Patti Karr

Patti Karr (July 10, 1932 – July 11, 2020), born Patsy Lou Karkalits, was an American actress, dancer, and singer in Broadway musicals, and in film and television.

Patti Karr
Patti Karr as a young dancer, from a 1949 newspaper.
Born
Patsy Lou Karkalits

July 10, 1932
Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
DiedJuly 11, 2020
New York City, US
OccupationActress
Years active1950s to 2000s

Early life

Patsy Lou Karkalits was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Charles F. Karkalits and Estelle Klebold Karkalits.[1] Her father was a businessman; her mother died when Patsy was a baby.[2] She was raised in Fort Worth, Texas,[3] where she graduated from Paschal High School and attended Texas Christian University.[4][5] She began her dancing career in Texas,[6][7] apppearing in the corps de ballet of the Fort Worth Civic Opera.[8][9] She also danced with the Pittsburgh Light Opera,[4] and the Summertime Opera Company in Houston.[10]

Career

Karr first appeared on Broadway in 1953 as a dancer in a musical, Maggie. She went on to appear in over twenty Broadway productions, mostly musicals, including Carnival in Flanders (1953), Pipe Dream (1955-1956), Bells Are Ringing (1956-1959), The Body Beautiful (1958), Redhead (1959-1960), Once Upon a Mattress (1959-1960), Bye Bye Birdie (1960-1961),[11] Do Re Mi (1960-1962), Look to the Lilies (1970), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1972), Different Times (1972), Seesaw (1973), Irene (1973-1974), Pippin (1974-1976), A Broadway Musical (1978), and the 1993 revival of My Fair Lady.[12][13] She was often the understudy of stars, including Chita Rivera, Carol Burnett, Michele Lee, Nancy Walker, and Gwen Verdon.[1][5][14] She also appeared in off-Broadway plays and musicals, and national touring companies of several shows.[15][16][17][18] In 1965, she played Anita in a production of West Side Story, when it toured Japan for nine weeks.[19]

Karr's film credits included small roles in Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Our Italian Husband (2006), and The Savages (2007). On television, Karr appeared in the soap operas Ryan's Hope, All My Children, Guiding Light, and The Edge of Night,[20] and had guest roles on dozens of other American series.[1] She played three different roles in the Law & Order franchise. Her final television credit was as a diner patron in the last scene of "Made in America", the final episode of The Sopranos, in 2007.[21]

Personal life

Karr lived on West End Avenue in New York City.[22] She was injured in a "bizarre accident" in 2017, when strong winds picked up a discarded Christmas tree from the curb, and it hit her in the face as she was walking her dog near her home.[23][24] She died in 2020, the day after her 88th birthday.[1]

References
  1. Gans, Andrew (August 3, 2020). "Broadway Actor Patti Karr Dies at 88". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  2. "Funeral Pending for Mrs. C. F. Karkalits". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1933-01-02. p. 16. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Brooks, Elston (1969-08-12). "Enchanted Evenings Await 'South Pacific' Viewers". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Adler, Dorothy (1954-11-10). "Patti Karkalits". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Brooks, Elston (1967-07-23). "Paschal Pattie Returns as Patti". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 77. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "40 in Dance Recital". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1947-05-18. p. 46. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Hand, Martha (1970-07-01). "Hometown Girl Makes Good: Miss Patti Returns with 'Charity'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Whitlock, Clyde (1948-10-31). "Carmen Ballet Polished Under Eyes of Master". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 28. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "To Dance Sunday". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1949-02-11. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Halsell, Grace (1950-09-11). "Fort Worth Ballerina Signs with Brigadoon". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Garcia, Kevin Thomas (October 21, 2010). "Photo Coverage: BYE BYE BIRDIE Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Sardi's". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  12. Dietz, Dan (2014-04-10). The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3072-9.
  13. Dietz, Dan (2015-09-03). The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5166-3.
  14. "Bells Are Ringing Musical Features Johnson, Karr". Plano Daily Star-Courier. 1968-07-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Dietz, Dan (2010-03-10). Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5731-1.
  16. Corry, John (February 19, 1980). "Theater: 'The Housewives' Cantata': Down Musical Years". The New York Times. p. C5 – via ProQuest.
  17. Corry, John (May 15, 1982). "Theater: A Trio of 'Baseball Wives'". The New York Times. p. 13 – via ProQuest.
  18. Holden, Stephen (December 13, 1981). "Theater: Cole Porter's 'Something for the Boys'". The New York Times. p. 94 – via ProQuest.
  19. "Civic Light Opera Stars Patti Karr". The San Bernardino County Sun. 1965-01-24. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-12-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. Clifford, Kambra (August 3, 2020). "Soap alum Patti Karr has died". Soap Central. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  21. Heffernan, Virginia (2007-06-11). "'Sopranos' Allegedly Solved, or 'I guess you never hear it coming when it's your turn'". The Medium. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  22. Siegal, Nina (November 1, 1998). "A Manhole Not Fit for Men". The New York Times. p. CY7 – via ProQuest.
  23. "Longtime Broadway Actress Hit By Flying Christmas Tree". 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  24. Fractenberg, Ben (January 30, 2017). "Windblown Christmas Tree Knocks Broadway Actress Unconscious on UWS". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
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