Elizabeth Kerr (August 15, 1912 – January 13, 2000) was an American actress, theatre producer and director.

Early years

Kerr was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of John and Anna Kerr. She attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. As a girl, she dreamed of being an actress, but family responsibilities prevented her from doing so until she was a grandmother. After she married, she wrote reviews of books and plays for the newspaper that she and her husband owned. She also read book reviews at meetings of women's clubs, which she said helped to prepare her for acting.

Career

Kerr's acting career began at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. She was selected for a role there after her first audition, and in two years she became a professional. Kerr's Broadway debut came in ''Angel in the Pawnshop'' (1951). Her other Broadway credits included ''

The Conquering Hero ''The Conquering Hero'' is a musical with a music by Mark Charlap, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical was based on Preston Sturges's 1944 film ''Hail the Conquering Hero''. The musical ran for only eight performances ...

'' (1961), ''

Redhead Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

'' (1959), and ''The Righteous Are Bold'' (1955). She also made national tours of a similar number of plays, besides performing in regional theatrical productions. On television, Kerr played Mother Elliott in ''

The Betty White Show The Betty White Show refers to several shows hosted by Betty White: * The Betty White Show (1952 TV series), which aired on NBC in 1954, having originated locally two years prior * The Betty White Show (1977 TV series), which aired on CBS in 1 ...

'', and Cora Hudson in ''

Mork & Mindy ''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', "My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrest ...

''. Kerr also produced plays. She founded the Glendale Civic Theater in 1947 and launched the Resident Theater in North Hollywood in 1952. She also directed at the Resident Theater.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Elizabeth 1912 births 2000 deaths Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American theatre managers and producers Northwestern University alumni University of Kansas alumni