Carole Ita White
Carole Ita White (born August 24, 1949) is an American television and film actress.
Carole Ita White | |
|---|---|
 Cast photo of Laverne and Shirley (1976). Standing, L-R: Carole Ita White, Phil Foster, Eddie Mekka, Betty Garrett. Middle row, standing: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams. Seated: Michael McKean, David Lander | |
| Born | August 24, 1949 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Carol Ita White Carole White Carol White |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Parent(s) | Jesse White Celia Cohn |
Early life
Carole Ita White was born in New York City to actors Jesse White and Celia ("Simmy") Cohn. Her father was a character actor, appearing in dozens of films and TV programs for more than 50 years. Her sister is Janet Jonas.
Career
Carole Ita White started appearing in episodic TV and small film roles in the early 1970s. Her first TV job was a TV movie titled Evil Roy Slade, starring John Astin, Mickey Rooney, and Milton Berle. The movie was written by producer and director Garry Marshall. Marshall cast her in a role on his series The Odd Couple.
She played Big Rosie Greenbaum on Laverne & Shirley. White landed the recurring role after an appearance as Raunchy Girl 1 in the first season episode "Dating Slump". Big Rosie was first seen as a nemesis to the title characters during the second season in the episode "Bachelor Mothers". She continued to make appearances as Big Rosie during the second and third seasons of the show. White did not appear again until the seventh season in an episode where Laverne and Shirley attend a high school reunion ("Class of '56").[1]
White made guest starring appearances on such programs as Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Love Boat, Beverly Hills, 90210, The Wayans Bros. and Profiler. She appeared on several game shows, including The $20,000 Pyramid. She has continued to appear in small roles in films over the years, including Falling Down, The Witches of Eastwick, Grand Canyon, and The Fabulous Baker Boys. She appeared in the 2006 independent film Wannabe.
On January 19, 2010, White came out as a bisexual during an interview on Sirius Radio's Frank Decaro Show on OutQ Gay Radio.
Selected filmography
- Karla (2006) as Waitress
- Wannabe (2005) as Janice Peterson
- Profiler (1 episode, 1997)
- Ned and Stacey as Mary (1 episode, 1996)
- The Wayans Bros. as Doris (1 episode, 1996)
- Bombshell (1996) as Carol
- Beverly Hills, 90210 as Nurse Bethany (1 episode, 1994)
- The Unborn II (1994) as Marge Philips
- The Jackie Thomas Show as Erin (1 episode, 1992)
- Grand Canyon (1991) as Morning Nurse
- Life Goes On as Carol Matthews (1 episode, 1991)
- Who's the Boss? as Receptionist (1 episode, 1990)
- The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) as Bad singer
- The Wrong Guys (1988) (as Carol Ita White) as Ginger Grunski
- Falcon Crest (1 episode, 1987)
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987) as Cashier
- The Naked Cage (1986) as Trouble
- Hellhole (1985) as Nurse Turner
- Trapper John, M.D. as Corky (1 episode, 1985)
- Airwolf as Nurse (1 episode, 1984)
- Savage Streets (1984) as Ms. Jenkins
- National Lampoon's Joy of Sex (1984) as Roberta
- Remington Steele as Terry Lowell Dannon (1 episode, 1983)
- Chained Heat (1983) (as Carol White) as Spider
- The Concrete Jungle (1982) as Cheeks
- Laverne & Shirley as Rosie Greenbaum (12 episodes, 1976–1982)
- Diff'rent Strokes as Valerie (1 episode, 1980)
- The Love Boat as Penny Jacobs (1 episode, 1978)
- Pipe Dream (1976) as Rosey Rottencrotch
- Starsky & Hutch as Bertha Zelinka (2 episodes, 1975–1976)
- Baby Blue Marine (1976) as Girl on Bus
- Helter Skelter (1976) (TV) (as Carol Ita White) as Big Sal
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman as Nurse Pudney (1 episode, 1976)
- S.W.A.T. as Augusta (1 episode, 1975)
- Love, American Style as (segment "Love and the Baby Derby") (2 episodes, 1973)
- Mary Tyler Moore as Girl at Party (1 episode, 1973)
References
- Iannucci, Lisa (December 8, 2014). "Where Are They Now: Carole Ita White, aka Big Rosie on 'Laverne & Shirley'". Reel Life With Jane. Retrieved February 25, 2017.