Carmelita Pope (April 15, 1924 – April 3, 2019) was an American actress of stage and screen.

Early life

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Pope became friends with another aspiring actor,

Jocelyn Brando Jocelyn Brando (November 18, 1919November 27, 2005) was an American actress and writer. She is best known for her role as Katie Bannion in the film noir ''The Big Heat'' (1953). Early life Brando, the older sister of Marlon Brando, was born in ...

, and also became friends with her brother,

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

. The two developed a close bond. Brando frequently stayed at Pope's home, where they played bocce ball together. Bocce

Career

Pope's break as an actor came when she was cast by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...

as the lead, Corliss Archer, first as a replacement in the Chicago castBeck, Joan. "TV Star Likes her Role as Housewife Best."

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

, 17 October 1951. and subsequently in the

U.S.O. The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

production of his play ''Kiss and Tell'' that was to tour Italy and Northern Africa in 1945. Upon her return stateside, Pope replaced Cecily De Lucas in the role of Daisy Belle in the comedy ''Maid in the Ozarks'' at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway It was Pope's performance as anointed saint Mother Cabrini in the 1947 film ''Citizen Saint'' (under her stage name, Carla Dare) that drew the attention of director

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

. He subsequently cast her as

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar N ...

's understudy in the Broadway production of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

''. She was reunited with childhood friend Marlon Brando, who was playing Stanley. After the announcement that a large portion of the original cast (including

) would be leaving ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' in 1949, the producers put out a casting call for actors to replace them. Hunter, who had never missed a performance, told Pope that she would fake an illness and miss a day so that Pope could perform for the producers. Surprising even Pope herself, Hunter did call out sick one day, and Pope went on. She signed her contract to play Stella the next day. Pope remained with the production until it closed. Streetcar1949

Pope married Chicago ad man Howard Charles Ballenger II in April 1949, and the pair moved to Chicago, where they raised two sons. She starred as a panelist on the television show ''

Down You Go ''Down You Go'' is an American television game show originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The Emmy Award-nominated series ran from 1951 to 1956 as a prime time series primarily hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans. The program aired in el ...

'' in the 1950s, did numerous radio spots, and was also the spokeswoman for Pam Cooking Spray. She also appeared in the soap operas ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' and ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

''.

Personal life

Following the death of her husband Howard Charles Ballenger II of Highland Park, Illinois in 1975, Pope moved to Los Angeles, where she served as the director of the Hollywood office of the

American Humane Association American Humane (AH) is an organization founded in 1877 committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals. It was previously called the International Humane Association before changing its name in 1878. In 1940, it became t ...

. She remarried in 1988 and retired to Stuart, Florida. Pope lived in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

, Idaho, where she volunteered at the Warhawk Air Museum. She died on April 3, 2019, at the age of 94.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Carmelita 1924 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Chicago American film actresses American stage actresses Place of death missing American television actresses 21st-century American women