- Carol Bruce
Infobox actor
name = Carol Bruce
birthname = Shirley Levy
birthdate = birth date|1919|11|15
birthplace = city-state|Great Neck|New York, U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|2007|10|9|1919|11|15
deathplace = city-state|Woodland Hills|Los Angeles
spouse = Milton Nathonson (1945–1963)Carol Bruce (
November 15 ,1919 –October 9 ,2007 ) was an American band singer, Broadway star, and film and television actress.Bruce was born Shirley Levy in
Great Neck, New York , the daughter of Beatrice and Harry Levy. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/52/Carol-Bruce.html Carol Bruce Biography (1919-) ] ] She began her career as a singer in the late 1930s withLarry Clinton and his band. A graduate ofErasmus Hall High School inBrooklyn, New York , she made her Broadway debut in "Louisiana Purchase", which was reportedly especially written for her Fact|date=October 2007 byIrving Berlin . She was the first actress to play (and sing) the role of Julie in a Broadway production ofJerome Kern andOscar Hammerstein II 's "Show Boat " since the original production in the late 1920s. Bruce played the role onstage in 1946 and garnered favorable comparisons toHelen Morgan , who had originated the role on stage and on film.After a long career as a singer and in films, Bruce is probably best-remembered for her recurring role as the domineering and meddlesome "Mama Carlson" (mother of the station manager played by
Gordon Jump ) onCBS ' "WKRP in Cincinnati ".Her only marriage (to Milton Nathanson, which ended in divorce) produced a daughter, Julie. Bruce died from
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital inWoodland Hills, California , aged 87.Additional reading
*"Carol Bruce, 87; singer, actress had role in 'WKRP in Cincinnati'." "Los Angeles Times." October 14, 2007.
*Peterson, Alison J. "Carol Bruce, Actress on Film, Stage and TV, Dies at 87." "New York Times." October 16, 2007.References
External links
*imdb name|0115433|Carol Bruce
*ibdb name|033421|Carol Bruce
*amg name|2:9114
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