Sally Struthers

Last updated
Sally Struthers
Sally Struthers 1996.jpg
Struthers in 1996
Born
Sally Anne Struthers

(1947-07-28) July 28, 1947 (age 77)
Occupation(s)Actress, activist
Years active1970–present
Known for Gloria Stivic in All in the Family
Spouse
(m. 1977;div. 1983)
Children1

Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) [1] is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) on All in the Family , for which she won two Emmy Awards, and Babette on Gilmore Girls . She was also the voice of Charlene Sinclair on the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs , Pebbles Flintstone on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show , and Rebecca Cunningham on the Disney animated series TaleSpin .

Contents

Early life

Struthers' senior class photo, 1965 Sally Struthers yearbook photo 1965.png
Struthers' senior class photo, 1965

Sally Anne Struthers was born July 28, 1947, in Portland, Oregon, [1] the second of two daughters [2] [3] born to Margaret Caroline (née Jernes) and Robert Alden Struthers, a surgeon. She has an older sister, Sue. [3] Her maternal grandparents were Norwegian immigrants. [2]

Her father abandoned the family when Struthers was approximately nine years old, [2] after which she was raised by her single mother in the Concordia neighborhood of northeast Portland. [4] Her mother, who supported herself and her two daughters working at Bonneville Power Administration, [4] suffered from significant depression during Struthers' childhood. [4]

Career

In Five Easy Pieces (1970) Struthers was cast opposite Jack Nicholson. She appeared as a restless wife of a veterinarian in The Getaway starring Steve McQueen (1972). Around that time Struthers debuted as Gloria Stivic on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family , producer Norman Lear had found the actress dancing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour .[ citation needed ]

According to a WPTT radio interview with Doug Hoerth in 2003,[ citation needed ] Struthers thought that Rob Reiner's then-fiancée and later wife, Penny Marshall, would get the role of Gloria, as Marshall more resembled Jean Stapleton, who played Edith Bunker. Actress Candice Azzara had played the role of Gloria in a pilot episode, but was soon dropped. After a shaky start, the series became a hit beginning with its summer reruns, giving tens of millions of viewers the chance to see Gloria defending her viewpoints about negative stereotypes and inequality. Struthers won two Emmy Awards (in 1972 and 1979) for her work on the show. In 2012, Struthers recalled the serendipity that helped her land the role:

I had just gotten let go from The Tim Conway Comedy Hour because the suits in New York said that I made the show look cheap. And the producer said, "That's the whole point, we're trying to make it look like the Conway show doesn't have a budget, has no money, and so that's why there's only one Tim Conway dancer instead of a line of them like the June Taylor Dancers on The Jackie Gleason Show , and there's only one musician, and they can't even afford an instrument for him, so he's standing at a music stand, humming the opening theme song." That's funny! And the suits said, "No, it makes the show look cheap." So they let me, the Tim Conway dancer, go. And if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been free to read for All in the Family. [5]

In 1977 she portrayed a housewife who was physically abused by her husband (portrayed by Dennis Weaver) in the made-for-TV movie Intimate Strangers , one of the first network features to depict domestic violence.[ citation needed ]

Struthers (upper-left) in the 1976 cast promotional photo of All in the Family All in the Family cast 1976.JPG
Struthers (upper-left) in the 1976 cast promotional photo of All in the Family

On the short-lived Archie Bunker's Place spin-off Gloria (1982–1983), Struthers reprised Gloria as a new divorcée (she became an "exchange student", when husband Mike exchanged her for one of his students). The series co-starred Burgess Meredith as the doctor of an animal clinic with Gloria as his assistant.[ citation needed ] From 1985 to 1986 Struthers starred as Florence Ungar in the female version of The Odd Couple . Struthers later stated in an interview on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, that it was an unpleasant experience until Rita Moreno, who was mean-spirited towards Struthers, left the play and was replaced by Brenda Vaccaro. [6]

She was a semi-regular panelist on the 1990 revival of Match Game and an occasional guest on Win, Lose or Draw (even filling in for Vicki Lawrence as host for a week). She also had a recurring role as Bill Miller's manipulative mother, Louise, on Still Standing and regularly appeared on Gilmore Girls as Babette Dell. She also provided voices for a number of animated series such as The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (as a teenage Pebbles Flintstone), TaleSpin (as Rebecca Cunningham) and was one of the voice stars on ABC's Dinosaurs produced by Walt Disney and Henson Productions (as Charlene Sinclair).[ citation needed ]

Struthers starred in the stage production of Annie at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, [7] and in the national tour of the production in the late 1990s. She has been a regular since the early 2000s at the Ogunquit Playhouse, in Ogunquit, Maine. [8]

In 2014, Struthers toured in the 50th-anniversary production of Hello, Dolly! , playing Dolly Levi.

