Chelsea Brown (born Lois Brown, December 6, 1942 – March 27, 2017) was an American-born actress of television and film, comedian and dancer, who appeared as a regular performer in comedy series ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians D ...

''. She had a successful career in her native land before emigrating to Australia, where she became well-known mostly for her roles in soap opera/serials including top-rating ''

Number 96 96 (ninety-six) is the natural number following 95 and preceding 97. It is a number that appears the same when turned upside down. In mathematics 96 is: * an octagonal number. * a refactorable number. * an untouchable number. * a semiperfect ...

'' and as Abby Rossiter Patchett on '' E Street''.

Early career in the United States

Brown was born as Lois Brown in Chicago, Illinois to Mildred and Edward Brown. She appeared in a segment of a first-season episode of ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' titled "Love and the Militant", with fellow ''Laugh-In'' alumnus

Stu Gilliam Stewart Byron "Stu" Gilliam (July 27, 1933
datalounge.com; accessed July 21, 2018. – October 11, 2 ...

. Other guest roles included appearances in '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'', '' Ironside'', ''

Matt Lincoln ''Matt Lincoln'' is an American medical drama series which aired on ABC as part of its 1970-71 lineup. Based on a Universal made-for-tv movie called ''Dial Hot Line'',Harlan Ellison, review of ''Matt Lincoln'' in ''The Other Glass Teat'' (Pyra ...

'',

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Ter ...

'', ''

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 panelis ...

'' (in 1974) and, in the UK, ''

The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, seria ...

'', singing

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

song " Let Me Be the One". She also appeared in the films ''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is base ...

'' (1969), ''

Dial Hot Line ''Dial Hot Line'' is a 1970 American drama made-for-TV film, starring Vince Edwards, Chelsea Brown, Felton Perry, June Harding and Kim Hunter. It originally aired on March 8, 1970 in the ''ABC Movie of the Week'' space. Cast * Vince Edwards as ...

'' (1970) and ''

The Thing with Two Heads ''The Thing with Two Heads'' is a 1972 American blaxploitation science fiction comedy film directed by Lee Frost and starring Ray Milland, Rosey Grier, Don Marshall, Roger Perry, Kathy Baumann, and Chelsea Brown. Plot Dr. Maxwell Kirshner (Ray ...

'' (1972).

Emigration and career in Australia

Brown met and became engaged to Australian property developer Kelvin Barry Hirst whilst holidaying in

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

in 1973. Brown emigrated to Australia shortly after that, Hirst became her manager and they were married in 1977. They divorced in the early 1980s. Hirst features as the male vocal on Brown's record ''Day Dreaming'' (October 1975). In 1982 Brown released a second album self-titled ''Chelsea''. Brown became a familiar figure on Australian television, with appearances on

Graham Kennedy Graham Cyril Kennedy AO (15 February 1934 – 25 May 2005) was an Australian entertainer, comedian and variety performer, as well as a personality and star of radio, theatre, television and film. He often performed in the style of vaudevilli ...

's '' Blankety Blanks'',

Jimmy Hannan Jimmy Hannan (25 August 1934 – 7 January 2019) was an Australian radio and television personality, variety show host, singer, entertainer and game show host of the 1960s and 1970s. One of the pioneers of television, he appeared regularly on va ...

's ''Celebrity Squares'' plus ongoing roles in

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s ''

'' (in 1977),

The Power, The Passion ''The Power, The Passion'' is an Australian television daytime soap opera produced by the Seven Network in 1989. The series was devised to lure audiences away from American imports such as ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and ''The Young and th ...

(1989), in a regular role as the resident restaurant singer and Network Ten's '' E Street'' (in 1990–1991) as a nightclub singer who falls for the charms of local publican Ernie Patchett and various advertisements. She had a guest role in the Australian-filmed Tzv series revival of '' Mission: Impossible'' (1988). Film roles in Australia included ''

The Return of Captain Invincible ''The Return of Captain Invincible'' is a 1983 Australian superhero musical comedy film directed by Philippe Mora, and starring Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee. It was a box office disappointment on release but has become a cult film since then. ...

'' (1982) and ''

Welcome to Woop Woop ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel ''The Dead Heart'' by Douglas Kennedy. " Woop Woop" is an Australian colloqui ...

'' (1997). In the mid-1990s, she was married to fellow ''E Street'' actor Vic Rooney, who died in 2002, after which she returned to the United States.

Filmography

FILM TELEVISION

Death

Brown died in her hometown of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, March 27, 2017 at the age of 74, from pneumonia.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Chelsea 1942 births 2017 deaths American television personalities American women television personalities Actresses from Chicago African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses American women comedians Comedians from Illinois Deaths from dementia in Illinois American emigrants to Australia 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women