Audrey Christie

Audrey Christie
Audrey Christie
Born	June 27, 1912; Chicago, Illinois, US
Died	December 19, 1989 (aged 77); West Hollywood, California, US
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1929–1982
Spouse	Guy Robertson (divorced) Donald Briggs (1959–1986, his death)
Children	2

Audrey Christie (June 27, 1912^[a] – December 19^[b], 1989) was an American actress, singer and dancer.

Early life

Christie was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended a fine arts school in Chicago, but she quit at age 15 after finding success as a performer with the Six Chicago Steppers.^[3]

Career

Originally, Christie worked as a singer and dancer, starting as a teenager in vaudeville shows,^[2] but she later acted in dramatic roles as well.^[1] Early roles on Broadway included Follow Thru (1929), Sailor, Beware! (1933), The Women (1936), I Married an Angel (1938),^[2] and Without Love (1942). She had a lead role in The Desk Set (1956).

She performed in the films Keeper of the Flame (1943), Deadline – U.S.A. (1952), Carousel (1956), Splendor in the Grass (1961), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Harlow (1965), Frankie and Johnny (1966), The Ballad of Josie (1967), Mame (1974), and Harper Valley PTA (1978).

Christie acted in several episodes of the anthology TV series Studio One and another TV series, Fair Exchange.^[2] During the 1964–1965 television season, she had a recurring role on the situation comedy The Cara Williams Show. In 1975, she appeared on the sitcom Maude, playing the role of Maude’s overbearing mother. And on TV's Barney Miller appeared in two episode, 'The Courtesans' as a "Madame", and in the episode 'Old Love' as an overbearing stage mother.

She won a Donaldson Award for her performance in the play The Voice of the Turtle.^[1]

Personal life and death

She was married to Guy Robertson, also a performer, and they had a daughter.^[3]

Her second marriage was to actor Donald Briggs,^[3] who predeceased her. They had a son^[3] and three grandchildren.^[1]

Christie died of emphysema on December 19,^[b] 1989, at her home in West Hollywood, California.^[1]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1943	Keeper of the Flame	Jane Harding
1952	Deadline – U.S.A.	Mrs. Willebrandt
1956	Carousel	Mrs. Mullin
1961	Splendor in the Grass	Frieda Loomis
1964	The Unsinkable Molly Brown	Mrs. Gladys McGraw
1965	Harlow	Thelma
1966	Frankie and Johnny	Peg
1967	The Ballad of Josie	Annabelle Pettijohn
1974	Mame	Mrs. Upson
1975	Maude	Mother "Florence" Chadbourne
1978	Harper Valley PTA	Flora Simpson Reilly

Notes

^ ^a ^b Some sources cite 1910 as Christie's year of birth.
^ ^a ^b The Los Angeles Times reported her death date as December 20.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Audrey Christie, 79 - Singer and Dancer Became an Actress". The New York Times. 1989-12-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Audrey Christie; Broadway, Film, TV Actress". Los Angeles Times. December 28, 1989. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kimbrough, Mary (April 2, 1959). "Muny Opera Revisited by Audrey Christie". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Audrey Christie at IMDb

[fn1-1] Some sources cite 1910 as Christie's year of birth.

[fn2-4] The Los Angeles Times reported her death date as December 20.^[2]

[nyt-2] "Audrey Christie, 79 - Singer and Dancer Became an Actress". The New York Times. 1989-12-29. Retrieved 2017-07-17.

[latimes-3] "Audrey Christie; Broadway, Film, TV Actress". Los Angeles Times. December 28, 1989. Retrieved May 6, 2022.

[opera-dispatch-5] Kimbrough, Mary (April 2, 1959). "Muny Opera Revisited by Audrey Christie". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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