Nell Carter

Nell Carter (born Nell Ruth Hardy;[5][6] September 13, 1948 – January 23, 2003) was an American singer and actress.

Nell Carter
Born
Nell Ruth Hardy

(1948-09-13)September 13, 1948
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJanuary 23, 2003(2003-01-23) (aged 54)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeHillside Memorial Park Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Other namesNell Ruth Carter
EducationA. H. Parker High School
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active1970–2002
Known forNell Harper – Gimme a Break!
Spouse(s)
George Krynicki
​
(
m. 1982; div. 1992)
[1][2]
Roger Larocque
​
(
m. 1992; div. 1993)
Partner(s)Ann Kaser (?–2003)[3][4]
Children3

Beginning her career in 1970, Carter started in theater; singing and later crossed over to television. Carter was perhaps best known for her role as Nell Harper on the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! which originally aired from 1981 to 1987. Carter received two Emmy and two Golden Globe award nominations for her work on the series. Prior to Gimme a Break!, Carter won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical in 1978 for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin', as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television in 1982.[7]

Early life

Born Nell Ruth Hardy[8] in Birmingham, Alabama,[9] she was one of nine children born to Horace and Edna Mae Hardy. When she was two years old, her father was electrocuted when he stepped on a live power line.[10][11]

As a child, she began singing on a local gospel radio show and was also a member of the church choir. At the age of 15, she began performing with the Renaissance Ensemble that played at area coffee houses and gay bars. On July 5, 1965, Hardy, then 16 years old, was raped at gunpoint by a man she knew who gave her a ride home from a performance with the Renaissance Ensemble. Hardy became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Tracey, the following year. Hardy attempted to raise Tracey alone, but found it too difficult. She sent Tracey to live with her elder sister Willie (Carter would later claim Tracey was the product of a short lived marriage, but revealed the truth in an interview in 1994).[12]

At the age of 19, Hardy left Birmingham and moved to New York City with The Renaissance Ensemble, changing her surname to Carter. While living in New York City, Carter sang in coffee shops before landing her first role on Broadway in 1971.[13]

Career

Carter made her Broadway debut in the 1971 rock opera Soon, which closed after three performances. She was the Music Director for the 1974 Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective's production of "What Time of Night It Is". Carter appeared alongside Bette Davis in the 1974 stage musical Miss Moffat, based on Davis' earlier film The Corn Is Green. The show closed before making it to Broadway. She broke into stardom in the musical Ain't Misbehavin, for which she won a Tony Award in 1978. She won an Emmy for the same role in a televised performance in 1982.

Additional Broadway credits included Dude and Annie. In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman-directed musical film adaptation of Hair. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack.[14]

In 1978, Carter was cast as Effie White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, but departed the production during development to take a television role on the ABC soap opera, Ryan's Hope in New York. When Dreamgirls premiered in late 1981, Jennifer Holliday had taken over the lead. In 1981, Carter also took a role on television's The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo,[15] before landing the lead role of Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break!.

The series was a ratings hit for NBC and earned Carter a Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations. Gimme a Break! aired from 1981 to 1987. In August 1987, after the cancellation of Gimme a Break!, Carter returned to the nightclub circuit with a five-month national tour with comedian Joan Rivers.[16] In 1989, she shot a pilot for NBC entitled Morton's By the Bay, which aired as a one-time special in May of that year. In this, Carter played the assistant to the owner of a banquet hall, and the focus was on her and her mad-cap staff. NBC passed on the series development. In October of that same year, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 4 of the 1989 World Series, played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.[17]

The following year, Carter starred in the CBS comedy You Take the Kids. The series, which was perceived as being the black answer to Roseanne due to its portrayal of a working-class African-American family, featured Carter as a crass, no-nonsense mother and wife.[18] You Take the Kids faced poor ratings and reviews, and had a month's run from December 1990 to January 1991.[19] During the early 1990s, Carter appeared in low-budget films, TV specials, and on game shows such as Match Game '90 and To Tell the Truth. She co-starred in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper from 1993 to 1995.[20]

In the mid-1990s, Carter appeared on Broadway in a revival of Annie as Miss Hannigan. She was upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers stated that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter said racism played a part in the decision. "Maybe they don't want audiences to know Nell Carter is black",[21] she told the New York Post. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it—it's insulting to me as a black woman."[22] Carter was later replaced by Sally Struthers.[23]