Activism

Struthers was [9] [10] a spokesperson for Christian Children's Fund (later renamed ChildFund), advocating on behalf of impoverished children in developing countries.

Business interests

Struthers has been a spokesperson for International Correspondence School (ICS) in television ads, pitching the famous line "Do you want to make more money? Sure, we all do!" ICS was a school with a diverse curriculum that, at the time, had fields of study going from brick laying to personal computers. [11]

Personal life

Struthers married psychiatrist William C. Rader on December 18, 1977, in Los Angeles. [12] [13] After having one child, daughter Samantha, the couple divorced on January 19, 1983. [14]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1970 The Phynx World's No. 1 Fan
1970 Five Easy Pieces Shirley "Betty"
1972 The Getaway Fran Clinton
1976 The Great Houdini Bess Houdini
1978 A Different Approach CameoShort film
1979...And Your Name Is JonahJenny Corelli
1997The OthersMrs. Zelov
2001Out of the BlackBetty
2001 A Month of Sundays Onida Roy
2003ReesevilleKatie Oakman
2003 Baadasssss! Roz
2005 Hoodwinked! Granny Abigail PuckettUnused voice; lines overdubbed by Glenn Close [15]
2010Monster HeroesKripta
2014Waiting in the Wings: the MusicalSperm Bank Receptionist
2015Hollywood Musical!Sally
2016Still Waiting in the WingsLucy
2017 The Relationtrip Liam's MomVoice [16]
2017You & MeTilly

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1970 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Performer8 episodes
1970 The Tim Conway Comedy Hour 13 episodes
1971–1978 All in the Family Gloria Stivic 182 episodes
1971–1972 The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show Pebbles Flintstone Voice, 16 episodes
1971 Love, American Style BarbaraEpisode: "Love and the Triangle"
1971 Ironside Sandy FondaEpisode: "Love, Peace, Brotherhood and Murder"
1971 The Courtship of Eddie's Father Katie O'HaraEpisode: "The Blarney Stone"
1974Aloha Means GoodbyeSara MooreTelevision film
1975 Hey, I'm Alive Helen KlabenTelevision film
1977–1978 Fred Flintstone and Friends Pebbles FlintstoneVoice, 95 episodes
1977 Intimate Strangers Janice HalstonTelevision film
1978My Husband is MissingMrs. Katherine EatonTelevision film
1979 The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family HerselfTelevision special
1979–1982 Archie Bunker's Place Gloria Stivic5 episodes
1981A Gun in the HouseEmily CatesTelevision film
1982–1983 Gloria Gloria Stivic21 episodes
1983 The Charmkins Poison IvyVoice, 1 episode [16]
1985 The Glo Friends Save Christmas BlancheVoice, television special
1985 Alice in Wonderland Tiger LilyMiniseries
1986–1988 9 to 5 Marsha McMurray Shrimpton52 episodes
1989 Charles in Charge Nora Bennington, Nancy BeaumanEpisode: "Still at Large"
1989A Deadly SilenceAunt MarilynTelevision film
1990 TaleSpin: Plunder & Lightning Rebecca Cunningham Voice, television film
1990 Sister Kate Mrs. NewberryEpisode: "Sweet Sixteen"
1990 Murder, She Wrote Nancy La RueEpisode: "A Body to Die For"
1990–1991 TaleSpin Rebecca CunninghamVoice, 42 episodes
1991 All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special HerselfTelevision special
1991–1994 Dinosaurs Charlene SinclairVoice, 65 episodes
1991 Yo Yogi! Additional voices9 episodes
1991 Tom & Jerry Kids Jerry's MotherVoice, episode: "Jerry's Mother"
1992 In the Best Interest of the Children Patty PepperTelevision film
1992 The Tin Soldier NarratorTelevision special
1992 Fish Police ShellyVoice, episode: "Beauty's Only Fin Deep"
1992 Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa Bessy BluebellVoice, episode: "Another Fine Mesa"
1992 Tiny Toon Adventures Rhoda's Mom, Witch SandyVoice, 2 episodes [16]
1993–1994 Droopy, Master Detective Additional voices13 episodes
1994 Duckman Additional voicesEpisode: "Cellar Beware"
1995The New Adventures of Mother Goose Mother Goose Voice, television special
1998 Cow and Chicken Girl Enzyme #1Voice, episode: "Journey to the Center of Cow" [16]
1998 The Wild Thornberrys Galapagos Penguin, Iguanas Voice, episode: "Eliza-cology" [16]
1999 The Brothers Flub Additional voicesVoice
2000–2007 Gilmore Girls Babette Dell 52 episodes
2002 General Hospital Jennifer Smith6 episodes
2002 As Told by Ginger Mrs. HigsbyVoice, episode: "New Girl in Town"
2003 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Aunt LorraineEpisode: "Ping, Ping a Song"
2003 The Division Eve WarnerEpisode: "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
2003–2006 Still Standing Louise Miller10 episodes
2004 Odd Job Jack Additional voicesEpisode: "Almost Wormless"
2006What I Did for LoveAunt TrudyTelevision film
2008–2009 Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures Mrs. O'ConnorVoice, 26 episodes
2011 American Dad! ClaraVoice, episode: "A Ward Show"
2011 Celebrity Ghost Stories HerselfEpisode: "Beverly D'Angelo/Sally Struthers/Melissa George"
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Babette DellMiniseries
2016 Maron Shirley2 episodes
2018Christmas HarmonyShirleyTelevision film
2019–2021 Summer Camp Island Rose / variousVoice, 3 episodes
2024 - Man on the Inside Virginia

