Actress, singer, and writer who was best-known to television viewers as 'Edna Garrett', the affable housemother on the popular NBC sitcom "The Facts of Life" (1979-86). Rae was also known for her role as the hilariously gossipy housewife 'Sylvia Schnauser' on the early 1960s NBC sitcom "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-63). Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky, she started acting early with the Children's Theatre of Wauwatosa and later on radio. As a teenager, she won a summer apprenticeship with the Port Players, a professional summer theater company. She also was a regular on the stage at Shorewood High School. In 1944, she attended Northwestern University and studied alongside other later well-known actors and actresses such as Charlton Heston, Paul Lynde, Jeffrey Hunter, and Cloris Leachman. In 1948, she made the decision to leave school and go to New York to seek fame and fortune as a singer and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in 1952 in "Three Wishes for Jamie" and followed it up with such successful endeavors as "The Threepenny Opera" (off-Broadway) and "L'il Abner" (Broadway). She went on to later receive two Tony Award nominations in her career, for "Pickwick" in 1966 and "Morning, Noon, and Night" in 1969. She also recorded an album in 1955 which was titled "Songs I Taught My Mother." She made her first television appearance in 1951 on the television series "Once Upon a Time." Besides "The Facts of Life" and "Car 54, Where Are You," she went on to appear in many television series during her career such as "The Phil Silvers Show", "Sesame Street", "The Paul Lynde Show," "Hot L Baltimore," "Diff'rent Strokes" (where she originated the 'Edna Garrett' character), "Sisters," "Murder She Wrote," "ER," and "The King of Queens." She made her first film appearance in 1969 in "Hello Down There." Her big-screen credits would later include such films as "Bananas" (1971), "Rabbit Test" (1978), "Hair" (1979), "Nowhere" (1997), and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" (2008). She also did voice work on several animated series. She suffered from various health crises throughout her life and was one of the few people to survive adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer). Having lost her mother and elder sister to the disease, she had been enrolled in a long-term testing study. However, she was later diagnosed with bone cancer, and died, aged 92, according to her death certificate, from metabolic acidosis and carcinoma of the right parotid gland.
Actress, singer, and writer who was best-known to television viewers as 'Edna Garrett', the affable housemother on the popular NBC sitcom "The Facts of Life" (1979-86). Rae was also known for her role as the hilariously gossipy housewife 'Sylvia Schnauser' on the early 1960s NBC sitcom "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-63). Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky, she started acting early with the Children's Theatre of Wauwatosa and later on radio. As a teenager, she won a summer apprenticeship with the Port Players, a professional summer theater company. She also was a regular on the stage at Shorewood High School. In 1944, she attended Northwestern University and studied alongside other later well-known actors and actresses such as Charlton Heston, Paul Lynde, Jeffrey Hunter, and Cloris Leachman. In 1948, she made the decision to leave school and go to New York to seek fame and fortune as a singer and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in 1952 in "Three Wishes for Jamie" and followed it up with such successful endeavors as "The Threepenny Opera" (off-Broadway) and "L'il Abner" (Broadway). She went on to later receive two Tony Award nominations in her career, for "Pickwick" in 1966 and "Morning, Noon, and Night" in 1969. She also recorded an album in 1955 which was titled "Songs I Taught My Mother." She made her first television appearance in 1951 on the television series "Once Upon a Time." Besides "The Facts of Life" and "Car 54, Where Are You," she went on to appear in many television series during her career such as "The Phil Silvers Show", "Sesame Street", "The Paul Lynde Show," "Hot L Baltimore," "Diff'rent Strokes" (where she originated the 'Edna Garrett' character), "Sisters," "Murder She Wrote," "ER," and "The King of Queens." She made her first film appearance in 1969 in "Hello Down There." Her big-screen credits would later include such films as "Bananas" (1971), "Rabbit Test" (1978), "Hair" (1979), "Nowhere" (1997), and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" (2008). She also did voice work on several animated series. She suffered from various health crises throughout her life and was one of the few people to survive adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer). Having lost her mother and elder sister to the disease, she had been enrolled in a long-term testing study. However, she was later diagnosed with bone cancer, and died, aged 92, according to her death certificate, from metabolic acidosis and carcinoma of the right parotid gland.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
Family Members
Siblings
Advertisement