In 2001, she appeared as a special guest star on the pilot episode of the new WB show Reba and continued with the show, making three appearances in season one. The following year, Carter made two appearances on Ally McBeal.[20]

The following year had her rehearsing for a production of Raisin, a stage musical of A Raisin in the Sun in Long Beach, California, and filming a movie, Swing. Carter's final onscreen appearance was in the comedy film Back by Midnight. It was released in 2005, two years after her death.[20]

Personal life

Carter was born into a Roman Catholic family and raised Presbyterian.[24][25] Carter self-identified as Pentecostal.[26]

Carter attempted suicide in the early 1980s, and she entered a drug detoxification facility around 1985 to break a long-standing cocaine addiction. Carter's brother, Bernard, died of complications due to AIDS in 1989.[12]

Carter married mathematician and lumber executive George Krynicki, and she converted to Judaism in 1982.[24][25] Carter filed for divorce from Krynicki in 1989; the divorce was finalized in 1992.

Carter had three children: daughter Tracy and sons Joshua and Daniel. She adopted both Joshua and Daniel as newborns over a four-month period. She attempted to adopt twice more but both adoptions failed. In her first attempt, she allowed a young pregnant woman to move into her home with the plan that she would adopt the child, but the mother decided to keep her baby. In 1992, Carter had surgery to repair two aneurysms and married Roger Larocque in June.[27] She divorced Larocque the next year. Carter declared bankruptcy in 1995 and again in 2002. She also had three miscarriages.[12]

Death

On January 23, 2003, Carter collapsed and died at her home in Beverly Hills.[28][29] Her body was discovered that night by her son, Joshua.[24][30] Per a provision in Carter's will, no autopsy was performed. Using blood tests, x-rays, and a cursory physical examination, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled that Carter's death was the likely result of "probable arteriosclerotic heart disease, with diabetes a contributing condition." She was 54 years old.[31]

Carter was survived by her three children.[24][32] Carter is buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[33][34][35]

Stage credits

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1979 Hair Ain't Got No / White Boys
1981 Back Roads Waitress
1981 Modern Problems Dorita
1982 Tex Mrs. Peters
1992 Bébé's Kids Vivian Voice
1995 The Crazysitter The Warden
1995 The Grass Harp Catherine Creek
1995 The Misery Brothers Courtroom Singer
1996 The Proprietor Millie Jackson
1997 Fakin' da Funk Claire
1999 Follow Your Heart Bus Driver
1999 Special Delivery
2001 Perfect Fit Mrs. Gordy
2003 Swing Juan Gallardo Released Posthumously
2005 Back by Midnight Waitress Released posthumously, (final film role)

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1978 Cindy Olive Television movie
1978–1979 Ryan's Hope Ethel Green 11 episodes
1980–1981 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Sgt. Hildy Jones 15 episodes
1981–1987 Gimme a Break! Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper 137 episodes
1982 The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour Episode: #1.3
1986 Amen Bess Richards Episode: "The Courtship of Bess Richards"
1989 227 Beverly Morris Episode: "Take My Diva... Please!"
1990 Shalom Sesame Olive Tree (voice) Episode: "Chanukah"
1990–1991 You Take the Kids Nell Kirkland 6 episodes
1992 Maid for Each Other Jasmine Jones Television movie
1992 Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story Lucille Gathers Television movie
1992 Jake and the Fatman Ethel Mae Haven Episode: "Ain't Misbehavin'"
1993–1995 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper P.J. Moore 42 episodes
1995–1997 Spider-Man the Animated Series Glory Grant (voice) 2 episodes
1996 Can't Hurry Love Mrs. Bradstock Episode: "The Rent Strike"
1997 Brotherly Love Nell Bascombe Episode: "Paging Nell"
1997 Sparks Barbara Rogers Episode: "Hoop Schemes"
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Mary (voice) Episode: "Mother Goose"
1997 The Blues Brothers Animated Series Betty Smythe (voice) Episode: "Strange Death of Betty Smythe"
1999 Sealed with a Kiss Mrs. Wheatley Television movie
2001 Blue's Clues Mother Nature (voice) Episode: "Environments"
2001 Touched by an Angel Cynthia Winslow 2 episodes
2001 Seven Days Lucy Episode: "Live: From Death Row"
2001 Reba Dr. Susan Peters 3 episodes
2002 Ally McBeal Harriet Pumple 2 episodes

