Paula Stewart (born Dorothy Paula Zürndorfer, April 9, 1929) is an American stage, film and television actress mostly known for performing in bit parts and supporting roles.

Early years

Stewart's father was Dr. Walter Zürndorfer and her mother, Esther Morris, was an actress. She attended

Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, with a history of being ...

in Mount Carroll, Illinois, then a women's junior college, and graduated in 1947. She continued her studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, and later joined the national touring company of ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...

''.

Career

She was signed as understudy to Anne Crowley in a production of ''Seventeen'' on Broadway in June 1951. She starred in the

George White George White may refer to: Politicians * George White (died 1584) (c. 1530–1584), MP for Liverpool * George White (Liberal politician) (1840–1912), British Liberal member of parliament, 1900–1912 * George E. White (politician) (1848–1935), ...

revue ''

Nice to See You ''Another Country'' is the third album by South African Afropop fusion band Mango Groove. It was released in 1993, near the end of the negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa. The album was released in South Africa on cassette and CD by ...

'' in 1953 at the Versailles Club, a dinner theatre. In September 1955, Stewart, a soprano, began a month-long engagement with '' Kismet'' at the Music circus in

Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city in Hunterdon County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 3,906,Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. His b ...

in ''Little Me'',

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

and

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

in ''Carousel'', and Jack Carter in ''Operation Mad Ball'', ''Born Yesterday'' and ''Critics Choice'' from 1956 to 1957. She succeeded Jo Sullivan in ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

'', and was subsequently recruited by

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

to star in the revival of ''

The Most Happy Fella ''The Most Happy Fella'' is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play '' They Knew What They Wanted'' by Sidney Howard. The show i ...

'' in 1959. In 1960, she was a featured player in the revue, ''

From A to Z ''From A to Z'' is a musical revue with a book by Woody Allen, Herbert Farjeon, and Nina Warner Hook and songs by Jerry Herman, Fred Ebb, Mary Rodgers, Everett Sloane, Jay Thompson, Dickson Hughes, Jack Holmes, Paul Klein, Norman Martin, William Dy ...

'', starring

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...

. Later that year she appeared opposite

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

as her sister in the musical, ''

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

'' (1960) at the Alvin Theater. In 1961 she was featured in the Broadway musical '' Let It Ride'' starring

George Gobel George Leslie Goebel (May 20, 1919 – February 24, 1991) was an American humorist, actor, and comedian. He was best known as the star of his own weekly comedy variety television series, ''The George Gobel Show'', broadcasting from 1954 to 195 ...

and

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dr ...

at the

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

Theatre. In 1965 she succeeded Bernice Massi in '' What Makes Sammy Run?''. Paula Stewart and Jack Carter performed together in theatres and nightclubs around the country and overseas for the USO in Germany. In New York City they performed at the prestigious Number One Fifth Avenue, The Versailles Club, The Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria, The Starlight Room at The Americana Hotel; in Las Vegas at The

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas was a hotel and casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened in 1941, as the first resort on the Strip, known then as part of Highway 91. It was located at what is now the southwest corner of Las ...

and The Flamingo; in Lake Tahoe at the Harrah’s Hotel; and The La Ronde Room at The Fountainbleu Hotel and The

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film F ...

, both in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Photo model

Stewart did a two-page lingerie layout as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

for ''Picture Week'' in May 1956. She also appeared in a number of print ads including an ad for Cashmere Bouquet as well as an ad for Heublein Liquor in which she appeared with her then husband Jack Carter.

Television

She appeared on episodes of '' Route 66'' (1963), ''The

Joey Bishop Joseph Abraham Gottlieb (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007), known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk ...

Show'' (1964), '' Hogan's Heroes'' (1965), ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' (1965), ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totalin ...

'' (1966), '' The Big Valley'' (1966), and '' Love, American Style'' (1969). She made a television movie, ''Without Her Consent'', in 1990.

Films

Her first motion picture credit is for the role of Carlotta Jones in '' Diary of a Bachelor'' (1964). The independent film about a wealthy woman who discovers the diary of her bachelor fiancé stars William Traylor and Dagne Crane. Other films in which she appeared, albeit in bit parts, include ''Kemek'' (1970) and '' Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?'' (1970)

Marriages

Paula married Burt Bacharach in 1953 during her run in ''Nice to See You'' at the Versailles Club. He was her accompanist and scored arrangements for her night club act. They divorced amicably in 1958. Stewart married comedian Jack Carter in 1961; they divorced in 1970. They have a son, Michael David Carter.

Film producer

In 1970 Stewart produced the movie ''Dinah East''. The film was directed by Gene Nash and starred unknown actors Jeremy Stockwell and Andy Davis, as well as counterculture diva Ultra Violet.

References

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Paula Stewart bio/photoOfficial Website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Paula 1929 births Living people Actresses from Chicago Northwestern University alumni Shimer College alumni American stage actresses American film actresses Film producers from Illinois American musical theatre actresses American television actresses American women singers Female models from Illinois American women film producers 21st-century American women