Cara Williams
Encyclopedia
Cara Williams is an American
film
and television
actress.
n emigrant father and a mother of Romania
n descent, she began her screen acting career in 1941, and was initially billed as Bernice Kay. Williams earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
nomination in 1959 for her role in the film, The Defiant Ones
.
in the CBS
situation comedy
Pete and Gladys
(1960–62), and earned an Emmy Award
nomination in 1962 for Best Actress in a Series. She later had her own CBS sitcom, The Cara Williams Show (1964–65), with costars Frank Aletter
, previously the star of Bringing Up Buddy
on CBS, and Jack Sheldon
, later star of the short-lived 1966 series, Run, Buddy, Run
, also on CBS.
On the series, Williams and Aletter played a married couple, Frank and Cara Bridges, who tried to keep their union secret because company policy did not permit employees to marry within the company they both worked for, called Fenwick Diversified Industries.
At work, Cara, who used her maiden name, Wilton, was a secretary who possessed a very unique filing system. The system was so complex that only she knew where to find the exact file needed. This trait made her a valuable commodity to her boss, Mr. Burkhardt (Paul Reed).
The series was created by Keefe Brasselle
's Richelieu Productions, along with two other programs that season, The Reporter
starring Harry Guardino
and Gary Merrill
and Paul Ford's sitcom The Baileys of Balboa
. All three series were ordered by CBS president James T. Aubrey without formal pilot episodes (he was a close friend of Brasselle's), and all of them, including Cara's, were cancelled after Aubrey was fired from the network in February 1965.
In Meet Me in Las Vegas
(1956) she played a redheaded dancer who performed a notable number, declaring she did not like rock 'n' roll. She played James Cagney
's girl friend in the musical comedy Never Steal Anything Small
(1959) and even had a duet with Cagney. During the early to mid-1960s, CBS executives groomed Williams to be the next Lucille Ball
, but these plans never materialized. After the demise of her show, she did guest roles on other shows, briefly appearing as a regular on Valerie Harper
's CBS series Rhoda
.
(later the father of Drew Barrymore
) in 1952. They divorced in 1959. Their son, John Blyth Barrymore
, is also an actor. She married, secondly, to Alan Gray (1945–47), which union also produced a child, but ended after two years. She is currently married to her third husband, Los Angeles
real estate entrepreneur Asher Dann.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress.
Biography
Born as Bernice Kamiat to an AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n emigrant father and a mother of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n descent, she began her screen acting career in 1941, and was initially billed as Bernice Kay. Williams earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
nomination in 1959 for her role in the film, The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones is a 1958 drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams, Charles McGraw, and Lon Chaney, Jr...
.
Career
She starred opposite Harry MorganHarry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys is an American situation comedy broadcast by CBS on Monday night at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960...
(1960–62), and earned an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination in 1962 for Best Actress in a Series. She later had her own CBS sitcom, The Cara Williams Show (1964–65), with costars Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter
Frank Aletter was an American stage, film, and television actor.During the 1950s Aletter appeared on Broadway in Bells Are Ringing, Time Limit, and Wish You Were Here. He soon moved on to a prolific television career, appearing as a guest on numerous shows between 1956 and 1988.Aletter starred in...
, previously the star of Bringing Up Buddy
Bringing Up Buddy
Bringing Up Buddy is a 39-episode situation comedy television series which aired on CBS during the 1960–1961 season. In the story line, Frank Aletter, a native of Queens, New York, plays the orphaned Buddy Flower, a bachelor stockbroker, who is reared by his overprotective and meticulous aunts,...
on CBS, and Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon is an American bebop and West Coast jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor. He is a trumpet player and was a comedian on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as the voice heard on several episodes of the educational music television series Schoolhouse Rock.-Biography:Sheldon was born in...
, later star of the short-lived 1966 series, Run, Buddy, Run
Run, Buddy, Run
Run, Buddy, Run is a 16-episode situation comedy starring Jack Sheldon, which ran on CBS television from September 12, 1966, until January 2, 1967. Sheldon, also a trumpet player, portrayed Buddy Overstreet, an "ordinary guy", an accountant, on the run from a group of comical gangsters. As the plot...
, also on CBS.
On the series, Williams and Aletter played a married couple, Frank and Cara Bridges, who tried to keep their union secret because company policy did not permit employees to marry within the company they both worked for, called Fenwick Diversified Industries.
At work, Cara, who used her maiden name, Wilton, was a secretary who possessed a very unique filing system. The system was so complex that only she knew where to find the exact file needed. This trait made her a valuable commodity to her boss, Mr. Burkhardt (Paul Reed).
The series was created by Keefe Brasselle
Keefe Brasselle
Keefe Brasselle was a film actor, television actor/producer and author. He first made a name for himself playing the role of Eddie Cantor in a Hollywood biography. Later, he became known for producing several failed television shows.His friendship with CBS executive James Aubrey led to the...
