Actress. She was the youngest of the four children of Ida (Taylor) and the Rev. Francis James Meadows Cotter. She was five years old when she returned home to America speaking only Chinese. She made her debut as a coloratura soprano at Carnegie Hall when she was only sixteen. Her older sister, Jayne and she made several records as The Meadows Sisters for RCA Victor. They cut an album of famous college songs which included Aurelee. Their accompanist, Joe Reisman, who later became president of Columbia Records, played their recording for Elvis Presley who loved the tune and with new lyrics had his first major hit, Love Me Tender. Her first staring Broadway role was in "Top Banana" with Phil Silvers. She was a regular on a number of TV series including "Bob and Ray" and "The Jackie Gleason Show" in the early 1950s. Remembered fondly for her role as 'Alice Kramden' she hired a photographer to take pictures of her looking weary and frumpy to get the part. A skeptical Jackie Gleason, in disbelief that such a glamorous personality could be right for the role, was so impressed with the pictures that he said "Any dame with a sense of humor like that deserves the job, hire her!" She was the only one of the Honeymooners cast, which debuted in 1955, whose contract called for residuals for TV re-runs and episode sales for her entire life. Her star on the Walk of Fame is located at 6104 Hollywood Boulevard. Married first to Randolph Rouse in 1956 they were divorced two years later. On August 24, 1961 she married Robert F. Six, President of Continental Airlines, in Honolulu. She was married to him until his death in 1986. The first woman to serve as Director of the First National Bank of Denver, she held this position for eleven years. Her memoirs, "Love, Alice" were published in 1994. They share many colorful memories, many from the Honeymooners, in her own words. She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Actress. She was the youngest of the four children of Ida (Taylor) and the Rev. Francis James Meadows Cotter. She was five years old when she returned home to America speaking only Chinese. She made her debut as a coloratura soprano at Carnegie Hall when she was only sixteen. Her older sister, Jayne and she made several records as The Meadows Sisters for RCA Victor. They cut an album of famous college songs which included Aurelee. Their accompanist, Joe Reisman, who later became president of Columbia Records, played their recording for Elvis Presley who loved the tune and with new lyrics had his first major hit, Love Me Tender. Her first staring Broadway role was in "Top Banana" with Phil Silvers. She was a regular on a number of TV series including "Bob and Ray" and "The Jackie Gleason Show" in the early 1950s. Remembered fondly for her role as 'Alice Kramden' she hired a photographer to take pictures of her looking weary and frumpy to get the part. A skeptical Jackie Gleason, in disbelief that such a glamorous personality could be right for the role, was so impressed with the pictures that he said "Any dame with a sense of humor like that deserves the job, hire her!" She was the only one of the Honeymooners cast, which debuted in 1955, whose contract called for residuals for TV re-runs and episode sales for her entire life. Her star on the Walk of Fame is located at 6104 Hollywood Boulevard. Married first to Randolph Rouse in 1956 they were divorced two years later. On August 24, 1961 she married Robert F. Six, President of Continental Airlines, in Honolulu. She was married to him until his death in 1986. The first woman to serve as Director of the First National Bank of Denver, she held this position for eleven years. Her memoirs, "Love, Alice" were published in 1994. They share many colorful memories, many from the Honeymooners, in her own words. She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Bio by: D C McJonathan-Swarm
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