Carol Arthur

Carol Arthur
Born
Carol Arata

(1935-08-04)August 4, 1935
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 2020(2020-11-01) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1961–2004
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1965; died 2009)​
ChildrenPeter DeLuise
Michael DeLuise
David DeLuise

Carol Arthur DeLuise[1] (born Carol Arata; August 4, 1935 – November 1, 2020), known professionally as Carol Arthur, was an American actress, mainly recognizable in supporting roles in films directed by Mel Brooks.

Early life

Arthur was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in nearby East Rutherford, the daughter of Mildred (née Foehl) and Peter Arata, a police officer.[2][3] She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school paper and performed on stage.[4]

Career

Arthur appeared in minor roles in four films directed by Mel Brooks and in other works with her husband, Dom DeLuise, including Brooks' Blazing Saddles (1974) as the outspoken town school teacher Harriett Johnson ("You are the leading asshole in the state!").

One of her more notable credits was as the daughter of George Burns' character in The Sunshine Boys (1975). She also guest-starred on many television shows from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, including The Dom DeLuise Show, Emergency!, Sanford and Son, Rhoda, Alice, Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, St. Elsewhere, and 7th Heaven.

During the late-1970s and early-1980s, Arthur appeared as "Safety Sadie", the spokeswoman for the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in several television and radio public service announcements.

Arthur also appeared in various stage productions, including the role of Mrs. Paroo in the short-lived 1980 Broadway revival of The Music Man starring Dick Van Dyke.[5][3]

Personal life

Arthur met her future husband, DeLuise, in 1964 while working on stage in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The couple married in 1965; together they had three sons, all of whom have become actors: Peter, Michael, and David DeLuise.[6][7]

Death

Arthur died on November 1, 2020, at age 85, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease eleven years earlier. She was survived by her three sons and several grandchildren.[5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Making It Mrs. Warren
1974 Blazing Saddles Harriett Johnson
1974 Our Time Gym Teacher
1975 The Sunshine Boys Doris Green
1976 Silent Movie Pregnant lady
1977 The World's Greatest Lover Woman in record store
1979 Hot Stuff Ernie's wife
1989 The Princess and the Dwarf
1991 Driving Me Crazy Jaguar boss
1992 Almost Pregnant Saleswoman as 'Carol DeLuise'
1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Complaining Villager
1995 Dracula: Dead and Loving It Villager
1997 The Good Bad Guy Liza
1998 The Godson Mama Calzone
2000 Intrepid Marcia Lowell
2002 It's All About You Producer
2003 Between the Sheets Gabby

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Arnie Christina Episode: "My Sister's Keeper"
1974 Emergency! Eloise Tanner Episode: "Fools"
1975 Karen Beverly Blyden Episode: "Hartford Revisited"
1976 Sanford and Son Ms. Barnes Episode: "The Camping Trip"
1977 The McLean Stevenson Show Mrs. Alcott Episode: "What Makes Mac Run?"
Rhoda Doris Episode: "To Vegas with Love"
1978 What's Happening!! Mrs. Lawrence Episode: "The Creep Detective"
1981 The Brady Girls Get Married Mrs. Logan TV movie
1983 Alice The Bag Lady Episode: "Vera on the Lam"
Venice Medical Mrs. Baker TV movie
Happy Floor manager
1984 St. Elsewhere Mrs. Stovall Episode: "Sweet Dreams"
1985 Amazing Stories Mother Episode: "Guilt Trip"
1990 True Colors Episode: "Soft Shell"
Lifestories Episode: "Jerry Forchette"
1999 Boys Will Be Boys Blanche TV movie
2004 7th Heaven Gertrude Fleaming Episode: "Two Weddings, an Engagement and a Funeral"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Kicks and Co. Ensemble
1963 On the Town Performer London Revival
1964 High Spirits Edith Original Broadway Production
1980 The Music Man Mrs. Paroo Broadway Revival
1981 Woman of the Year Jan Donovan Original Broadway Production

References

  1. ^ "Actor Carol Arthur DeLuise, Widow of Dom DeLuise, Dies at 85". Associated Press. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  2. ^ O'Donnell, Monica M. (1984). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 1. Gale. ISBN 978-0-8103-2064-2. ISSN 0749-064X. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Attrino, Anthony G. (November 5, 2020). "N.J.'s Carol Arthur Deluise, widow of Dom Deluise, dies in California after long illness". The Star-Ledger. Newark. Retrieved November 5, 2020. Born Carol Arata in Hackensack, she lived in East Rutherford and was the daughter of a police lieutenant in the borough. She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school newspaper and acted in stage plays, according to published reports.
  4. ^ "Keeping In Touch". Commercial Leader and South-Bergen Review. December 12, 1984. Accessed November 3, 2020. "Carol DeLuise, the former Carol Arata of East Rutherford, remembers her area friends with a Christmas card that shows her growing sons, Michael, left, David and Peter, right — and their dog Midnight.... Carol was Miss Everything at East Rutherford High School where she wrote and starred in the musicals, edited the yearbook and the school newspaper and finished off with academic honors."
  5. ^ a b Barnes, Mike (November 2, 2020). "Carol Arthur, Actress in 'Blazing Saddles' and Wife of Dom DeLuise, Dies at 85". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  6. ^ McLellan, Dennis (May 6, 2009). "Dom DeLuise dies at 75; actor was a 'naturally funny man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  7. ^ Grimes, William (May 5, 2009). "Dom DeLuise, Comic Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2017.

External links