Carol Arthur DeLuise[1] (born Carol Arata; August 4, 1935 – November 1, 2020), known professionally as Carol Arthur, was an American actress, mainly recognizable in supporting roles in films directed by Mel Brooks.
Carol Arthur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Carol Arata August 4, 1935 Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 2020 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1961–2004 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Peter DeLuise Michael DeLuise David DeLuise |
Early life
editArthur was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in nearby East Rutherford, the daughter of Mildred (née Foehl) and Peter Arata, a police officer.[2][3] She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school paper and performed on stage.[4]
Career
editArthur appeared in minor roles in four films directed by Mel Brooks and in other works with her husband, Dom DeLuise, including Brooks' Blazing Saddles (1974) as the outspoken town school teacher Harriett Johnson ("You are the leading asshole in the state!").
One of her more notable credits was as the daughter of George Burns' character in The Sunshine Boys (1975). She also guest-starred on many television shows from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, including The Dom DeLuise Show, Emergency!, Sanford and Son, Rhoda, Alice, Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, St. Elsewhere, and 7th Heaven.
During the late-1970s and early-1980s, Arthur appeared as "Safety Sadie", the spokeswoman for the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in several television and radio public service announcements.
Arthur also appeared in various stage productions, including the role of Mrs. Paroo in the short-lived 1980 Broadway revival of The Music Man starring Dick Van Dyke.[5][3]
Personal life
editArthur met her future husband, DeLuise, in 1964 while working on stage in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The couple married in 1965; together they had three sons, all of whom have become actors: Peter, Michael, and David DeLuise.[6][7]
Death
editArthur died on November 1, 2020, at age 85, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease eleven years earlier. She was survived by her three sons and several grandchildren.[5]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Making It | Mrs. Warren | |
| 1974 | Blazing Saddles | Harriett Johnson | |
| 1974 | Our Time | Gym Teacher | |
| 1975 | The Sunshine Boys | Doris Green | |
| 1976 | Silent Movie | Pregnant lady | |
| 1977 | The World's Greatest Lover | Woman in record store | |
| 1979 | Hot Stuff | Ernie's wife | |
| 1989 | The Princess and the Dwarf | ||
| 1991 | Driving Me Crazy | Jaguar boss | |
| 1992 | Almost Pregnant | Saleswoman | as 'Carol DeLuise' |
| 1993 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Complaining Villager | |
| 1995 | Dracula: Dead and Loving It | Villager | |
| 1997 | The Good Bad Guy | Liza | |
| 1998 | The Godson | Mama Calzone | |
| 2000 | Intrepid | Marcia Lowell | |
| 2002 | It's All About You | Producer | |
| 2003 | Between the Sheets | Gabby |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Arnie | Christina | Episode: "My Sister's Keeper" |
| 1974 | Emergency! | Eloise Tanner | Episode: "Fools" |
| 1975 | Karen | Beverly Blyden | Episode: "Hartford Revisited" |
| 1976 | Sanford and Son | Ms. Barnes | Episode: "The Camping Trip" |
| 1977 | The McLean Stevenson Show | Mrs. Alcott | Episode: "What Makes Mac Run?" |
| Rhoda | Doris | Episode: "To Vegas with Love" | |
| 1978 | What's Happening!! | Mrs. Lawrence | Episode: "The Creep Detective" |
| 1981 | The Brady Girls Get Married | Mrs. Logan | TV movie |
| 1983 | Alice | The Bag Lady | Episode: "Vera on the Lam" |
| Venice Medical | Mrs. Baker | TV movie | |
| Happy | Floor manager | ||
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Mrs. Stovall | Episode: "Sweet Dreams" |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | Mother | Episode: "Guilt Trip" |
| 1990 | True Colors | Episode: "Soft Shell" | |
| Lifestories | Episode: "Jerry Forchette" | ||
| 1999 | Boys Will Be Boys | Blanche | TV movie |
| 2004 | 7th Heaven | Gertrude Fleaming | Episode: "Two Weddings, an Engagement and a Funeral" |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Kicks and Co. | Ensemble | |
| 1963 | On the Town | Performer | London Revival |
| 1964 | High Spirits | Edith | Original Broadway Production |
| 1980 | The Music Man | Mrs. Paroo | Broadway Revival |
| 1981 | Woman of the Year | Jan Donovan | Original Broadway Production |
References
edit- ^ "Actor Carol Arthur DeLuise, Widow of Dom DeLuise, Dies at 85". Associated Press. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ O'Donnell, Monica M. (1984). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 1. Gale. ISBN 978-0-8103-2064-2. ISSN 0749-064X. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Attrino, Anthony G. (November 5, 2020). "N.J.'s Carol Arthur Deluise, widow of Dom Deluise, dies in California after long illness". The Star-Ledger. Newark. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
Born Carol Arata in Hackensack, she lived in East Rutherford and was the daughter of a police lieutenant in the borough. She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school newspaper and acted in stage plays, according to published reports.
- ^ "Keeping In Touch". Commercial Leader and South-Bergen Review. December 12, 1984. Accessed November 3, 2020. "Carol DeLuise, the former Carol Arata of East Rutherford, remembers her area friends with a Christmas card that shows her growing sons, Michael, left, David and Peter, right — and their dog Midnight.... Carol was Miss Everything at East Rutherford High School where she wrote and starred in the musicals, edited the yearbook and the school newspaper and finished off with academic honors."
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (November 2, 2020). "Carol Arthur, Actress in 'Blazing Saddles' and Wife of Dom DeLuise, Dies at 85". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (May 6, 2009). "Dom DeLuise dies at 75; actor was a 'naturally funny man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
- ^ Grimes, William (May 5, 2009). "Dom DeLuise, Comic Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
External links
edit- Carol Arthur at IMDb
- Carol Arthur at the Internet Broadway Database
- Carol Arthur discography at Discogs