Shirley Stoler

Shirley Stoler
Born	(1929-03-30)March 30, 1929 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	February 17, 1999(1999-02-17) (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1970–1999

Shirley Stoler (March 30, 1929 – February 17, 1999) was an American actress best known for her roles in The Honeymoon Killers and Lina Wertmüller's Pasqualino Settebellezze.

Early years

The eldest of four children born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn who owned a used furniture store,Stoler made her stage debut in 1955 and gained experience as a member of New York's experimental La Mama and Living Theatre companies. She had become a key underground player by the time she earned film fame in 1970 at age 41.

Film and TV career

Throughout her career, Stoler, a large and powerfully built woman who rarely smiled onscreen, often played scary villains (most notably in such films as Pasqualino Settebellezze and The Honeymoon Killers, and on television, most notably an episode of Charlie's Angels). A character actress, as well as an occasional lead, Stoler appeared in small roles in classic films including Klute, The Deer Hunter, and Desperately Seeking Susan.

The highlight of her film career arguably was her turn as the unnamed Nazi female prison commandant in Lina Wertmüller's Pasqualino Settebellezze (Seven Beauties; 1975), in which she played a cat and mouse game of seduction with the concentration camp inmate played by Giancarlo Giannini. Although a profile of Stoler was featured on the front page of the New York Times Arts section, her performance was ignored during the awards season, likely because her dialogue had to be dubbed into Italian. The film, the success of which depended a great deal on her, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 1976, and garnered Wertmüller nominations as Best Director (a first for a woman) and Best Original Screenplay, and Stoler's co-star Giannini a nod as Best Actor.

Stoler also appeared on Broadway and in the daytime soap operas The Edge of Night as Frankie and One Life to Live as Roberta (nicknamed "Tiny"), as well as Saturday morning television, as Mrs. Steve on Pee-wee's Playhouse.

Death

Stoler lived in Manhattan, where she died at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center from heart failure after a long illness. She was one month shy of her 70th birthday.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	The Honeymoon Killers	Martha Beck
1971	Klute	Momma Reese
1975	Pasqualino Settebellezze	Commandant	English title: Seven Beauties
1976	A Real Young Girl	Grocer in Aupom	French title: Une vraie jeune fille
1978	The Deer Hunter	Steven's Mother
1979	Charlie's Angels	Big Aggie	Episode: "Caged Angel"
1980	Skag	Dottie Jessup	5 episodes
1980	Seed of Innocence	Corky	Alternative title: Teen Mothers
1980	Below the Belt	Trish
1980	The Edge of Night	Frankie	Unknown episodes
1981	Second-Hand Hearts	Maxy
1983	The Brass Ring	Marge	Television movie
1983	Bring 'Em Back Alive		Episode: "The Shadow Women of Chung Tai"
1983	The Powers of Matthew Star	Tattoo Artist	Episode: "The Quadrian Caper"
1984	A Stroke of Genius
1984	Splitz	Dean Hunta
1985	Desperately Seeking Susan	Jail matron
1985	Brass	Woman in window	Television movie
1986 to 1987	Pee-wee's Playhouse	Mrs. Steve	4 episodes
1986 to 1987	One Life to Live	Roberta "Tiny" Coleman	Unknown episodes
1987	Three O'Clock High	Eva
1988	Shakedown	Irma
1988	Sticky Fingers	Reeba
1989	Kate & Allie		Episode: "Wanted: One Husband"
1989	In the Heat of the Night	Adah Boone	Episode: "The Pig Woman of Sparta"
1990	Miami Blues	Edie Wulgemuth
1990	Frankenhooker	Spike the Bartender
1990	Sons	German housewife
1991	Law & Order	Charlie Maylen	Episode: "Misconception"
1992	Topsy and Bunker: The Cat Killers	Grace
1992	Mac	Customer
1992	Malcolm X	Mrs. Swerlin
1993	Me and Veronica	Shouting Woman
1997	The Deli	Irma
2016	Chief Zabu	Joan Ironwood	Shot in 1986

External links

• Shirley Stoler at the Internet Broadway Database
• Shirley Stoler at IMDb
• Shirley Stoler at AllMovie