Carol Grace
Carol Grace | |
|---|---|
| File:Photo of Carol Grace.jpg | |
| Born | September 11, 1924 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2003 (aged 78) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, author |
| Spouse(s) | William Saroyan (1943–49; divorced; 1951–52; divorced); 2 children Walter Matthau (1959–2000; his death); 1 child |
| Children | Aram Saroyan Lucy Saroyan Charles Matthau |
Carol Grace (September 11, 1924 – July 21, 2003) was an American actress and author. She is often referred to as Carol Marcus Saroyan or Carol Matthau.
Biography
Grace was born in New York City's Lower East Side; her mother, who was sixteen when she gave birth, was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants. Grace never knew her biological father. She was placed in foster care until the age of eight when her mother married Charles Marcus, the wealthy head of the Bendix Corporation. Grace would take his last name as her own.[1][2]
She was reportedly the inspiration for the Holly Golightly character in Truman Capote's novella Breakfast at Tiffany's.[3]
Grace's Broadway credits include Once There Was a Russian (1961), The Cold Wind and the Warm (1958), The Square Root of Wonderful (1957), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1955), The Time of Your Life (1955), and Across the Board on Tomorrow Morning and Talking to You (1942).[4]
She was twice married to Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Saroyan over an eight-year period.(1943-1949 and 1951-1952).[4] She later revealed that he was abusive. The couple had two children: Aram Saroyan, an internationally known writer, and the late actress Lucy Saroyan, who died in 2003.[2][1][5]
She subsequently married actor Walter Matthau on August 21, 1959. The couple remained married until his death on July 1, 2000; they had one son, Charles. She had a wide social circle and was known for her wit and good company.[2][1][5]
In 1955, Random House published[6] her novella based on her experiences as a foster child, The Secret in the Daisy.[7] In 1992, she published a memoir, Among the Porcupines.[8]
Grace died of a cerebral aneurysm on July 21, 2003, aged 78, and was interred in the same grave as Matthau, who died 3 years prior.[9] She was survived by her two sons and a sister, Elinor Dee Pruder.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Gangster Story | Carol |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "Cop for a Day" | |
| 1976 | Mikey and Nicky | Nellie |
| 1978 | The Barbara Walters Special | Self |
References
- ^ a b c Obituary, guardian.co.uk, August 11, 2004; accessed August 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c Obituary in The Independent, July 27, 2003; accessed June 8, 2017
- ^ "Holly Golightly inspiration", nytimes.com, August 2, 1992; accessed August 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Carol Grace". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ a b c Obituary, The New York Times, July 24, 2003; accessed August 17, 2015.
- ^ "Whitney Bolton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. February 17, 1959. p. 19. Retrieved October 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Notice in re forthcoming publication of The Secret of the Daisy
- ^ Review of Among the Porcupines, nytimes.com; accessed August 17, 2015.
- ^ Carol Grace at IMDb
External links
- Carol Grace at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1924 births
- 2003 deaths
- Actresses from New York City
- Jewish American actresses
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- American film actresses
- 20th-century American novelists
- Deaths from intracranial aneurysm
- Disease-related deaths in New York (state)
- Writers from New York City
- Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
- American memoirists
- American women novelists
- American women memoirists
- 20th-century American women writers
- Novelists from New York (state)
- American women non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American actresses
- 20th-century memoirists