Audio dramas

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2021–2022 Around the Sun Mrs. TruittVoice, 2 episodes

Stage

Awards and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards

Ovation Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Hello, Dolly!</i> (musical) 1964 Broadway musical

Hello, Dolly! is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1954. The musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder.

<i>All in the Family</i> American sitcom television series (1971–1979)

All in the Family is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as Archie Bunker's Place, a continuation series, which picked up where All in the Family ended and ran for four seasons through April 4, 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Carter</span> American singer and actress (1948–2003)

Nell Carter was an American actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebbles Flintstone</span> Fictional character in The Flintstones

Pebbles Flintstone-Rubble is a fictional character in the Flintstones franchise. The red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles was born near the end of the third season. She is most famous in her infant form on The Flintstones, but has also appeared at various other ages, including as a teenager on the early 1970s spin-off The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and as an adult in three television films. She spent most of her time with Bamm-Bamm Rubble, her childhood best friend whom she eventually marries.

<i>The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show</i> U.S. animated television series (1971–72)

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice cast of Sally Struthers, Jay North, Mitzi McCall, Gay Hartwig, Carl Esser and Lennie Weinrib, the show follows teenage Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble as they encounter problems growing up in the fictional town of Bedrock. The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show is the first spin-off series of The Flintstones. For the 1972–73 season, the show was revamped as The Flintstone Comedy Hour, with more time given to the original Flintstones cast alongside both reruns and newly produced segments of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll O'Connor</span> American actor (1924–2001)

John Carroll O'Connor was an American actor whose television career spanned over four decades. O'Connor found widespread fame as Archie Bunker, the main character in the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1979) and its continuation, Archie Bunker's Place (1979–1983). O'Connor later starred in the NBC/CBS television crime drama In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995), where he played the role of police chief William "Bill" Gillespie. In the late 1990s, he played Gus Stemple, the father of Jamie Buchman on Mad About You. In 1996, O'Connor was ranked number 38 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time. He won five Emmys and one Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Stapleton</span> American actress (1923–2013)

Jean Stapleton was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wife of Archie Bunker, on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. The role earned her three Emmys and two Golden Globes for Best Actress in a comedy series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Daly</span> American actress (born 1946)

Ellen Tyne Daly is an American actress whose six-decade career included many leading roles in movies and theater. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Stivic</span> Sitcom character

Michael Casimir "Mike" Stivic is a fictional character played by Rob Reiner on the 1970s American television sitcom All in the Family. He is the live-in son-in-law of the series' lead character, Archie Bunker, who frequently calls him "Meathead". Michael is the husband of Archie's daughter Gloria.

Gloria Stivic is a fictional character played by Sally Struthers on the American situation comedy All in the Family and the spin-off series Gloria. The only child of Archie and Edith Bunker, Gloria is married to—and eventually divorced from—Michael Stivic. She was born 11 months after Archie and Edith were married, according to the fifth season episode “The Longest Kiss”.

<i>Archie Bunkers Place</i> American television series (1979–1983)

Archie Bunker's Place is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of All in the Family. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979 to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last four seasons. It performed so well during its first season that it displaced Mork & Mindy from its Sunday night time slot; a year earlier, during its first season, Mork & Mindy had been the No. 3 show on television.

