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Nell Carter

 
Black Biography: Nell Carter
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actor; singer

Personal Information

Born on September 13, 1948, in Birmingham, AL; died on January 23, 2003, in Beverly Hills, CA; daughter of Horace L. and Edna Hardy; married second husband, George Krynicki (a mathematician and lumber company executive), May 1982 (divorced, 1989); children: (first marriage) Tracey Jenniece, (adopted) Joshua, Daniel
Education: Bill Russells School of Drama, 1970-73.
Politics: Democrat.
Religion: Born Presbyterian, but converted to Judaism in 1982.

Career

Stage actress, 1971-03; television actress, 1972-03; film actress, 1979-99; singer, 1981-03.

Life's Work

Popular actress and singer Nell Carter was best known for her Emmy award-nominated role as the sassy housekeeper on the 1980s television sitcom, Gimme a Break. She originally made her name on the Broadway stage, however, winning a Tony award for her performance in the musical Ain't Misbehavin'. The performer died in 2003 from complications of diabetes, which she had struggled with for many years. At just four-feet-eleven-inches tall, Carter was "Blessed with a big voice and stage presence," Variety noted in an obituary. Robert Bianco concurred in USA Today. "Carter was known for a comic verve that leaned heavily on sass, a dance style that sent her entire body shaking, and a powerful, character-filled adenoidal voice that could move the rafters," he wrote.

Carter was born Nell Hardy on September 13, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Horace L. and Edna M. Hardy. One of nine children, she grew up listening to her mother's Dinah Washington and B.B. King records and her brother's Elvis Presley records. She claimed she originally aspired to become an opera singer, but cited such popular singers as Doris Day, the Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, Cleo Laine, and Barbara Streisand among her influences. Carter's childhood was also marked by trauma. Her father was electrocuted after accidentally stepping on a live power line when she was young, and she was raped at gunpoint when she was 15. She grew up singing in her church choir, and began her career singing on the gospel circuit. "When I grew up, [performing] was not something you aspired to," Carter was quoted as saying by the Washington Post. "I was a weirdo to want to be in show business. Most kids wanted to be teachers or nurses." She was featured on a weekly radio show with a group called the Y Teens, and performed in coffeehouses and nightclubs in Birmingham before making her way to New York City at age 19.

In New York Carter studied acting and performed in such nightclubs as Reno Sweeney, the Village Gate, Dangerfield's, the Apartment, and the Rainbow Room. She made her stage debut in Soon, but really made a name for herself on the New York stage in the blockbuster Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', which was a revue of songs by Fats Waller. She won a Tony award in 1978 for the role. When Ain't Misbehavin'; was broadcast on TV in 1982, she earned an Emmy award for her performance. "She was a pioneer in many ways," fellow Tony award winner Audra McDonald told the Chicago Tribune. "She had the ability to be such an incredible comedic musical-theater actress, blow a song all the way to the back of the wall and then come down and be so intimate and beautiful in a ballad." Her other stage credits included Hello Dolly, Hair, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Bubbling Brown Sugar.

In 1981, Carter took the role of Miss Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper, a smart and sassy housekeeper on the television sitcom, Gimme a Break. She portrayed a matronly mother figure to a white California family headed by a widower who was the town police chief. The show ran until 1987, and gave Carter a place in popular culture. She earned two Emmy award nominations for her role, which "revived the archetype of the mammy, an African-American woman caring for a white family," Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times. In February of 1985, an episode of Gimme a Break was broadcast live--which was the first time a sitcom has aired live in almost 30 years. The cast performed the episode flawlessly, and at the end of the show, Carter "threw up her arms and yelled 'We did it!'" according to the Washington Post. She also appeared on television in the soap opera Ryan's Hope, on the acclaimed PBS special Baryshnikov on Broadway, and returned to TV for regular series roles in You Take the Kids and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper.

From early in her career until the mid-1980s, Carter struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. She was able to overcome her addictions through a 12-step program. Carter had also battled type-2 diabetes for years, and underwent two brain surgeries in 1992 to repair aneurysms. Even though Carter continued to perform through all of her medical problems, she was constantly in poor health. On January 23, 2003, her teenage son found her collapsed in her Beverly Hills home. When paramedics arrived, they declared her dead on the scene. The exact cause of death was not immediately known, but it was assumed to be from natural causes. At the time of her death, she was in rehearsals for a production of Raisin, a musical version of the classic drama Raisin in the Sun. She was survived by an adult daughter, Tracy, and two sons, Joshua and Daniel.

Despite her short stature, Carter "was a larger-than-life stage personality who never did things in half-measures," Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times. Along with popular singers Patti LaBelle and Jennifer Holliday, he continued, Carter "belonged to a select circle of theatrical pop-soul belters whose members reveled in high-powered vocal flamboyance. A typical performance by Ms. Carter reached into the fabric of a song and tore out its seams with feral flourishes."

Awards

OBIE Award, Drama Desk Award, Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical, and Soho News award, all for Ain't Misbehavin', 1978; Emmy award for TV broadcast of Ain't Misbehavin', 1982.

Works

Selected works

  • Films
  • Hair, United Artists, 1979.
  • Modern Problems, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1981.
  • Back Roads, Warner Bros., 1981.
  • Bebe's Kids, Paramount, 1992.
  • The Grass Harp, Fine Line Features, 1995.
  • The Crazysitter, New Horizons, 1995.
  • The Proprietor, Warner Bros., 1996.
  • Fakin' Da Funk, Octillion Entertainment, 1997.
  • Follow Your Heart, 1997.
  • We Wish You a Merry Christmas (animated), 1999.
  • Special Delivery, Calling Productions, 1999.
  • Perfect Fit, Atmosphere Films/Two Moon Releasing, 1999.
  • The Misery Brothers, 1999.
  • Recordings
  • Ben Bagley's Everyone Else Revisited, Painted Smiles, 1981.
  • Kurt Weill Revisited, Painted Smiles, 1982.
  • Kurt Weill, Volume 2, Painted Smiles, 1982.
  • Leonard Bernstein Revisited, Painted Smiles, 1983.
  • Also recorded Ain't Misbehavin'; (original cast album); To Life! Chanukah and Other Jewish Celebrations; Misbehavin'! (with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus).
  • Television movies
  • Cindy, ABC, 1978.
  • Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story, 1992.
  • Maid for Each Other, NBC, 1992.
  • Sealed with a Kiss, 1999.
  • Television series
  • Ryan's Hope, ABC, 1975.
  • Lobo, NBC, 1980-81.
  • Gimme a Break, NBC, 1981-87.
  • 227, NBC, 1989.
  • Santa Barbara, 1990.
  • You Take the Kids, CBS, 1990.
  • Jake and the Fatman, 1992.
  • Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, ABC, 1993-95.
  • Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, 1995.
  • Can't Hurry Love, CBS, 1996.
  • Sparks, UPN, 1997.
  • Touched by an Angel, CBS, 2001.
  • Blues Clues, Nickelodeon.
  • Television specials
  • Baryshnikov on Broadway, ABC, 1980.
  • Ain't Misbehavin', NBC, 1981.
  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, NBC, 1984.
  • The 10th Annual Circus of the Stars, CBS, 1985.
  • Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985.
  • Never Too Old to Dream, NBC, 1986.
  • Evening at Pops, PBS, 1987.
  • Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration, CBS, 1988.
  • The Presidential Inaugural Gala, CBS, 1989.
  • The 4th Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1990.
  • Welcome Home, America! A USO Salute to America's Sons and Daughters, ABC, 1991.
  • The Jaleel White Special, ABC, 1992.
  • The 65th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1993.
  • The 48th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1994.
  • My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies, 1999.
  • Theater performances
  • Soon, Ritz Theatre, New York City, 1971.
  • Ain't Misbehavin', Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, 1978 then Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1978-1979 and Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1979-1981.
  • Ain't Misbehavin'; (revival), Ambassador Theatre, New York City, 1988-1989.
  • Hello, Dolly!, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Long Beach, CA, 1991.
  • Annie, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1997.
  • Also appeared in Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, Edison Theatre, New York City; Hair; Dude; Jesus Christ Superstar; Bury the Dead; Rhapsody in Gershwin; Blues Is a Woman; Black Broadway; Miss Moffat; Bubbling Brown Sugar; Be Kind to People Week; The Vagina Monologues.

