Anita Gillette
Encyclopedia
Anita Gillette is an American
actress, most notable for her work on Broadway
and as a celebrity guest on various game shows.
Gillette was born Anita Luebben in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Juanita (née
Wayland) and John Alfred Luebben. Raised in suburb
an Rossville
, she graduated from Kenwood High School
. Gillette studied at the Peabody Conservatory and made her Broadway
debut in Gypsy
in 1959. Additional Broadway credits include Carnival!
, All American, Mr. President
, Kelly, Jimmy, Guys and Dolls, Don't Drink the Water
, Cabaret
, They're Playing Our Song
, Brighton Beach Memoirs
, and Chapter Two, for which she was nominated for the Tony for Best Actress in a Play. She received the 1960 Theatre World Award
for her performance in Russell Patterson's Sketchbook.
Gillette's first television appearance was on The Ed Sullivan Show
in 1963. She joined the cast of The Edge of Night
in 1967, leaving the next year. Gillette's biggest exposure on a national scale came as a celebrity guest on various New York City
-based game shows, mostly those produced by Goodson-Todman
and Bob Stewart
. She served as a semi-regular on the syndicated What's My Line?
, Match Game
, and on the various Pyramid
series, among others.
Gillette's roles in the 1970s included the short-lived series Me and The Chimp with Ted Bessell
and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice with a then-unknown Robert Urich
and a young Jodie Foster
. She also appeared in Norman Lear
's All That Glitters.
The 1980s marked Gillette's transition from Broadway and television into that of a character film actress. Prior to this transition, she had sizeable television roles as Nancy Baxter on the of the national run of The Baxters
, Quincy's second wife Dr. W. Emily Hanover on the last season of Quincy M.E. (having previoulsy portrayed his deceased first wife Helen Quincy in a flashback), and a role on Search for Tomorrow
at the end of that series' long run, as well as the early David Chase
series Almost Grown.
After the end of Search for Tomorrow in late 1986, Gillette transitioned to film with a variety of notable roles such as that of Mona in 1987's Moonstruck
. Many of these roles have had her as an on-screen mother to characters played by notable actors such as Jennifer Aniston
's mother in She's The One, Mary Louise Parker's mother in Boys On The Side
, Bill Murray
's mother in Larger Than Life, Jack Black
's mother in Bob Roberts
, and the mother of Bobby Cannavale
's love interest in The Guru. Her return to television in 2000s short-lived Normal, Ohio
had her playing the mother of John Goodman
's character (coincidentally with fellow former game show regular Orson Bean
as her on-screen husband).
In the 1990s, Gillette starred in two Hallmark Hall of Fame
movies, The Summer of Ben Tyler with James Woods
and A Christmas Memory with Patty Duke
. In 2004, she appeared as Miss Mitzi, the lonely alcoholic owner of a struggling dance studio in Shall We Dance?
opposite Richard Gere
, Jennifer Lopez
and Susan Sarandon
. She recently completed filming Hiding Victoria, and has made several appearances as Grandma Betty on Fox
's The War at Home
.
Gillette has kept a busy schedule, with frequent TV and movies roles. Recurring characters included Joan Gamble in the TV series Normal, Ohio
; Betty in The War at Home
; Lily Flynn, the mother of criminalist Catherine Willows
in three episodes of CSI; and the mother of Liz Lemon
in two episodes of 30 Rock
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, most notable for her work on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and as a celebrity guest on various game shows.
Gillette was born Anita Luebben in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Juanita (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Wayland) and John Alfred Luebben. Raised in suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an Rossville
Rossville, Maryland
Rossville is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,515 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rossville is located at ....
, she graduated from Kenwood High School
Kenwood High School
Kenwood High School is a Baltimore County public high school located in Essex, Maryland.-About the School:Kenwood has been educating students since 1931. The school was originally housed at 6700 Kenwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21237, which is now Golden Ring Middle School...
. Gillette studied at the Peabody Conservatory and made her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in Gypsy
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
in 1959. Additional Broadway credits include Carnival!
Carnival!
Carnival is a 1961 musical with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film Lili.-Background:...
, All American, Mr. President
Mr. President (musical)
Mr. President is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and lyrics and music by Irving Berlin.It focuses on U.S. President Stephen Decatur Henderson, who loses his bid for re-election following a disastrous trip to the Soviet Union...
, Kelly, Jimmy, Guys and Dolls, Don't Drink the Water
Don't Drink the Water (play)
Don't Drink the Water is a play written by Woody Allen that premiered on Broadway on November 17, 1966 and played for 598 performances at three different Broadway theaters. The farce takes place inside an American Embassy behind the Iron Curtain...
, Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
, They're Playing Our Song
They're Playing Our Song
They're Playing Our Song is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch.In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat lyricist, but initially the match is not one made in heaven...
, Brighton Beach Memoirs
Brighton Beach Memoirs
Brighton Beach Memoirs is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, the first chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy. It precedes Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound.-Characters:*Eugene Morris Jerome, almost 15...
, and Chapter Two, for which she was nominated for the Tony for Best Actress in a Play. She received the 1960 Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for her performance in Russell Patterson's Sketchbook.
Gillette's first television appearance was on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in 1963. She joined the cast of The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
in 1967, leaving the next year. Gillette's biggest exposure on a national scale came as a celebrity guest on various New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based game shows, mostly those produced by Goodson-Todman
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
and Bob Stewart
Bob Stewart (television)
Bob Stewart is a former American television game show producer. He was active in the TV industry from 1956 until his retirement in 1992....
. She served as a semi-regular on the syndicated What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
, Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, and on the various Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
series, among others.
Gillette's roles in the 1970s included the short-lived series Me and The Chimp with Ted Bessell
Ted Bessell
Ted Bessell was an American television actor and director.-Early career:Born in Flushing, New York, Bessell grew up in Manhasset on Long Island, New York. He was originally gearing up for a career as a classical musician...
and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice with a then-unknown Robert Urich
Robert Urich
Robert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
and a young Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
. She also appeared in Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
's All That Glitters.
The 1980s marked Gillette's transition from Broadway and television into that of a character film actress. Prior to this transition, she had sizeable television roles as Nancy Baxter on the of the national run of The Baxters
The Baxters
The Baxters is an American situation comedy television series produced by Norman Lear. The series premiered in broadcast syndication in 1979 and lasted two seasons, ending in 1981. The series was the first "interactive" sitcom depicting a middle-class St...
, Quincy's second wife Dr. W. Emily Hanover on the last season of Quincy M.E. (having previoulsy portrayed his deceased first wife Helen Quincy in a flashback), and a role on Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
at the end of that series' long run, as well as the early David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
series Almost Grown.
After the end of Search for Tomorrow in late 1986, Gillette transitioned to film with a variety of notable roles such as that of Mona in 1987's Moonstruck
Moonstruck
Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison. It stars Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, and Olympia Dukakis....
. Many of these roles have had her as an on-screen mother to characters played by notable actors such as Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
's mother in She's The One, Mary Louise Parker's mother in Boys On The Side
Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip...
, Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
's mother in Larger Than Life, Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
's mother in Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts is a 1992 film written and directed by Tim Robbins. It is a satirical mockumentary, chronicling the rise of Bob Roberts, a conservative politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate election...
, and the mother of Bobby Cannavale
Bobby Cannavale
Robert M. "Bobby" Cannavale is an American actor known for his leading role as Bobby Caffey in the first two seasons of the television series Third Watch. He also had a recurring role as Officer Vince D'Angelo on the comedy series Will & Grace.-Early life:Cannavale grew up in Union City, New...
's love interest in The Guru. Her return to television in 2000s short-lived Normal, Ohio
Normal, Ohio
Normal, Ohio is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Fox Network in 2000. The show stars John Goodman as William "Butch" Gamble, a gay man returning to his Midwestern home town...
had her playing the mother of John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
's character (coincidentally with fellow former game show regular Orson Bean
Orson Bean
Orson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
as her on-screen husband).
In the 1990s, Gillette starred in two Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
movies, The Summer of Ben Tyler with James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
and A Christmas Memory with Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
. In 2004, she appeared as Miss Mitzi, the lonely alcoholic owner of a struggling dance studio in Shall We Dance?
Shall We Dance? (2004 film)
Shall We Dance? is a 2004 American film. It is a remake of the award-winning Masayuki Suo 1996 Japanese film, Shall We Dance?. The film made its US premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival.-Plot:...
opposite Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
. She recently completed filming Hiding Victoria, and has made several appearances as Grandma Betty on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's The War at Home
The War at Home (TV series)
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
.
Gillette has kept a busy schedule, with frequent TV and movies roles. Recurring characters included Joan Gamble in the TV series Normal, Ohio
Normal, Ohio
Normal, Ohio is an American television sitcom, which aired on the Fox Network in 2000. The show stars John Goodman as William "Butch" Gamble, a gay man returning to his Midwestern home town...
; Betty in The War at Home
The War at Home (TV series)
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
; Lily Flynn, the mother of criminalist Catherine Willows
Catherine Willows
Catherine Willows is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Marg Helgenberger, who has received two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for the role...
in three episodes of CSI; and the mother of Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
in two episodes of 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
.