Carole Augusta Shelley (16 August 1939 – 31 August 2018)Bartlett, Rhett
"Carole Shelley, One of the Pigeon Sisters From 'The Odd Couple,' Dies at 79"
''The Hollywood Reporter'', 1 September 2018"Carole Shelley Passes Away at 79"
broadwayworld.com, 1 September 2018 was an English actress who made her career in the United States and United Kingdom. Her many stage roles included Gwendolyn Pigeon in ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

'' and

Madame Morrible ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

cast of the musical ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''. She won the

Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The award is given to actresses for quality lead ...

for her performance in ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then we ...

'' in 1979.

Early life

Shelley was born in London, England, the daughter of Deborah (' Bloomstein), an opera singer of Russian Jewish descent, and Curtis Shelley, a composer of German Jewish origin."Carole Shelley Biography"
tcm.com. Retrieved 6 April 2013 Her father had emigrated to London before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Career

Stage career

Shelley made her

debut as Gwendolyn Pigeon in the original 1965 production of ''

'' (starring

Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed Norton on the si ...

and Walter Matthau)."Carole Shelley Stage"
Playbill Vault, retrieved 1 September 2018 She reprised the role for the 1968 film version (with Jack Lemmon replacing Carney), and the first season of the subsequent television series (starring

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play '' The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...

and

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). ...

)."Carole Shelley, From All Movie Guide"
''The New York Times''. Retrieved 5 April 2013 She and

Monica Evans Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

, who co-starred as her sister Cecily Pigeon, were the only two performers to appear in the original play ''The Odd Couple'' and both the film and original television adaptation—and in the same roles. In the 1970s, Shelley wanted to extend her range, feeling she was not using all her capabilities as an actor. She told ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' in a 1979 interview that she had "months of the most intensive deep-water swimming — more than I’d ever been called upon to do in my life" when she played Rosalind in '' As You Like It'' at the 1972 Stratford Festival in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. She received her first

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination in 1975 for her performance as "Jane" in ''

Absurd Person Singular ''Absurd Person Singular'' is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christma ...

''. Shelley won the 1979

for her role as Mrs. Kendal in ''

'', and was nominated for the Tony Award as Featured Actress in a Play in 1987 for her performance in '' Stepping Out'' as "Maxine". In 1982 she won an Obie Award for her performance ''

Twelve Dreams ''Twelve Dreams'' is a 1981 play by James Lapine that was inspired by a case study contained in Carl Jung's 1964 book ''Man and His Symbols''. The case concerns a 10-year-old girl who gave her father, a psychiatrist, an unusual Christmas present � ...

''. Shelley also began appearing in musicals in the late 1990s, with the revivals of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' as Parthy and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

'' as Fraulein Schneider in 1999. In 2003, Shelley created the role of

in the original Broadway cast of the musical ''

'', a role which she later reprised in the show's national touring company in 2005 and in 2006 in the Chicago production. Shelley played the role of Grandma in the Broadway production of ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

'' at the

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed ...

, beginning performances in October 2008. She was nominated for a

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950s ...

in 2009. In 2014, she succeeded

Jane Carr Ellen Jane Carr (born 13 August 1950) is an English actress. She is well known for her first film role as Mary McGregor in drama '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969) and the voice role of " Pud'n" on the animated ''The Grim Adventures of ...

as Miss Shingle in '' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder''.

Film and television career

Shelley's early career included roles in British films such as ''

It's Great to Be Young ''It's Great to Be Young'' is a 1956 musical Technicolor comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills. Plot Mr Dingle (John Mills) seeks to interest his pupils in music in order to enjoy life, while the new ...

'' (1956), '' Carry On Regardless'' (1961), ''

No My Darling Daughter ''No My Darling Daughter'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and featuring Michael Redgrave, Michael Craig, Roger Livesey, James Westmoreland (credited as Rad Fulton), and Juliet Mills. It was based on the play ''Handful o ...

'' (1961), ''

The Cool Mikado ''The Cool Mikado'' is a British musical film released in 1963, directed by Michael Winner (who makes a short appearance as an airline passenger à la Hitchcock near the start of the film), and produced by Harold Baim, with music arranged by Mar ...

'' (1962) and ''

Carry On Cabby ''Carry On Cabby'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the seventh in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Released on 7 November 1963, it was the first to have a screenplay written by Talbot Rothwell (although the first screenplay "To ...

'' (1963). In 1968 Shelley starred as Gwendolyn Pigeon in the film ''

''. Thereafter she took on numerous roles in television and films such as ''

The Boston Strangler The Boston Strangler is the name given to the murderer of 13 women in the Boston, Massachusetts, area during the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, details revealed in court during a separate case, ...

'' (1968),"Carole Shelley Film Credits"
afi.com, retrieved 2 September 2018 ''

Some Kind of a Nut ''Some Kind of a Nut'' is a 1969 American comedy film written and directed by Garson Kanin and starring Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson and Rosemary Forsyth. This was the final film of Dennis King. Plot Fred Amidon is a New York City bank tell ...

'' (1969), '' The Whoopee Boys'' (1986), ''

Little Noises ''Little Noises'' is a 1991 drama comedy film directed by Jane Spencer. The film stars Crispin Glover as an awkward and unsuccessful writer who achieves fame after stealing the poetry of a deaf man. Plot Joey (Crispin Glover) is an awkward young ...

'' (1992), '' The Road to Wellville'' (1994), and she played Helen Moskowitz in the Emmy-winning 1998 ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'' episode " Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz". She was featured as "Aunt Clara" alongside

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and former ''Wicked'' co-star

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

in the 2005 film '' Bewitched''. She lent her voice to several roles in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated films; notably, Amelia Gabble (the Goose) in ''

The Aristocats ''The Aristocats'' is a 1970 American animated romantic musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. The 20th Disney animated feature film, the film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom R ...

'' (1970), Lady Kluck, Maid Marian's sidekick and lady-in-waiting, in ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

'' (1973), and Lachesis the Fate in ''Hercules''.'Hercules' Cast
''The New York Times''. Retrieved 5 April 2013 Shelley's "sister" co-star in all three versions of ''The Odd Couple'', Monica Evans, also played her "goose" sister in ''The Aristocats'', Abigail Gabble, and Maid Marian in ''Robin Hood'' as a nod to their roles as Pigeon Sisters. Her final role was a cameo at the beginning of

John Mulaney John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He first rose to prominence for his work as a writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous ...

’s 2018 comedy special ''Kid Gorgeous''; she played Mulaney’s guide around Radio City Music Hall.

Personal life

In 1967, she was married to Albert G. Woods, who died in 1971.

Death

Shelley died of cancer on August 31, 2018, at the age of 79 in New York City.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, Carole 1939 births 2018 deaths American film actresses American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses English film actresses English Jews English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses Deaths from cancer in New York (state) People with acquired American citizenship Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners English expatriates in the United States Actresses from London People educated at St Mary's Town and Country School Jewish British actresses 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses 20th-century British businesspeople 21st-century American women