Charlotte Ann Zucker (née Lefstein; March 10, 1921 – September 5, 2007) was an American actress. She was the mother of filmmakers

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and

Jerry Zucker Jerry Gordon Zucker (born March 11, 1950) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one third of the filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. He is best known for his role in writing and directing comedy spoof films like ...

, and appeared in many of their films.

Early life and education

Zucker was born on March 10, 1921, and grew up in Manhattan. Her father, Harry Lefstein, was a tailor, and her mother, Sarah (née Seiden) was a housewife. She earned a degree in speech and theater at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, and appeared in stage performances at the Henry Street Neighborhood Playhouse. She then moved to Milwaukee to teach English at a junior high school. She graduated from the

University of Wisconsin in Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

with a master's degree.

Career

Zucker had appeared in community theater productions in Florida and in

Shorewood, Wisconsin Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 13,859 at the 2020 census. History In the early 19th century when the first white se ...

. She was a member of the Jewish Community Center Readers Theater-Milwaukee. She made her screen debut in ''

The Kentucky Fried Movie ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' is a 1977 American independent black comedy sketch film, produced by Kim Jorgensen, Larry Kostroff, and Robert K. Weiss, and directed by John Landis. Among the numerous star cameos are George Lazenby, Bill Bixb ...

'' (1977). She appeared in a total of 17 films, including ''

Airplane! ''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American disaster film, disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker in their List of directorial debuts, directoria ...

'', ''

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

'', ''

First Knight ''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval historical drama film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant. The film follow ...

'' and ''

Rat Race A rat race is a metaphor used to describe an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase is sometimes used to relate the human life to that of rats attempting to earn an ultimately pointless reward when Mortality salience, death ...

'', which were directed and produced by her sons,

and

. She also appeared at the Second Avenue Theater, New York, reading selections from

Molly Picon Molly Picon (; Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yiddish theatre and film, rising to a s ...

's autobiography.

Personal life

From 1941 to her death in 2007, she was married to Burton Zucker, who was a real estate developer. She had three children,

Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * Jerry (play), a 1914 American play ...

and Susan. On September 5, 2007, Zucker died from cancer in

, aged 86. She was buried at Second Home Cemetery in

Greenfield, Wisconsin Greenfield is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 37,803 as of the 2020 census. Greenfield is one of many bedroom communities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History On March 8, 1839, the Town of Kinnik ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zucker, Charlotte 1921 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Manhattan American film actresses Brooklyn College alumni Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni