Elizabeth Kerr
Born(1912-08-15)August 15, 1912
Kansas City, Missouri, US
DiedJanuary 13, 2000(2000-01-13) (aged 87)
Long Beach, California, US
OccupationActor

Elizabeth Kerr (August 15, 1912 – January 13, 2000) was an American actress, theatre producer and director.

Early years

Kerr was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of John and Anna Kerr. She attended Northwestern University and the University of Kansas.[1] As a girl, she dreamed of being an actress, but family responsibilities prevented her from doing so until she was a grandmother.[2] After she married, she wrote reviews of books and plays for the newspaper that she and her husband owned. She also read book reviews at meetings of women's clubs, which she said helped to prepare her for acting.[3]

Career

Kerr's acting career began at the Pasadena Playhouse. She was selected for a role there after her first audition, and in two years she became a professional.[4]

Kerr's Broadway debut came in Angel in the Pawnshop (1951).[2] Her other Broadway credits included The Conquering Hero (1961), Redhead (1959), and The Righteous Are Bold (1955).[5] She also made national tours of a similar number of plays, besides performing in regional theatrical productions.[4]

On television, Kerr played Mother Elliott in The Betty White Show,[6] and Cora Hudson in Mork & Mindy.[6]: 715 

Kerr also produced plays. She founded the Glendale Civic Theater in 1947[1] and launched the Resident Theater in North Hollywood in 1952.[7] She also directed at the Resident Theater.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "'Mork and Mindy' Star to Visit". Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Chieftain. August 9, 1979. p. 2. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Grandma Reaches Broadway Via Dishes and Poetry Route". Brooklyn Eagle. March 18, 1951. p. 31. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Even Mork respects Elizabeth Kerr". The Advocate. Newark, Ohio. Copley News Service. August 4, 1979. p. 13. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Harper, Hilliard (August 17, 1983). "Elizabeth Kerr: The Stage Was Her School". Los Angeles Times. p. Part II 7. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Elizabeth Kerr". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0.
  7. ^ "Plays Will Be Showcased in Valley Theater". The Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1952. p. Part IV - 10. Retrieved April 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ von Blon, Katherine (October 27, 1953). "Whimsical Comedy Entertaining Fare". Los Angeles Times. p. Part III - 9. Retrieved October 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

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