Thursday, July 17, 2014

Elaine Stritch Dead at 89

Broadway legend Elaine Stritch also appeared in
ABC soap operas One Life to Live and The Edge
of Night.
Broadway legend Elaine Stritch passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 89. She died from natural causes in Birmingham, Michigan. She had suffered from diabetes for several years.

Stritch made her Broadway debut in the comedy "Loco" in 1946. The five-time Tony nominee went on to starring roles in Broadway productions of "Bus Stop," "No No Nanette," and "The King and I."

She was best known for her candid one-woman memoir, "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty," and for her role as Joanne in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company" (which featured the song "The Ladies Who Lunch").

Her film credits include A Farewell to Arms, September, Small Time Crooks, and Monster In Law. Her documentary, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, had its New York City premiere this year.

Her TV roles reached back to the 1950s, where she was the original Trixie Norton in the pilot for Honeymooners. She won one Emmy in 2007 for her portrayal of Colleen Donaghy, the mother of Alec Baldwin's character Jack Donaghy, on 30 Rock, and another for Outstanding Guest Actress on Law & Order in 1993. She was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for "The Best Halloween Ever."

She played Mrs. DeGroot on ABC daytime soap opera The Edge of Night in 1983-84.  In 1993 she played Wilma Bern, mother of Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern, on One Life to Live.

She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1995.

Stritch worked well into her late 80s, most recently as Madame Armfeldt in a revival of Sondheim's musical, "A Little Night Music." She replaced Angela Lansbury in 2010 to critical acclaim.

Stritch was married to John Bay in 1973. He died in 1982.

Watch a scene from One Life to Live featuring Stritch below:

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