Brett Somers (born Audrey Dawn Johnston; July 11, 1924 – September 15, 2007) was a Canadian-American game-show personality, actress, and singer. Somers was best known as a panelist on the 1970s

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity paneli ...

'' and for her recurring role as Blanche Madison opposite her real-life husband, actor

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ...

, on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televis ...

''.

Personal life

Born Audrey Dawn Johnston in Halcomb, near

Miramichi, New Brunswick Miramichi ( ) is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay. The Miramichi Valley is the second longest valley in New Brunswick, after the Saint John River ...

, Canada, Somers grew up near

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. At age 18, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting,Andrew Gan
"DIVA TALK: A Chat with "Match Game" Star Brett Somers"
, ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

'', July 11, 2003. settling in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

. Her chosen first name, Brett, came from the lead female character in

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is the first novel by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, following his experimental novel-in-fragments '' In Our Time (short story collection)'' (1925). It portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Par ...

''. Her chosen last name, Somers, was her mother's maiden name. After settling in New York, she married businessman Robert H. Klein in 1948. Together they had one child, Leslie Klein (who died of lung cancer in 2003), but their marriage ended in divorce. She married actor

in 1953; they had two sons, David and Adam. It was long reported that Somers and Klugman separated in 1974 but remained legally married until her death; this mistaken belief was furthered by the fact that Klugman waited until after Somers died to marry his second wife. However, California court records indicate the couple actually divorced in August 1977. Somers became a U.S. citizen late in life.

Career

Early career

A member of the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

from 1952, Somers began her career in theater and made many of her initial television appearances in dramatic programs such as ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

'', ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...

'', ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'', ''

The Naked City ''The Naked City'' (a.k.a. ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American crime procedural produced by Mark Hellinger, directed by Jules Dassin and written by Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald, from a story by Malvin Ward. Starring Barry Fitzgerald, with ...

'' and ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The Live television, live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run ...

''. Her Broadway debut was in the play ''Maybe Tuesday''. The show was a flop and closed after just five performances. She also appeared onstage in productions of ''Happy Ending'', ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with George Axelrod. Based on Axelrod's 1952 The Seven Year Itch (play), play of the same name, the film stars Marilyn Monroe ...

'', and '' The Country Girl'', the last opposite Klugman. She also amassed a number of film credits, including '' A Rage to Live'' and ''

Bus Riley's Back in Town ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' is a 1965 American comedy film written by William Inge, directed by Harvey Hart, and starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks. Inge was very unhappy with changes made to his script and had his name removed from the cr ...

''.

Television credits

Somers made many appearances on episodic primetime television, including ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

''; '' The Defenders''; ''

Have Gun Will Travel Have or having may refer to: * the concept of ownership * any concept of ''possession'' * the English verb "to " is used: ** to express possession linguistically, in a broad sense ** as an auxiliary verb ** in constructions such as ''have somet ...

''; ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

''; ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

''; ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

''; ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'' and '' The Fugitive''. In 1973 she played Rhoda Morgenstern's Aunt Rose in the season four episode "Rhoda's Sister Gets Married" on ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

''. She had a recurring role as Blanche, the former wife of Oscar Madison (played by real-life spouse Jack Klugman) on the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

''The Odd Couple'' in the early 1970s. In 1973 she played

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 four short stories, all of which involve a ...

's receptionist Gertie on '' The New Perry Mason'', a short-lived revival of the classic TV series, with

Monte Markham Monte Markham (born June 21, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, television series, and on Broadway. Early life Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, one of four sons of Millie Content (née Willbur) and Jesse Edwar ...

as Perry Mason. She played the role of Siress Belloby on the 1978 science-fiction series ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

''.

''Match Game''

Somers was best known for her appearances as a panelist in the 1970s

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

game show ''

''. For her debut episodes she sat in the lower-left panel position, but for the remainder of her tenure she occupied the center seat of the upper tier, most often next to

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13, 1931 – May 25, 2007) was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher. He performed in the original Broadway casts of ''Bye Bye Birdie''; '' Hello, Dolly!''; and '' How to Succeed in Business With ...

, who joined as a regular around the same time as Somers and settled into the top-right seat. She was clearly left-handed as she was always seen writing her answers with her left hand. The show became known for somewhat outlandish and risque dialogue, sometimes being described as a game played at a cocktail party. Somers was a familiar on-screen presence, wearing enormous eyeglasses and various wigs. She played

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

to Charles Nelson Reilly,

Betty White Betty Marion Ludden ( White; January 17, 1922December 31, 2021), known professionally as Betty White, was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television with a career spanning almost seven decades, she was noted for her vas ...

, Scoey Mitchell,

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian, and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show ''Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel '' Fried Green To ...

and many others. Somers was sometimes the subject of questions on ''Match Game'', such as "You may or may not believe in reincarnation, but listen to this. In a previous life, Brett used to be a ________." Somers was not originally considered for the celebrity panel. When spouse Jack Klugman appeared during the first week of the program in 1973, he insisted that the producers bring her aboard. She remained a regular panelist for the rest of the show's nine-year network and syndicated run. Her appearances on ''Match Game'' led radio personality

Robin Quivers Robin Quivers (born August 8, 1952) is an American radio personality best known for being the long-running co-host of ''The Howard Stern Show''. Early life Quivers was born on August 8, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were educated ...

to impersonate her in parodies of such game shows on ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

''. Quivers' impersonation of Somers was featured in the film '' Private Parts''.

Later life and death

In 2002, she appeared with Charles Nelson Reilly and Betty White (via videolink) as part of a ''Match Game'' reunion on the CBS program ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...

''. She appeared with Reilly on ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show originally aired as a ...

'' during that show's "Game Show Week" in the same year. She appeared in a cabaret show ''An Evening with Brett Somers'' in 2003–04. In 2004,PBS's "Magic Moments - The Best of '50s Pop
at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

. Retrieved June 16, 2019 she appeared on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

concert special "Magic Moments – The Best of '50s Pop". In the two-minute segment, hosted by

Wink Martindale Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale (December 4, 1933 – April 15, 2025) was an American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host and television producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he was known for his outgoing and jovial demeanor and ...

, Somers was a member of a faux quiz-show panel with Dr. Joyce Brothers and

Rip Taylor Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others) ...

. In 2006, she was a prominent interviewee in ''The Real Match Game Story: Behind The Blank'' on GSN and hosted the ''Match Game'' DVD as well. During a 2002 interview Somers denied rumors that she had cancer, which she reiterated in later interviews.Portantiere, Michael
"Somers in the City"
, Theatremania.com, July 3, 2003. Somers had a naturally husky voice that might have caused the misconception that she suffered from a throat ailment. However, she ''was'' diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Following a period of remission, she died on September 15, 2007, at her home in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

, at age 83. Her younger son, Adam, gave the cause of her death as

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

and

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. GSN hosted a daylong tribute to Somers, showcasing her most memorable appearances on ''Match Game''.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Brett 1924 births 2007 deaths Actresses from New Brunswick American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women television personalities Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States People from Miramichi, New Brunswick Actresses from Portland, Maine People from Westport, Connecticut 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century American women Television personalities from Connecticut Canadian women comedians Comedians from New Brunswick American women comedians Comedians from Maine Comedians from Manhattan