Claiborne Cary
Encyclopedia
Claiborne Cary was an American
actress and cabaret
performer.
Cary was born Claiborne Leachman in Lone Tree, Iowa
, and raised in Des Moines
. The younger sister of actress Cloris Leachman
, Cary began dancing and performing at a young age. She attended both the University of Iowa
and Northwestern University
before moving to New York City
to pursue an acting career.
Cary made her Broadway theater debut in Silk Stockings
in 1956, later touring with the production's national tour with actor, Don Ameche
. In 1957, she starred in The New Girl in Town at the Rialto Theater on Broadway. Her many other Broadway credits included Hellzapoppin '67, The Supporting Cast and the production of Beg, Borrow or Steal (opposite Betty Garrett
and Eddie Bracken
). Her Off Broadway resume included roles in Kukla, Burr and Ollie, Smiling, the Boy Fell Dead, Faith, Hope and Charity and All Kinds of Giants.
She also appeared in television
, including Law & Order
, The Dick Van Dyke Show
and Young Dr. Kildare
. She appeared in numerous television commercials. She began, however, to focus more on cabaret productions and regional theater following the birth of her son, Berkeley Northrop. Within cabaret, she starred in and produced Grand Slam with Murray Grand
.
She also toured with the stage adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
.
Her lengthy regional theater credits included Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
, in which she appeared in Long Beach, California
, with Charles Durning
and Tyne Daly
. Cary recorded and released two albums on CD, Miss Claiborne Cary Live and Now and Then.
Her last public performance was in a cabaret in the early 2000s.
She died from complications of Parkinson's disease
in Costa Mesa, California
, on March 20, 2010, aged 78. Aside from her sisters, nephews and nieces, she was survived by her son and two granddaughters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
performer.
Cary was born Claiborne Leachman in Lone Tree, Iowa
Lone Tree, Iowa
Lone Tree is a city in southeastern Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,151 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, and raised in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. The younger sister of actress Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
, Cary began dancing and performing at a young age. She attended both the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
before moving to 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...
to pursue an acting career.
Cary made her Broadway theater debut in Silk Stockings
Silk Stockings
Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.Hildegarde Knef gives a vivid backstage account of the casting, rehearsals, tryouts and Broadway opening of "Silk Stockings" in her autobiography "The Gift Horse:...
in 1956, later touring with the production's national tour with actor, Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
. In 1957, she starred in The New Girl in Town at the Rialto Theater on Broadway. Her many other Broadway credits included Hellzapoppin '67, The Supporting Cast and the production of Beg, Borrow or Steal (opposite Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett was an American actress, comedienne, singer and dancer who originally performed on Broadway before being signed to a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
and Eddie Bracken
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...
). Her Off Broadway resume included roles in Kukla, Burr and Ollie, Smiling, the Boy Fell Dead, Faith, Hope and Charity and All Kinds of Giants.
She also appeared in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, including Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
and Young Dr. Kildare
Young Dr. Kildare
Young Dr. Kildare is a 1938 film starring Lew Ayres as an idealistic but somewhat immature young medical doctor, who benefits greatly from the wise counsel of his mentor, Dr. Gillespie, a seasoned older physician. This was the second of a total of ten Dr...
. She appeared in numerous television commercials. She began, however, to focus more on cabaret productions and regional theater following the birth of her son, Berkeley Northrop. Within cabaret, she starred in and produced Grand Slam with Murray Grand
Murray Grand
Murray Grand was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, and pianist best known for the song "Guess Who I Saw Today"....
.
She also toured with the stage adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a non-fiction work by John Berendt. Published in 1994, the book was Berendt's first, and became a The New York Times bestseller for 216 weeks following its debut....
.
Her lengthy regional theater credits included Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom is an American television movie directed by Sam O'Steen and produced by Roger Gimbel. It was broadcast by CBS on February 13, 1975...
, in which she appeared in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, with Charles Durning
Charles Durning
Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
and Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
. Cary recorded and released two albums on CD, Miss Claiborne Cary Live and Now and Then.
Her last public performance was in a cabaret in the early 2000s.
She died from complications of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
, on March 20, 2010, aged 78. Aside from her sisters, nephews and nieces, she was survived by her son and two granddaughters.