Charlotte Rae
Acting
Born: April 22, 1926 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Died: August 5, 2018 (aged 92)
Highest Rated
Biography
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American actress and singer. On screen, Rae was best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and its spin-off, The Facts of Life. She was born to Russian Jewish immigrants Esther (née Ottenstein), who was a childhood friend of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, and Meyer Lubotsky, a retail tire business owner. She was one of three sisters, along with Miriam and the late Beverly (December 21, 1921 – June 2, 1998). She graduated from Shorewood High School in 1944. For the first ten years or so of her life, Rae's family lived in Milwaukee, then moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin. She did radio work and was with the Wauwatosa Children's Theatre. At 16, she was an apprentice with the Port Players, a professional theater company that came for the summer to Milwaukee, with several established actors such as Morton DaCosta, who would eventually direct The Music Man on Broadway. Rae attended Northwestern University, although she did not complete her studies, where she met Cloris Leachman, who many years later succeeded Rae on The Facts of Life for the show's last two seasons. At Northwestern she met several unknown stars and producers, including Agnes Nixon, Charlton Heston, Paul Lynde, Gerald Freedman, Claude Akins and songwriter Sheldon Harnick. When a radio personality told her that her last name wouldn't do, she dropped it, to her father's chagrin. She moved to New York City in 1948, where she performed in the theater and nightclubs. During her early years in New York, she worked at the Village Vanguard (alongside up-and-coming talents such as singer Richard Dyer-Bennet) and at the posh Blue Angel, home to budding talents Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols and Elaine May. She moved to Los Angeles in 1974.
Known for
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
2008
Pretty Little Liars
2010
ER
1994
Bananas
1971
Hair
1979
Ricki and the Flash
2015
The King of Queens
1998
Girl Meets World
2014
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
1992
Murder, She Wrote
1984
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
Life
2007
Photos (5)
Movies (36)
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Mrs. Greenhouse
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
Aunt Figg (voice)
Nowhere
Fortune Teller
The Worst Witch
Miss Cackle / Agatha
Hair
Lady in Pink
Ricki and the Flash
Oma
Bananas
Mrs. Ruth Mellish
The Hot Rock
Ma Murch
The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas!
Mrs. Caruthers (voice)
Beane's of Boston
Mae Slocombe
Christmas Cottage
Vesta
Hello Down There
Myrtle Ruth
The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
1985
Sidewinder 1
Mrs. Holt
In Fashion
Madame Aigreville
101 Dalmatians Christmas
Nanny
Rabbit Test
Cousin Claire
Thunder in Paradise
Lola Miller
The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
Bessie
Noah's Ark
Noah's Wife / Additional Voices (voice)
Pinocchio
Rosa Whale
The Love Song of Barney Kempinski
Woman in Window
Words by Heart
Mary Tom Chism
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
Helen
The World of Sholom Aleichem
The Angel Rochele
A Different Approach
1978
Jenny
Bella Star
Our Town
Mrs. Soames
Another Woman's Husband
Stella
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
Edna Garrett
"Waiting for Godot" Intercut with “Krazy Kat”
Krazy Kat
Save the Dog!
1988
The Huffless, Puffless, Dragon
1964
The Facts of Life Reunion
Mrs. Edna Garrett
The Journey of the Fifth Horse
Terentievna
Love Sick Love
Edna
TV Shows (47)
The Love Boat
1 eps
The Love Boat
Ellen van Bowe · 2 eps
The King of Queens
Betty · 1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
Nettie Harper · 1 eps
Diagnosis: Murder
Estelle · 1 eps
ER
Roxanne Gaines · 4 eps
Girl Meets World
Gammy Hart · 1 eps
Pretty Little Liars
Bead Boutique Owner · 1 eps
Great Performances
Madame Aigreville · 1 eps
Strong Medicine
Maude · 1 eps
The Facts of Life
Edna Garrett · 153 eps
St. Elsewhere
Proud Mary · 1 eps
Love, American Style
1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
1 eps
The Partridge Family
Dr. Beecher · 1 eps
Barney Miller
Mrs. Rebecca Sobel · 1 eps
All in the Family
Lillian Henderson · 1 eps
The Defenders
Mrs. Abeles · 1 eps
Life
Mary Ford · 1 eps
101 Dalmatians Series
105 eps
101 Dalmatians Series
Nanny (voice) · 1 eps
The Wonderful World of Disney
1 eps
McMillan & Wife
1 eps
NET Playhouse
Terentievna · 1 eps
The Secret World of Alex Mack
1 eps
227
1 eps
Good Times
1 eps
Family
1 eps
The United States Steel Hour
1 eps
The Brothers Flub
Tarara Boomdeeyay (voice) · 52 eps
Play of the Week
1 eps
Flying High
1 eps
Can't Hurry Love
Helen · 1 eps
Temperatures Rising
Mrs. Moscowitz · 1 eps
Hello, Larry
Edna Garrett · 3 eps
The DuPont Show of the Week
Mona Brinkman · 1 eps
Thunder in Paradise
1 eps
The Paul Lynde Show
Charlotte · 2 eps
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Adrienne · 13 eps
All's Fair
1 eps
Diff'rent Strokes
Edna Garrett · 51 eps
E! True Hollywood Story
2 eps
Hot l Baltimore
13 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1 eps
Way Out
1 eps
Sisters
3 eps
Baby Talk
1 eps
