Actress known for the sit-coms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life
Born: April 22, 1926;
Died: August 5, 2018
CHARLOTTE Rae, who has died aged 92, was an actress best known for her role in Diff'rent Strokes, the sitcom about two black boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white businessman. Rae originated the character of Edna Garrett during the first season of the show in 1978 before starring in her own spin-off The Facts of Life.
The roles in the sit-coms came to Rae after years of theatre and television performances. Her many stage roles included that of Mammy Yokum, created by her for the 1956 Broadway musical Li'l Abner; she earned an Emmy nomination for the part, and she was a two-time Tony nominee for her work on Broadway.
Her last feature film credit was Ricki And The Flash with Meryl Streep in 2015. That same year she released her autobiography The Facts of My Life, co-written by her son Larry Strauss.
Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields, who played members of Mrs Garrett's brood, recalled her lovingly.
"She was my champion, a teacher, a proud example of the tenacity and perseverance needed to live as a creative, along with your talent and gifts," said Cohn, who played Natalie.
Todd Bridges, who was on Diff'rent Strokes, said Rae was beloved by all her colleagues and that the show would not have been the same without her.
Edna Garrett provided kind if sometimes wry counsel to her Facts Of Life charges (which, besides Cohn and Fields, included Lisa Whelchel, Nancy McKeon and Molly Ringwald) on a series that was praised for dealing with such sensitive issues of teenhood as sex, drug use, eating disorders and peer pressure.
"I wanted to bring in as much humanity as possible, as well as the humour," Rae said early in the show's run. "I don't want her to be Polly Perfect, because she must have human failings and make mistakes."
Her own life was marked by difficulty - her son Andy Strauss was diagnosed with autism at a time when there was far less understanding of or attention to the disorder. He died in his mid-40s of a heart attack in 1999.
Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky in Milwaukee, on April 22, 1926, she had studied drama at Northwestern University, then moved to New York where, despite early plans to be a "serious" actress, she quickly found work doing satirical sketches in Greenwich Village clubs.
It was there that Broadway producers, who frequented such bistros, discovered her, leading to her first Broadway musical, Three Wishes For Jamie, in 1952.
Rae made numerous TV appearances in 1950s drama anthologies including The US Steel Hour, Playhouse 90 and Armstrong Circle Theatre sharing the screen with such actors as Zero Mostel, Art Carney and Gertrude Berg.
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