Further Reading

Books

  • Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 37, Gale Group, 2002.
Periodicals
  • Billboard, February 8, 2003, p. 52.
  • Chicago Tribune, January 24, 2003, p. 9.
  • Jet, February 10, 2003, p. 48.
  • New York Times, January 24, 2003, p. C19.
  • USA Today, January 24, 2003, p. D11.
  • Variety, January 27-February 2, 2003, p. 46.
  • Washington Post, January 24, 2003, p. B8.
On-line
  • "Nell Carter," All Music Guide, www.allmusic.com (March 19, 2003).

— Brenna Sanchez

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Actor: Nell Carter
Top
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Sep 13, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama
  • Died: Jan 23, 2003 in Beverly Hills, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '80s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Children's/Family
  • Career Highlights: The Grass Harp, Maid for Each Other, Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
  • First Major Screen Credit: Modern Problems (1981)

Biography

Well-rounded African-American character actress Nell Carter has found success on stage, television, in nightclubs, and in feature films. Carter started out as a nightclub/cabaret performer, but first gained national attention after winning a Tony for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', and has appeared in several more. For her stage work, Carter has also received an Outer Circle Critics Award, an Obie, and the Drama Desk Award. Carter started appearing on television in the mid-'70s when she had recurring roles in such series as the soap opera Ryan's Hope and the prime time series The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979-1981), where she played police sergeant Hildy Jones. Carter is best remembered for playing the strong-willed but soft-hearted Nell on the sitcom Gimme a Break (1981-1987). In addition to series work, Carter has appeared in television movies and guested many times on The Tonight Show. In 1986, she hosted her own television special, Never Too Old to Dream; during the 65th Annual Academy Awards (for 1992), she performed a show-stopping version of "Never Had a Friend Like Me" from the Disney-animated musical Aladdin. Carter made her feature-film debut in Milos Forman's adaptation of the controversial hit musical Hair and continued to find steady work in such films as The Grass Harp (1995) and The Proprietor (1997). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Nell Carter
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
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Nell Carter
Born September 13, 1948(1948-09-13)
Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Died January 23, 2003 (aged 54)
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Occupation Actor
Years active 1979–2003
Spouse(s) George Krynicki (1982-1992)
Roger Larocque (1992-1993)

Nell Carter (September 13, 1948 – January 23, 2003) was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Born Nell Ruth Hardy to Horace and Edna Mae Hardy in Birmingham, Alabama, Carter was one of nine children. She overcame adversity and personal hardships before finding success as an actress. Her father died in an accident with a power line. A man raped her when she was 16, and she became pregnant from the attack, giving birth to a daughter, Tracy.

Career

Carter appeared alongside Bette Davis in the 1974 stage musical Miss Moffat, based on Davis' earlier film The Corn Is Green. The show closed before making it to Broadway. She broke into stardom in the musical Ain't Misbehavin, for which she won a Tony Award in 1978. She also won an Emmy for the same role in a televised performance in 1982. Additional Broadway credits included Dude and Annie.

In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman-directed musical film adaptation of Hair. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack. One of the more memorable moments in the film involves her rendition of the song "White Boys" where she can be seen dancing playfully as she performs the song (alongside Ain't Misbehavin co-star, Charlayne Woodard).

In 1978, Carter was cast as Effie White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, but departed the production during development to take a television role on the ABC-TV soap opera, Ryan's Hope in New York. When Dreamgirls premiered in late 1981, Jennifer Holliday had taken over the lead. Carter also took a role on television's The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, before landing a steady role as housekeeper Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break!, for which she earned Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations. The popular show lasted from 1981 to 1987.