Awards
Year Award Category Title of work
1978 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Ain't Misbehavin'
1978 Theatre World Award Ain't Misbehavin'
1978 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Ain't Misbehavin'
1982 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement – Special Class Ain't Misbehavin'
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References
  1. Company, Johnson Publishing (May 31, 1982). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  2. Company, Johnson Publishing (September 25, 1989). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  3. Snauffer, Douglas (March 10, 2015). The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland. ISBN 9780786455041 – via Google Books.
  4. "InterFaith Family – Obituary of Nell Carter".
  5. Riggs, Thomas; Company, Gale Research (February 25, 2019). Contemporary theatre, film, and television. Gale Research Co. ISBN 9780787651091 – via Google Books.
  6. Room, Adrian (January 10, 2014). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. ISBN 9780786457632 – via Google Books.
  7. Holden, Stephen (January 24, 2003). "Nell Carter Is Dead at 54; Star of 'Ain't Misbehavin' '". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  8. "Venus". Venus Magazine. February 25, 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. "Nell Carter". Encyclopedia of Alabama.
  10. McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-786-43790-0.
  11. Crowther, Linnea (January 23, 2012). "The Highs and Lows of Nell Carter". legacy.com. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  12. Gold, Todd (February 28, 1994). "Oh, the Troubles She's Seen". People. people.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  13. "Stage, Television Star Nell Carter Dies at 54". 103 (7). Johnson Publishing Company. February 10, 2003: 49. ISSN 0021-5996. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533533-0.
  15. "Nell Carter Joins 'Lobo' Series, And Ratings Go Up". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 60 (10): 54. May 21, 1981. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  16. "Nell Carter Returns To Nightclubs After TV Show". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 72 (21): 29. August 17, 1987. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  17. "Baseball Season: Rite of Spring on Our Field of Dreams". Los Angeles Times. April 13, 1992. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  18. Tucker, Ken (December 14, 1990). "You Take The Kids". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  19. "'You Take The Kids' Put On Hiatus By CBS". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 79 (15): 62. January 28, 1991. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  20. Nell Carter on IMDb
  21. Nell Carter, Ain't Misbehavin' Star, Dead at 54 – Playbill Archived January 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  22. "Nell Carter Speaks Out on Annie Commercials". Playbill. playbill.com. May 22, 1997. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  23. "Sally Struthers Takes Over as Miss Hannigan in Annie Tour Jan. 5". Playbill. playbill.com. January 5, 1998. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  24. Pfefferman, Naomi (January 31, 2009). "'Pop-soul belter' Nell Carter, 54, devoted convert to Judaism, dies". jweekly.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  25. "Actress Nell Carter Dies at 54". Fox News. January 23, 2003.
  26. Redefining Diva: Life Lessons from the Original Dreamgirl By Sheryl Lee Ralph p.87
  27. Company, Johnson Publishing (June 22, 1992). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  28. "Nell Hardy Carter (1948-2003) • BlackPast". March 6, 2015.
  29. "CNN.com - Actress-singer Nell Carter dies - Jan. 23, 2003". www.cnn.com.
  30. Holden, Stephen (January 23, 2003). "Sitcom star collapses at home, dies at 54 – Gimme a Break!, Ain't Misbehavin – brought her fame". SFGate. sfgate.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  31. Boehm, Mike (March 5, 2003). "Ruling In Nell Carter's Death". Los Angeles Times. latimes.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  32. "Carter's death natural". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. May 7, 2003. p. 12B. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  33. Wilson, Scott; Mank, Gregory William (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3 ed.). McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-476-62599-7.
  34. Roman, James (March 1, 2015). Chronicles of Old Los Angeles: Exploring the Devilish History of the City of the Angels. Museyon. ISBN 9781940842004 – via Google Books.
  35. Fleming, E. J. (September 18, 2015). Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites: Seventeen Driving Tours with Directions and the Full Story, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476618500 – via Google Books.
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