Carol Arthur

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.

Carol Arthur
Born
Carol Arata

(1935-08-04)August 4, 1935
DiedNovember 1, 2020(2020-11-01) (aged 85)
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1961–2004
Spouse(s)
(m. 1965; died 2009)
ChildrenPeter DeLuise
Michael DeLuise
David DeLuise

Early life and career

Arthur was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the daughter of Mildred (née Foehl) and Peter Arata, a police officer.[1][2] She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school paper and performed on stage.[3]

Arthur often appeared in minor roles in the films of Mel Brooks and other works which her husband was also featured in, including as the outspoken town school teacher Harriett Johnson ("You are the leading asshole in the state!") in Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Although her film appearances frequently coincided with those of DeLuise, one of her more notable credits was the daughter of George Burns' character in The Sunshine Boys. Arthur 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.

Personal life

Arthur met her husband Dom DeLuise in 1964 while working in various stage theaters in Provincetown, Massachusetts.[4] The couple married in 1965, together they had three sons, all of whom have become actors: Peter, Michael, and David DeLuise.[4][5]

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 prior.[6]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1971Making ItMrs. Warren
1974Blazing SaddlesHarriett Johnson
1974Our TimeGym Teacher
1975The Sunshine BoysDoris Green
1976Silent MoviePregnant lady
1977The World's Greatest LoverWoman in record store
1979Hot StuffErnie's wife
1989The Princess and the Dwarf
1991Driving Me CrazyJaguar boss
1992Almost PregnantSaleswomanas 'Carol DeLuise'
1993Robin Hood: Men in TightsComplaining Villager
1995Dracula: Dead and Loving ItVillager
1997The Good Bad GuyLiza
1998The GodsonMama Calzone
2000IntrepidMarcia Lowell
2002It's All About YouProducer
2003Between the SheetsGabby

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1971ArnieChristinaEpisode: "My Sister's Keeper"
1974Emergency!Eloise TannerEpisode: "Fools"
1975KarenBeverly BlydenEpisode: "Hartford Revisited"
1976Sanford and SonMs. BarnesEpisode: "The Camping Trip"
1977The McLean Stevenson ShowMrs. AlcottEpisode: "What Makes Mac Run?"
RhodaDorisEpisode: "To Vegas with Love"
1978What's Happening!!Mrs. LawrenceEpisode: "The Creep Detective"
1981The Brady Girls Get MarriedMrs. LoganTV movie
1983AliceThe Bag LadyEpisode: "Vera on the Lam"
Venice MedicalMrs. BakerTV movie
HappyFloor manager
1984St. ElsewhereMrs. StovallEpisode: "Sweet Dreams"
1985Amazing StoriesMotherEpisode: "Guilt Trip"
1990True ColorsEpisode: "Soft Shell"
Lifestories Episode: "Jerry Forchette"
1999Boys Will Be BoysBlancheTV movie
20047th HeavenGertrude FleamingEpisode: "Two Weddings, an Engagement and a Funeral"
(final appearance)

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1961Kicks and Co.Ensemble
1963On the TownPerformerLondon Revival
1964High SpiritsEdithOriginal Broadway Production
1980The Music ManMrs. ParooBroadway Revival
1981Woman of the YearJan DonovanOriginal Broadway Production

References

  1. O'Donnell, M. (1984). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. 1. Gale. ISSN 0749-064X. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  2. Attrino, Anthony G. "N.J.'s Carol Arthur Deluise, widow of Dom Deluise, dies in California after long illness", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 5, 2020. Accessed 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."
  3. "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."
  4. McLellan, Dennis (May 6, 2009). "Dom DeLuise dies at 75; actor was a 'naturally funny man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  5. Grimes, William (May 5, 2009). "Dom DeLuise, Comic Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  6. 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.


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