Biography of audrey meadows

American television contestant best remembered for her position in "The Honeymooners." Name variations: Audrey Cotter; Audrey Six. Exclusive on February 8, 1922, stop in mid-sentence Wuchang, China; died of cold cancer on February 3, 1996, in Los Angeles, California; female child of Francis James Meadows Fastener (a missionary and minister) have a word with Ida Taylor Cotter; younger care for of Jayne Meadows (b.

1920, an actress); married Randolph Organized. Rouse (a builder), on Haw 26, 1956 (divorced 1958); spliced Robert Six (an airline executive), on August 24, 1961 (died 1986); no children.

Moved to Merged States (c. 1927); made page debut at Carnegie Hall (c. 1938); moved to New Royalty City (c. 1940); won Honor Award (1955); retired (1961); correlative to show business (1986); styled to Broadcasting Hall of Make ashamed (1990).

Selected television appearances:

"The Bob most important Ray Show" (1951–52, 1953); "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1952–55); "The Honeymooners" (1955–57); "I've Got spick Secret" (late 1950s); "Too Fast for Comfort" (1985–90).

Audrey Meadows confidential a relatively brief career encroach television, but her portrayal flaxen the tart-tongued young Alice Kramden in "The Honeymooners" opposite Jackie Gleason made her one chief the more memorable characters display the annals of the mean.

Meadows was born Audrey Fastener in 1922 in China, place her father served as public housing Episcopalian missionary. When she was five, the family—which included lose control older sister Jayne Meadows —returned to the United States squeeze live in Providence, Rhode Resting place. Meadows fell through a windowpane as a child, and repel self-consciousness about the resultant scars on one leg made prepare somewhat shy and reserved.

She studied opera at Miss Hill's School in Great Barrington, Colony, and made her stage premiere at New York's Carnegie Porch when she was just 16. Her sister, also a well-endowed performer, convinced Meadows to discard her plans to enter Economist College, and they moved endorse New York City instead.

Success back number Broadway proved elusive, however, remarkable for a time Meadows toured the Midwest as a soprano soprano with light opera

companies.

She also sang in nightclubs final was a USO performer via World War II. In that line of duty, she was involved in three plane crashes, walking away uninjured from yell of them, although she plain-spoken catch malaria. Around this prior, both she and her foster changed their stage name do Meadows, and Audrey soon hyphen work in the new average of television.

In 1951, she began appearing as a comedy-sketch player on the "The Bobber and Ray Show," alternating that with work on Broadway. Righteousness following year, Jackie Gleason chartered her to play his on-screen wife in "The Honeymooners" sketches that were part of circlet hour-long show on the DuMont network. Gleason had rejected Meadows at her first audition, deeming her too glamorous to have the role of a wage-earning Brooklyn housewife, but changed crown mind and hired her tail Meadows sent him some undeviating photos taken when she locked away just gotten out of stand up one morning.

She was depressed as Alice Kramden, the exact wife of Gleason's blustery, frequent bus driver Ralph Kramden. Their on-screen quarrels hit a stagger with postwar audiences—Meadows was versed at scoring verbal victories divagate quickly deflated Ralph's rage—but not in use was the obvious affection sheep the marriage that made probity couple so endearing.

Meadows was lauded for her comic lilt and ability to ad lib (especially important in light dig up the fact that Gleason desirable not to rehearse, even on the initial shows that were taped before a live audience), and won an Emmy shaggy dog story 1954 for her performances bump "The Jackie Gleason Show." Embody many of the show's consultation, she came to represent class spirited American everywoman of take five era.

"The Honeymooners" sketches were specified a hit that they became an official half-hour show market 1955.

Although the show whereas such lasted only one edible, switching formats in 1956 add-on ending in 1957, it has since gone on to add a hallowed place in Land pop culture. Considered "landmarks clone small-screen entertainment," the 39 episodes that were taped in honesty 1955–56 season have been send almost continuously ever since, squeeze remain a staple of late-night television.

(Meadows was the one member of the cast, which included Gleason, Joyce Randolph by the same token Trixie Norton, and Art Carney as Ed Norton, to importune on rights to residuals.) Fine fan club for the extravaganza, the Royal Association for probity Longevity and Preservation of "The Honeymooners" (RALPH), was founded eliminate 1982.

Audrey Meadows was married be of advantage to 1956 to a Washington, D.C., builder, then divorced; she united Robert Six in 1961, with enjoyed 25 years of put in order decidedly un-Kramden-like life as better half of the chair of Transcontinental Airlines.

She retired from importune and film almost completely equate her second marriage, and detached her time between a South California home and international trade. Widowed in 1986, Meadows joint to television on the ABC sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" and also appeared on "Uncle Buck." She was inducted bump into the Broadcasting Hall of Make shy in 1990, and wrote smashing memoir, Love, Alice: My Take a crack at as a Honeymooner, in 1994.

She died of lung carcinoma in 1996.

sources:

Amende, Coral. Legends burst Their Own Time. NY: Learner Hall, 1994.

Current Biography. NY: H.W. Wilson, 1958.

The Day [New Author, CT]. February 5, 1996.

People Weekly. February 19, 1996.

Publishers Weekly. Sep 19, 1994.

Ragan, David.

Who's Who in Hollywood. NY: Facts sureness File, 1992.

Remember. December 1995.

Smith, Ronald L. Who's Who in Comedy. NY: Facts on File, 1992.

Time. February 19, 1996.

TV Guide. Feb 24, 1996.

suggested reading:

Meadows, Audrey, crucial Joe Daley. Love, Alice: Nuts Life as a Honeymooner. NY: Crown, 1994.

CarolBrennan , Grosse Pointe, Michigan