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Connell's most prominent success came in 1966 when she was cast as Agnes Gooch in the original Broadway production of [[Jerry Herman]]'s ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]''. She recreated the role in the [[Mame (film)|1974 screen adaptation]] after the film's star, [[Lucille Ball]], became dissatisfied with [[Madeline Kahn]], who had been signed originally to play Gooch.<ref>{{citation|title=Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia|author=Michael Karol|year=2004|publisher=iUniverse|url=https://books.google.com/?id=IQTCAOPyYYUC&pg=RA1-PA77&lpg=RA1-PA77&vq=Connell&dq=%22Jane+Connell%22|isbn=978-0-595-29761-0}}</ref>
Connell's most prominent success came in 1966 when she was cast as Agnes Gooch in the original Broadway production of [[Jerry Herman]]'s ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]''. She recreated the role in the [[Mame (film)|1974 screen adaptation]] after the film's star, [[Lucille Ball]], became dissatisfied with [[Madeline Kahn]], who had been signed originally to play Gooch.<ref>{{citation|title=Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia|author=Michael Karol|year=2004|publisher=iUniverse|url=https://books.google.com/?id=IQTCAOPyYYUC&pg=RA1-PA77&lpg=RA1-PA77&vq=Connell&dq=%22Jane+Connell%22|isbn=978-0-595-29761-0}}</ref>


Only four-foot-eleven, Connell was described as a master of the large comic gesture in ''The Oxford Companion to American Theatre'', which described her as "a tiny woman with a giant, squeaking voice".<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/182475-Jane-Connell-Character-Actress-Known-for-Mame-Dies-at-87 Jane Connell obituary in playbill.com]; accessed December 11, 2013.</ref>
Only four-foot-eleven, Connell was described as a master of the large comic gesture in ''The Oxford Companion to American Theatre'', which described her as "a tiny woman with a giant, squeaking voice".<ref>[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/182475-Jane-Connell-Character-Actress-Known-for-Mame-Dies-at-87 Jane Connell obituary in playbill.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223025500/http://playbill.com/news/article/182475-Jane-Connell-Character-Actress-Known-for-Mame-Dies-at-87 |date=2014-02-23 }}; accessed December 11, 2013.</ref>


Jane Connell was nominated for the [[Tony Award]] for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''[[Me and My Girl]]'' (1986). Additional [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] credits include ''[[New Faces of 1956]]'' (1956); ''[[Drat! The Cat!]]'' (1965); ''[[Dear World]]'' (1969), once again supporting [[Angela Lansbury]]; the short-lived 1983 revival of ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]'', in which Lansbury reprised her 1966 lead role; ''[[Lend Me a Tenor]]'' (1989); ''[[Crazy for You (musical)|Crazy for You]]'' (1992); and ''[[Moon Over Buffalo]]'' (1995), starring [[Carol Burnett]]. Her last Broadway appearance was in the role of pianist Jeannette Burmeister in ''[[The Full Monty (musical)|The Full Monty]]'', succeeding [[Kathleen Freeman]], who died during her run in show.
Jane Connell was nominated for the [[Tony Award]] for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''[[Me and My Girl]]'' (1986). Additional [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] credits include ''[[New Faces of 1956]]'' (1956); ''[[Drat! The Cat!]]'' (1965); ''[[Dear World]]'' (1969), once again supporting [[Angela Lansbury]]; the short-lived 1983 revival of ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]'', in which Lansbury reprised her 1966 lead role; ''[[Lend Me a Tenor]]'' (1989); ''[[Crazy for You (musical)|Crazy for You]]'' (1992); and ''[[Moon Over Buffalo]]'' (1995), starring [[Carol Burnett]]. Her last Broadway appearance was in the role of pianist Jeannette Burmeister in ''[[The Full Monty (musical)|The Full Monty]]'', succeeding [[Kathleen Freeman]], who died during her run in show.

Revision as of 23:57, 21 November 2017

Jane Connell
Connell as Hepzibah with Cesar Romero in Bewitched, 1971.
Born
Jane Sperry Bennett

(1925-10-27)October 27, 1925
Berkeley, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 22, 2013(2013-09-22) (aged 87)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActress
Spouse(s)William Gordon Connell (1948–2013; her death); 2 children

Jane Sperry Connell (pronounced con-NELL, née Bennett; October 27, 1925 – September 22, 2013) was an

character actress. She was born in Berkeley, California
to Louis Wesley and Mary (née Sperry) Bennett.

Career

Connell began her career with her husband,

Theatre de Lys. In the London production of Once Upon a Mattress, Connell starred as Winifred, the role that Carol Burnett originated in New York.[citation needed
]

Connell's most prominent success came in 1966 when she was cast as Agnes Gooch in the original Broadway production of Jerry Herman's Mame. She recreated the role in the 1974 screen adaptation after the film's star, Lucille Ball, became dissatisfied with Madeline Kahn, who had been signed originally to play Gooch.[1]

Only four-foot-eleven, Connell was described as a master of the large comic gesture in The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, which described her as "a tiny woman with a giant, squeaking voice".[2]

Jane Connell was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Me and My Girl (1986). Additional Broadway credits include New Faces of 1956 (1956); Drat! The Cat! (1965); Dear World (1969), once again supporting Angela Lansbury; the short-lived 1983 revival of Mame, in which Lansbury reprised her 1966 lead role; Lend Me a Tenor (1989); Crazy for You (1992); and Moon Over Buffalo (1995), starring Carol Burnett. Her last Broadway appearance was in the role of pianist Jeannette Burmeister in The Full Monty, succeeding Kathleen Freeman
, who died during her run in show.

Jane and Gordon Connell enjoyed extensive theatre careers. They appeared together on Broadway in Lysistrata (November 1972), starring Melina Mercouri in the title role. She appeared in New York City Center Encores! production of Call Me Madam (February 1995), and the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall concert presentation of Noël Coward's Sail Away (November 1999).

Jane Connell's film roles included

situation comedy The Dumplings. From 1991 to 1994, she had the recurring role of social worker Roberta Domedian on the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake
.

Family

She married Gordon Connell, an actor and musician, in 1948. They remained married until her death in 2013.

Death

Jane Connell died on September 22, 2013, aged 87, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home of the Actors Fund in Englewood, New Jersey, from undisclosed causes.[3] She is survived by her two daughters, Melissa and Maggie.[4]

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-595-29761-0
  2. ^ Jane Connell obituary in playbill.com Archived 2014-02-23 at the Wayback Machine; accessed December 11, 2013.
  3. ^ Notice of death of Jane Connell, broadwayworld.com (September 23, 2013).
  4. ^ Jane Connell obituary, New York Times, September 26, 2013; accessed December 11, 2013.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Connell&oldid=811491903"