Elisabeth Fraser (born Elisabeth Fraser Jonker, January 8, 1920 – May 5, 2005) was an American actress, best known for playing brassy blondes.

Life and career

Born Elisabeth Fraser Jonker on January 8, 1920, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, she was educated in Haiti, France and New York. Fraser began her acting career six weeks after graduating from high school; she was cast as the ingenue in the Broadway production of ''

There Shall Be No Night ''There Shall Be No Night'' is a three-act play written by American playwright Robert E. Sherwood. Production The play was presented by the Theatre Guild on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre (now renamed the Neil Simon Theater), from April 29 thro ...

'', which won the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

for the 1940-1941 season. Fraser obtained a contract with

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

studios. She appeared in dozens of films. One of her first roles was in '' The Man Who Came to Dinner'' as June Stanley, the young daughter of the Ohio couple forced to put up with Monty Woolley, who tells her to follow her heart to the man she loves, a trade unionist in her father's company, regardless of her father's feelings. She also appeared in ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...

'', '' Roseanna McCoy'', and '' So Big''. Her most notable role was as

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ' ...

' character's friend in the 1965 hit film ''

A Patch of Blue ''A Patch of Blue'' is a 1965 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed and written by Guy Green (filmmaker), Guy Green about the friendship between an educated black man (played by Sidney Poitier) and an illiterate, blind, white ...

''. She also played in the movie ''Ask Any Girl'' as Jeannie with Shirley MacLaine. Fraser's stage career spanned over three decades and included Broadway productions of ''The Best Man'', ''The Family'', and ''Tunnel of Love'' (she also appeared in the 1958 film version).

Television

She played Hazel Norris on the television version of '' Fibber McGee and Molly'',Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 340. Frances Warner in '' McKeever and the Colonel'', Josie Ryan in ''Off We Go'', Mildred Hogan in '' One Happy Family'', and Sgt. Bilko's longtime girlfriend, Joan, on '' The Phil Silvers Show''. She also guest-starred on many popular television series, including three guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'', such as the role of Estelle Paige in the 1966 episode, "The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise." She also made four appearances on '' Maude''. In 1966, she appeared in James Arness’s TV Western series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', playing “Daisy Lou” in S11E26’s “”Which Doctor?”.

Book

Fraser wrote a book, ''Once Upon a Dime''. Newspaper columnist Terry Vernon described the book as "a humorous account of what happens to a divorced actress with three children who arrives in Hollywood."

Death

On May 5, 2005, Fraser died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

, at the age of 85. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and her ashes scattered at sea.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* * *
Elisabeth Fraser papers, 1920-1999
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Elisabeth 1920 births 2005 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Brooklyn Actresses from Greater Los Angeles American expatriates in Haiti American expatriates in France 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women