Barbara "Bobo" Lewis (May 14, 1926 – November 6, 1998) was an American comedic actress of film, musical theatre, stage and television. Born in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Lewis studied acting and won a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

in 1978 for portraying a teacher in ''Working'' on Broadway. In 1997, she was nominated for a

Joseph Jefferson Award The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater st ...

Stage roles

*'' The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940'' (as Bernice Roth); April 6, 1987 - August 1, 1987 *'' 42nd Street'' (as Maggie Jones; replacement); July 21, 1987 - January 8, 1989 *'' Working'' (as Fran Swenson, Grace Clements, Lucille Page and Rose Hoffman); May 14, 1978 - June 4, 1978 *''Lorelei'' (as Mrs. Ella Spofford; replacement); January 27, 1974 -November 3, 1974 *'' The Women'' (as Dowager and as Olga); April 25, 1973 - June 17, 1973 *''Twigs'' (as Emily, Celia, Dorothy and Ma; standby); November 14, 1971 - July 23, 1972

Television

Bobo Lewis was most famous for her role as gossip Midge Smoot on the children's television series '' Shining Time Station''. She remained with the show for its entire run from 1989 to 1993. Lewis would later appear in the four succeeding ''Shining Time'' Specials in 1995. Her other television appearances include roles on sitcoms such as ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

'', ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966, to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress who moves from her hometo ...

'', and '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''.

Film

Bobo was seen in a handful of well-known films such as ''

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...

'' (1963), ''

Under the Yum Yum Tree ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' is a 1963 American sex comedy film directed by David Swift and starring Jack Lemmon, Carol Lynley, Dean Jones, and Edie Adams, with Imogene Coca, Paul Lynde, and Robert Lansing. The film received two Golden Globe ...

'' (1963), '' Way...Way Out'' (1966) '' Can't Stop the Music'' (1980), ''

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

'' (1981) '' Her Alibi'' (1989), ''

Miami Blues ''Miami Blues'' is a 1990 American neo-noir black comedy crime drama film directed by George Armitage, based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford. It stars Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward (who also served as an executive producer) a ...

'' (1990) and '' The Paper'' (1994).

Legacy

She teamed up with her Broadway co-star

Lynne Thigpen Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen (December 22, 1948 – March 12, 2003) was an American actress of stage and screen. She was known for her role as the Chief of ACME Crimenet in the game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' and various spino ...

('' Working'', 1978) to create the Lynne Thigpen-Bobo Lewis Foundation "to help young actresses and actors learn how to survive and succeed in New York theater".

Death

Lewis died on November 6, 1998, at New York Hospital in Manhattan from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

, aged 72.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
New York Times obituary
Nov. 13, 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Bobo 1926 births 1998 deaths Actresses from Florida American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Miami Drama Desk Award winners Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers