Alice Playten (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Plotkin; August 28, 1947 – June 25, 2011) was an American actress known for her high-pitched, child-like voice.

Life and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Playten began her career at age 11 in the

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 ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' (1959). Her other Broadway credits included ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

'', ''

Henry, Sweet Henry ''Henry, Sweet Henry'' is a musical with a book by Nunnally Johnson and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. Based on the 1964 novel ''The World of Henry Orient'' by Johnson's daughter Nora and the subsequent film of the same name, the plot focuse ...

'', '' Hello, Dolly!'', ''

Rumors A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...

'', ''

Seussical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while inc ...

'', and ''

Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...

''. Her many

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

credits include ''

Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

'', ''

The Last Sweet Days of Isaac ''The Last Sweet Days of Isaac'' is an American Off-Broadway Rock music, rock musical by Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford, which premiered in 1970. It starred Austin Pendleton and Fredricka Weber, and later Alice Playten. It received positive reviews, ...

'', ''

Up from Paradise ''Up from Paradise'' is a musical with a novel and lyrics by Arthur Miller and music by Stanley Silverman. In 1972, Miller's comedy '' The Creation of the World and Other Business'' closed after only twenty performances. Undaunted by its failur ...

'', ''

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You ''Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' is a play by Christopher Durang. Productions ''Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' was first performed on December 14, 1979, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City. It was ...

'', ''

First Lady Suite ''First Lady Suite'' is a chamber musical by Michael John LaChiusa. The musical contains four separate segments about four of the First Ladies of the United States of America and the people surrounding them. They are: Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eise ...

'', ''

A Flea in Her Ear ''A Flea in Her Ear'' (french: La Puce à l'oreille) is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque. The author called it a vaudeville, but in Anglophone countries, where it is the most popular of Feydeau's play ...

'', ''

National Lampoon's Lemmings ''National Lampoon: Lemmings'', a spinoff of the humor magazine '' National Lampoon,'' was a 1973 stage show that helped launch the performing careers of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase. The show was co-written and co-directed by ...

'', and '' Shlemiel the First''. Playten's screen credits include '' Ladybug Ladybug'' (1963), ''

Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? ''Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?'' (also known as ''Death of a Hooker'') is a 1971 film directed by Ernest Pintoff and starring comedian and actor Red Buttons and featuring Sylvia Miles, Conrad Bain, Alice Playten and Sam Waterston. Gary McFa ...

'' (1971), ''

California Dreaming "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 196 ...

'' (1979), ''

Legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

'' (1985), and ''

I.Q. An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern for the German term ''Intelligenzq ...

'' (1994). She wore heavy makeup and prosthetics in ''

'' to portray the character of Blix, a major minion of the Lord of Darkness; she also dubbed the voice of Gump. She did voice work in several animated features, including ''

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...

'' (as Pearl), ''

Really Rosie ''Really Rosie'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Maurice Sendak and music by Carole King. The musical is based on Sendak's books ''Chicken Soup with Rice'', ''Pierre'', ''One was Johnny'', ''Alligators All Around'' (which comprise 1962's ...

'' (as an alligator), '' Heavy Metal'' (as Gloria), '' Doug'' (as Beebe Bluff and Elmo), ''

Doug's 1st Movie ''Doug's 1st Movie'' is a 1999 American animated comedy film based on the Disney-produced episodes of the animated television series '' Doug''. The film was directed by Maurice Joyce, and stars the regular television cast of Tom McHugh, Fred New ...

'' and '' My Little Pony: The Movie''. She was a regular on the children's

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

series ''

The Lost Saucer ''The Lost Saucer'' is an ABC network television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, starring Ruth Buzzi and Jim Nabors as hapless aliens who take a boy and his babysitter with them on their flying saucer. It aired new episodes from Septembe ...

'' and ''

That's Cat ''That's Cat'' was a children's television show that premiered on Saturday, September 18, 1976.Lee Margulies, "Bright Show for School-Age Set," ''Los Angeles Times'', Sept. 18, 1976. It was both produced by and aired on KNBC, the NBC owned and op ...

'', appeared in National Lampoon's ''

Disco Beaver from Outer Space ''Disco Beaver from Outer Space'' is an early production by '' National Lampoon'', made for HBO in 1979. The short film is a collection of comedy sketches, contained within the main story which is centered on two characters: the protagonist, an e ...

'' during the early days of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

, and had guest shots on ''

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 (screenwriter), Peter Case ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'', ''

Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced by ...

'', and ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'', among others. She performed a romantic dialog with

Rupert Holmes David Goldstein (born February 24, 1947), better known as Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and " Him" (1980). ...

in his song "Our National Pastime" on his 1974 debut album ''Widescreen''. Playten may have been best known for her role of the newlywed who makes a gigantic dumpling as the first meal she cooks for her husband (

Terry Kiser Terry Kiser (born August 1, 1939) is an American actor. Besides portraying the deceased title character of the comedy ''Weekend at Bernie's'' and its sequel, ''Weekend at Bernie's II'', he has more than 140 acting credits to his name, with a car ...

) in two classic 1969–1970

Alka-Seltzer Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company of Elkhart, Indiana, United States. Alka-Seltzer contains three active ingredients: aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) (ASA), sodium bicarbonate ...

commercials. In 1977, she wed the psychedelic light show innovator, director and artist Joshua White and remained married until her death.

Death

Playten died on June 25, 2011, at Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

after a lifetime of

juvenile diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

, complicated by

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

. On November 14, 2011, a retrospective of her work was held at the Second Stage Theater, New York.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and honors

* 1968

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 cer ...

nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (''Henry, Sweet Henry'') * 1968

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre, Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945� ...

(''Henry, Sweet Henry'') * 1973

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for Distinguished Performance (''National Lampoon's Lemmings'') * 1989

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (''Spoils of War'') * 1994

(''First Lady Suite'')

References

External links

* * * *
Alice Playten Passes Away at 63
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Playten, Alice 1947 births 2011 deaths American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Actresses from New York City Obie Award recipients Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses