Elaine Stritch

Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress and singer, known for her work on Broadway. She was the honor chair at the Stella Adler Studio until her death. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films and television series. She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1995. Stritch made her Broadway debut in the 1946 comedy Loco and went on to receive four Tony Award nominations for the William Inge play Bus Stop; Sail Away; Company and for the revival of the Edward Albee play A Delicate Balance. Her one-woman show Elaine Stritch at Liberty, won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. Stritch relocated to London in the 1970s and starred in several West End productions, including Tennessee Williams’ Small Craft Warnings (1973) and Neil Simon’s The Gingerbread Lady (1974). She also starred with Donald Sinden in the TV sitcom “Two’s Company” (1975–79), which earned her a 1979 BAFTA TV Award nomination. She won an Emmy Award in 1993 for her guest role on “Law & Order” and another for the 2004 television documentary of her one-woman show. From 2007 to 2012, she had a recurring role as Colleen Donaghy on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock”, a role that won her a third Emmy in 2007. In 2013 The Stella Adler Studio honored Strich at the Annual Stella by Starlight Gala launching a scholarship fund in her name and renaming a studio the “Elaine Stritch Rehearsal Studio” showcasing six decades of her personal memorabilia on the walls of the studio.