Emmy Winning Actress & Famed TV Mother Passes Away at Age 97
Oh the good old days of vaudeville. That slap-stick humor and random, diverse entertainment seem to be gone forever.
Made popular in the U.S. in the late 1800s, vaudeville was the starting place for many actors and musicians.
As time goes by many of those famous entertainers have passed away, leaving their legacy of humor, music and showmanship behind.
One shining star of Hollywood’s Golden Age has passed away. The stage and screen legend Nanette Fabray died at the age of 97 on Feb. 22.
Nanette Fabray, born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Fabares, began her entertainment career in 1924 at the age of four. She toured with a vaudeville group, appearing in bit parts and comedy skits.
As she got older, she had a difficult time in school due to a misdiagnosed ear problem, a problem that would plague much of her young life. She began to lose her hearing and it would take several surgeries in the 1950s to restore it.
In her early twenties, Fabray made her Broadway debut in the musical comedy “Let’s Face It.” Then, eight years later, she won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Fabray next turned her attention to the big screen. One of her biggest successes came with the 1953 movie “The Band Wagon.”
In the film she was remembered for her portrayal of a hilarious adult-sized baby as well as her iconic song, “That’s Entertainment.”
She won two Emmy Awards for her work on the show “Caesar’s Hour.” The variety show was a perfect combination of music, acting and humor for Fabray’s amazing talent.
One other claim to fame came in at the advent of color television. NBC hired Fabray as a demonstration model saying that her skin tone showed off the technology perfectly.
But for those who were not around to appreciate this bright star and all she offered to the stage, Fabray was also known for her roles in television.
In the hit TV show “One Day at a Time,” she played Grandma Katherine Romano. She also appeared on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” as Moore’s mother.
She won the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, a well-deserved achievement for such a long an successful career. She continued to work in television until the 1990s and considered it her favorite medium.
This iconic stars’ passing leaves many remembering the good old days of entertainment. The president of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said, “A true performer and star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Nanette Fabray had limitless exuberance and an expert sense of comic timing.” She will be missed.
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