Fritzi Burr
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Fritzi Burr | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 24, 1924 |
| Died | January 17, 2003 (aged 78) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Comedienne |
| Years active | 1953-1997 |
| Spouse(s) | Aaron Heyman, ?-1995, his death |
Fritzi Burr (May 31, 1924 – January 17, 2003) as an American character/comedic actress who appeared as various comic foils to Fred Sanford on the NBC sitcom TV series Sanford and Son. A versatile character actress with a flair for comedy, and could do characterizations in various dialects, Fritzi appeared in both motion pictures and on television, in both comedic and dramatic roles. Fritzi was also the sister-in-law of Sanford and Son producer Saul Turteltaub and the aunt of Saul's son Jon, who also works in Hollywood as a producer/director/writer.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Burr performed in little theater and in skits with the vaudeville comedy team of Smith and Dale. By the late 1950s, she was working on Broadway and appeared in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale," the show in which Barbra Streisand first gained national attention.[1] Later, Burr replaced Kaye Medford as the mother of Fanny Brice (played by Streisand) in Funny Girl (1968).[1]
Burr worked regularly in small theaters and dinner theaters and in touring companies of such musicals as "Fiddler on the Roof", in which she played, at different times, Yente and Tevye's long-suffering wife, Golde. But, moving to Hollywood, she also found steady work as a character actress in motion pictures and on television.[1][2]
Career
On the big screen, Burr appeared in the motion pictures How Do I Love Thee? (1970), Frasier, The Senusous Lion (1973), Chinatown (1974), The New, Original Wonder Woman (1975), Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night (1977), Cover Girls (1977), Like Normal People 1979), and 3 Ninjas (1992),. Among her many television appearances are What's Happening!," Friends," The Nanny, Melrose Place, Hunter, The Golden Girls, The Incredible Hulk, NBC-TV's Sanford and Son, Seinfeld, Friends[2] and the 1970-74 ABC-TV series The Odd Couple, which co-starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.[1]
Death
Burr died in Fort Myers, Florida of natural causes.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Fritzi Burr, 78; Versatile Vaudeville, Stage, TV and Movie Performer". Los Angeles Times (.com), Obituaries/PASSINGS, from Staff and wire reports. January 23, 2003. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "Biography: Fritzi Burr". Fandango.com. Retrieved August 9, 2016.