<i>Gloria</i> (American TV series) American television sitcom (1982–1983)

Gloria is an American television sitcom and a spin-off of Archie Bunker's Place that aired on CBS from September 26, 1982, to April 10, 1983. The series stars Sally Struthers reprising her role as Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie Bunker on All in the Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Engel</span> American actress (1948–2019)

Georgia Bright Engel was an American actress. She is best known for having played Georgette Franklin Baxter in the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 to 1977, Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005, and Mamie Sue on Hot in Cleveland from 2012 to 2015. She was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea McArdle</span> American singer and actress

Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie.

"Starvin' Marvin" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 19, 1997. In the episode, Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan send money to an African charity hoping to get a sports watch, but are instead sent an Ethiopian child whom they dub "Starvin' Marvin". Later, Cartman is accidentally sent to Ethiopia, where he learns activist Sally Struthers is hoarding the charity's food for herself. In an accompanying subplot, after genetically engineered turkeys attack South Park residents, Chef rallies the residents to fight back, in a parody of the film Braveheart.

Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles, including award winning performances in Camelot, Hello, Dolly!, Into the Woods, and Anything Goes. She also has performed in film and on television, including her portrayal of Lucille Ball in the 2003 television film Lucy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Cody</span> American dancer and actress

Jennifer Cody is an American actress and dancer.

<i>The Flintstone Comedy Hour</i> U.S. animated television series (1972–74)

The Flintstone Comedy Hour is an American animated television series and a spin-off of The Flintstones and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, which aired on CBS from September 9, 1972, to September 1, 1973. It was re-titled The Flintstone Comedy Show for a second season of reruns as a half-hour show from September 8, 1973, to January 26, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogunquit Playhouse</span> Theater in Ogunquit, Maine (opened 1937)

Ogunquit Playhouse is a regional theater on 10 Main Street in Ogunquit, Maine. Ogunquit Playhouse is one of the last remaining summer theaters from the Summer Stock which still produces musical theatre. The Playhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Level of Significance "in consideration of the significant contributions made by its founder Walter J. Hartwig and the Playhouse to Performing Arts Education throughout the nation."

"The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family" is a 90-minute retrospective of the American television sitcom All in the Family starring Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers which aired on March 4, 1979, on CBS. It was directed by Walter C. Miller, hosted by Norman Lear and videotaped on February 19, 1979, in front of a live audience at Mark Taper Forum of the Los Angeles Music Center in Los Angeles, California.

References

  1. 1 2 Leszczak, Bob (2014). The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen: A History with Cast and Crew Profiles and an Episode Guide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 119. ISBN   978-1-476-61539-4.
  2. 1 2 3 Struthers, Sally (November 7, 2001). "Testimony to The Commission on Affordable Housing and Health Facility: Needs for Seniors in the 21st Century". Federal Depository Library Program . Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Tate, Toli (24 April 2017). "All in The Acting | Grant Magazine" . Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  4. 1 2 3 Tate, Toli (April 24, 2017). "All in the Acting". Grant Magazine. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  5. Fallick, Alan H. (July 24, 2012). "Sally Struthers on '9 to 5,' Life and Topless Scene with Jack Nicholson". Newsday.com. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  6. soundcloud.com
  7. Janich, Kathy (14 January 2012). "Annie at the Fox Theatre". Encore Atlanta. Atlanta Metropolitan Publishing Inc. pp. 10–12. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. Keyes, Bob (April 1, 2012). "Waiting in the wings: Summer". The Portland Press Herald . Portland, Maine . Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  9. "The price of a cup of coffee". March 2021.
  10. http://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/05/28/charitys-spending-faulted/5250c688-e3f5-4b01-a799-f485c69956a6/ [ bare URL ]
  11. "Prestegious ICS School".
  12. "California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985". State of California. Sally A Struthers, Female, 1947, age 30, date: 18 Dec 1977, place: Los Angeles, spouse:William C Rader
  13. "Sally's Family Life". People magazine . February 16, 1981. Retrieved 2015-03-13. ... her husband, Dr. William Rader, 42 ... Rader's three children from a previous marriage ...
  14. "California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984". familysearch.org. State of California . Retrieved 2021-03-06. William C Rader, date: 18 Jan 1983, place: Los Angeles, spouse: Sally A(registration required)
  15. Joe Strike (August 31, 2007). ""With the Talents Of ..." Celebritization of the VO Biz". awn.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sally Struthers (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 14, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  17. "2009/2010 Ovation Award Winners". January 17, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2014.