During the early 1990s, Carter appeared in low-budget films, TV specials, and on game shows such as Match Game '90 and To Tell the Truth. She also co-starred in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. She appeared as a special guest star on the pilot episode of the new WB show Reba and continued with the show, making a total of three appearances in season one.

In the mid-1990s, Carter appeared on Broadway in a revival of Annie as Miss Hannigan. She was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter felt that racism played a part in the decision. "Maybe they don't want audiences to know Nell Carter is black",[1] she told the New York Post. However, the ads did mention that Carter was in the show. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it — it's insulting to me as a black woman."[citation needed] Carter was later replaced by another white actress, Sally Struthers.

In 2002, Carter made two appearances on the show Ally McBeal. The following year had her rehearsing for a production of Raisin, a stage musical of A Raisin in the Sun in Long Beach, California, and filming a movie, Swing.

On Insane Clown Posse's House of Horrors song from their album The Great Milenko there is a reference to Nell Carter saying; "Do you like Nell Carter?" "No." "Good cause you won't find her here. This is the House of Horrors".

Personal life

After Gimme a Break! began, Carter's life took a turbulent turn. She married mathematician and lumber executive George Krynicki, and converted to Judaism in 1982 (she had been born Catholic and raised Presbyterian).[2][3][4] She attempted suicide in the early 1980s, and entered a drug detoxification facility around 1985. Her brother, Bernard, died of AIDS in 1989.

Carter had three children: a daughter Tracy and two sons Daniel and Joshua. She adopted both her sons as newborns over a four month period. She attempted to adopt twice more but both adoptions fell through. In one case she brought home a child, Mary, but the birth parents demanded money before they would sign the adoption papers. In her final attempt, she allowed a young pregnant woman to move into her house with the plan to adopt the child but the mother decided to parent her child.

In 1992, she had surgery to remove aneurysms. She divorced Krynicki and married Roger Larocque that same year. In 1993 she divorced Larocque. Carter declared bankruptcy in 1995 (and again in 2002). She also endured three miscarriages.

Appearing emotional and tearful on an episode of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show, Carter explained how she went to a Liza Minnelli concert during a turbulent time of her life. Carter told Raphael how Minnelli, seeing Carter in an agonized state, ran offstage to tell her sister, Lorna Luft, to go out and take Carter backstage so that she could get some help. Minnelli and Luft helped get Carter into rehab for her cocaine problems which she conquered.

Carter was a Republican and a supporter of President George W. Bush.[5]

Death

Having previously survived two brain aneurisms, Carter died on January 23, 2003, from heart disease complicated by diabetes in her Beverly Hills home that she shared with her partner Ann Kaser, and her two 13-year-old boys, Joshua and Daniel. Her adult daughter Tracy lived away from the home. She is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Nell Carter, Ain't Misbehavin' Star, Dead at 54 - Playbill
  2. ^ http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/19245/-pop-soul-belter-nell-carter-54-devoted-convert-to-judaism-dies/
  3. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-3984109.html?refid=gg_x_02
  4. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,76413,00.html
  5. ^ http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/c/nellcarter/nelly.htm

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Clamma Dale
in Porgy and Bess		 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
1977-1978
for Ain't Misbehavin'		 Succeeded by
Angela Lansbury
in Sweeney Todd
v • d • e
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Kelly Bishop (1976) · Delores Hall (1977) · Nell Carter (1978) · Carlin Glynn (1979) · Priscilla Lopez (1980) · Marilyn Cooper (1981) · Liliane Montevecchi (1982) · Betty Buckley (1983) · Lila Kedrova (1984) · Leilani Jones (1985) · Bebe Neuwirth (1986) · Frances Ruffelle (1987) · Judy Kaye (1988) · Debbie Shapiro (1989) · Randy Graff (1990) · Daisy Eagan (1991) · Tonya Pinkins (1992) · Andrea Martin (1993) · Audra McDonald (1994) · Gretha Boston (1995) · Ann Duquesnay (1996) · Lillias White (1997) · Audra McDonald (1998) · Kristin Chenoweth (1999) · Karen Ziemba (2000)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Black Biography. Contemporary Black Biography. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nell Carter".  Read more