticut run, which was still going strong in her 80th decade. Meanwhile, she returned as Jack's high-maintenance mother for a third season episode of "30 Rock," which again earned her Emmy nominations for guest actress in 2009 and 2010. Colleen Donaghy proved to be Stritch's last onscreen role. Elaine Stritch died at her home in Birmingham, Michigan on July 17, 2014.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Music (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1944
Made NY Stage debut as a tiger and a cow in the children's show, "Bobino"
1944
Moved to New York City
1946
Made Broadway debut in "Loco"
1947
Played Regina Giddens in the Broadway production of "The Little Foxes"
1949
Made TV debut on the eseries "The Growing Paynes" (Dumont)
1950
Was the understudy to Ethel Merman for the Irving Berlin musical "Call Me Madam"
1952
Cast as newspaper reporter Melba Snyder in the revival of the Rodgers and Hart show "Pal Joey"
1952
Headlined the national tour of "Call Me Madam"
1955
Cast as Trixie Norton in the pilot episode of "The Honeymooners" (CBS), fired by Jackie Gleason
1956
Made film debut in "The Scarlet Hour"
1956
Earned a Tony nomination for her dramatic role as Grace, the diner owner, in "Bus Stop"
1960
Starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom "My Sister Eileen"
1961
Received a Tony nomination for her role in Noel Coward's Broadway musical "Sail Away!"; Coward wrote the role for Stritch; reprised role in 1962 for the London production
1962
Assumed the role of Martha in the Broadway production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
1965
Last feature for 12 years, "Who Killed Teddy Bear?"
1965
Featured on the CBS series "The Trials of O'Brien"
1970
Appeared in the documentary "Original Cast Album: Company"; film depicted the gruelling 15-hour recording of the original cast album of the stage musical; Stritch's many takes and growing frustrations was one of the more fascinating parts of the film
1970
Delivered a scene-stealing turn as the acerbic Joanne in the Broadway musical "Company"; performed what became her signature song "The Ladies Who Lunch"; earned a Tony nomination
1975
Moved to London; starred in the British TV comedy, "Two's Company"
1977
Last film for a decade, "Providence" opposite John Gielgud and Ellen Burstyn
1983
Returned to New York City
1985
Appeared in the all-star concert version of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical "Follies"
1986
Played Ellen Burstyn's mother on the short-lived ABC sitcom "The Ellen Burstyn Show"
1987
Made return to features after a decade in Woody Allen's "September"
1990
Had starring role in the busted CBS pilot for a sitcom based on "Steel Magnolias"
1992
Created the role of lawyer Lanie Siegel on an episode of the NBC series "Law & Order"; reprised role four years later in another episode
1993
Played Parthenia Hawks in Harold Prince's revival of the landmark musical, "Show Boat"
1996
Earned fourth Tony nomination for her performance as the alcoholic sister Claire in the revival of Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance"
1997
Featured as Dyan Cannon's mother in the comedy "Out to Sea"
1999
Reprised starring role in concert version of "Sail Away"
2002
Appeared in the one-woman show, "Elaine Stritch at Liberty"; began performances Off-Broadway at the Public Theatre and later moved to Broadway (aired on HBO in 2003)
2004
Received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word for <i>The Best Halloween Ever</i>
2005
Cast as James Gandolfini's mother in "Romance & Cigarettes" directed by John Turturro (released theatrically in 2007)
2007
Appeared as the mother of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) on the NBC hit series "30 Rock"; earned Emmy nomination (2008, 2009, 2010) for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2011
Returned to the stage for "Elaine Stritch At Home at The Carlyle: Singin' Sondheim Again. Why Not?" at the Café Carlyle
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Some sources list Ms. Stritch's birth year as 1926.
"I put up this facade of being terribly sure of myself. But underneath I had enormous fear of going onstage, of losing my talent, of--hell, I was afraid of everything." --Elaine Stritch on why she began drinking before performing in the 1950s, quoted in Daily News, May 19, 1996.
On her favorite review: "It was in USA TODAY. Can't think of the critic's name. At the end of the review, he said, 'Elaine Stritch is the most dangerous actress on Broadway.' As Noel [Coward] said in his song, 'I couldn't have liked it more.'" --quoted in InTheater, November 8, 1999.
"Working works for me. Winning doesn't. Winning is difficult for me. Because I am a winner, but I find it so hard to win. And the more reason I wanted to turn that around tonight and accept my prize with graciousness. And I blew it. I was anxious to tell the audience how I felt, and they rang the curtain down before the play was over. What I'm doing is blowing it now. I can't play it any other way. I'm telling you the truth how I feel." --Stritch commenting after her acceptance speech at the 56th annual Tony Awards broadcast was cut off in the live CBS telecast