's Richelieu Productions, along with two other programs that season, The Reporter
The Reporter (TV series)
The Reporter is an American drama series that aired on CBS from September 25 to December 18, 1964. The series was created by Jerome Weidman and developed by executive producers Keefe Brasselle and John Simon.-Synopsis:...
starring Harry Guardino
Harry Guardino
Harry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
and Gary Merrill
Gary Merrill
Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television character actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances....
and Paul Ford's sitcom The Baileys of Balboa
The Baileys of Balboa
The Baileys of Balboa is an American sitcom that appeared on CBS in the 1964-1965 season on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET. The series lasted only one 26-episode season...
. All three series were ordered by CBS president James T. Aubrey without formal pilot episodes (he was a close friend of Brasselle's), and all of them, including Cara's, were cancelled after Aubrey was fired from the network in February 1965.
In Meet Me in Las Vegas
Meet Me in Las Vegas
Meet Me in Las Vegas is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Roy Rowland filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope. The film has a running time of 112 minutes.-Cast and crew:...
(1956) she played a redheaded dancer who performed a notable number, declaring she did not like rock 'n' roll. She played James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
's girl friend in the musical comedy Never Steal Anything Small
Never Steal Anything Small
Never Steal Anything Small is a musical comedy film starring James Cagney, Shirley Jones, Roger Smith, Cara Williams, Nehemiah Persoff, Royal Dano, and Horace McMahon. The film was based on The Devil's Hornpipe by Maxwell Anderson and released by Universal Pictures.-Production details:Filmed in...
(1959) and even had a duet with Cagney. During the early to mid-1960s, CBS executives groomed Williams to be the next Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, but these plans never materialized. After the demise of her show, she did guest roles on other shows, briefly appearing as a regular on Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
's CBS series Rhoda
Rhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
.
Personal life
Williams married John Drew BarrymoreJohn Drew Barrymore
John Drew Barrymore was a member of the Barrymore family of actors, which included his father, John Barrymore, and his father's siblings, Lionel and Ethel...
(later the father of Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
) in 1952. They divorced in 1959. Their son, John Blyth Barrymore
John Blyth Barrymore
John Blyth Barrymore III is a former American film and television actor.Known for his role as Zeke in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, he is a member of the Barrymore family, notable for success in acting. His parents are John Drew Barrymore and Cara Williams. Actress Drew Barrymore is his...
, is also an actor. She married, secondly, to Alan Gray (1945–47), which union also produced a child, but ended after two years. She is currently married to her third husband, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
real estate entrepreneur Asher Dann.
Select filmography
- In the Meantime, DarlingIn the Meantime, DarlingIn the Meantime, Darling is a 1944 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Arthur Kober and Michael Uris focuses on a wealthy war bride who is forced to adjust to living in spartan conditions in military housing during World War II.-Plot:Due to limited wartime...
(1944) - BoomerangBoomerang (1947 film)Boomerang! is a 1947 film based on the true story of a vagrant who was accused of murder, only to be found innocent through the efforts of the prosecutor...
(1947) - Monte Carlo BabyMonte Carlo BabyMonte Carlo Baby is a 1952 British-French comedy film co-directed by Jean Boyer and Lester Fuller. It featured an early performance by Audrey Hepburn playing a spoiled actress...
(1951) - Meet Me in Las VegasMeet Me in Las VegasMeet Me in Las Vegas is an MGM musical comedy produced by Joe Pasternak and directed by Roy Rowland filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope. The film has a running time of 112 minutes.-Cast and crew:...
(1956) - The Helen Morgan StoryThe Helen Morgan StoryThe Helen Morgan Story is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman.The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, and Nelson Gidding is based on the life and career of torch singer/actress Helen Morgan, with fictional touches...
(1957) - The Defiant OnesThe Defiant OnesThe Defiant Ones is a 1958 drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams, Charles McGraw, and Lon Chaney, Jr...
(1958) - Never Steal Anything SmallNever Steal Anything SmallNever Steal Anything Small is a musical comedy film starring James Cagney, Shirley Jones, Roger Smith, Cara Williams, Nehemiah Persoff, Royal Dano, and Horace McMahon. The film was based on The Devil's Hornpipe by Maxwell Anderson and released by Universal Pictures.-Production details:Filmed in...
(1959) - The Man from the Diner's ClubThe Man from the Diner's ClubThe Man from the Diner's Club is a 1963 comedy film made by Ampersand and Dena Productions and released by Columbia Pictures.-Production:...
(1963) - The White BuffaloThe White BuffaloThe White Buffalo is a 1977 western film starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens, and Will Sampson. The movie is rated PG in the USA. The film is directed by J. Lee Thompson, who frequently teamed with Bronson. It was also the final film Bronson made for United...
(1977) - The One Man Jury (1978)