Jane Connell

• Name — Jane Connell • Birth Name — Jane Sperry Bennett • Born — 27 October 1925 • Birthplace — Berkeley, California, U.S. • Died — 22 September 2013 • Place of death — Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. • Occupation — Actress, singer • Children — 2

Connell was born in Berkeley, California, to Louis Wesley and Mary (née Sperry) Bennett. She majored in drama at the University of California, Berkeley where she met her future husband.

• Illustration — Connell as Hepzibah with Cesar Romero in Bewitched, 1970 Connell began her career with her husband Gordon, entertaining in San Francisco night clubs such as The Purple Onion and the Hungry I. Eventually the couple moved to New York City, where Connell made her Off-Broadway debut in the 1955 revival of The Threepenny Opera, a long-running hit at the Theatre de Lys. In the London production of Once Upon a Mattress, Connell starred as Winifred, the role that Carol Burnett had originated in New York. Her Broadway debut came in the role of Mrs. Peachum in Threepenny Opera (1955). Connell's most prominent success came in 1966 when she was cast as Agnes Gooch in the original Broadway production of Jerry Herman's Mame. She recreated the role in the 1974 screen adaptation after Lucille Ball, the film's star, became dissatisfied with Madeline Kahn, who originally had been signed to play Gooch. Only four-foot-eleven, Connell was described as a master of the large comic gesture in The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, which described her as "a tiny woman with a giant, squeaking voice". Connell was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Me and My Girl (1986). Additional Broadway credits include New Faces of 1956 (1956); Drat! The Cat! (1965); Dear World (1969), once again supporting Angela Lansbury; the short-lived 1983 revival of Mame, in which Lansbury reprised her 1966 lead role; Lend Me a Tenor (1989); Crazy for You (1992); and Moon Over Buffalo (1995), starring Carol Burnett; The Full Monty (2000), succeeding Kathleen Freeman, who died during her run in the show, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2001). Jane and Gordon Connell enjoyed extensive theatre careers. They appeared together on Broadway in Lysistrata (November 1972), starring Melina Mercouri in the title role. She appeared in New York City Center Encores! production of Call Me Madam (February 1995), and the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall concert presentation of Noël Coward's Sail Away (November 1999). Jane Connell's film roles included Ladybug Ladybug (1963), Trilogy (1969), Kotch (1971), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), House Calls (1978), Rabbit Test (1978), Robot in the Family (1994) and Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995). Her decades of television work included six appearances on Bewitched, where she variously played Mother Goose, Martha Washington, Queen Hepzibah and, in a memorable turn as Queen Victoria, often uttered the phrase "We are not amused." She also appeared on Green Acres, All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Love, American Style, M*A*S*H, Maude, Good Times, Law & Order and many more. Connell portrayed Jane in the comedy series Stanley (1956). She was a regular on the children's series Mr. Mayor (1964) and the situation comedy The Dumplings. From 1991 to 1994, she had the recurring role of social worker Roberta Domedian on the sitcom Big Brother Jake.

She married Gordon Connell, an actor and musician, in 1948. They remained married until her death in 2013. The couple had two daughters.

Jane Connell died on September 22, 2013, aged 87, at the Lillian Booth Actors Home of the Actors Fund in Englewood, New Jersey from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her husband (who died in 2016) and two daughters, Melissa and Maggie.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1963 — Ladybug Ladybug — Mrs. Maxton • 1969 — Trilogy — Mrs. Connolly • 1971 — Kotch — Miss Roberts • 1974 — Mame — Agnes Gooch • 1976 — Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood — Waitress • 1977 — The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa — Ida Griffith • 1978 — House Calls — Mrs. Conway • Rabbit Test — Anthropologist • 1980 — Getting There — Grandma • 1989 — See No Evil, Hear No Evil — Woman • 1994 — Robot in the Family — Mrs. Miller • 1995 — Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde — Aunt Agatha

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1956–1957 — Stanley — Jane/Mary/Ruth — 9 episodes • 1960–1961 — Play of the Week — Baby Doll Dalls — 2 episodes • 1963 — The Patty Duke Show — Mrs. Coglan — Episode: The Conquering Hero • 1967–1972 — Bewitched — Martha/Hepzibah/Mother Goose — 6 episodes • 1970 — The Mary Tyler Moore Show — Karen Norris — Episode: Divorce Isn't Everything • 1971 — That Girl — Laura — Episode: Chef's Night Out • 1971 — Green Acres — Woman/Clara Burton — 3 episodes • 1972 — Love, American Style — Rita Baker/Sadie — 2 episodes • 1974–1976 — ABC Afterschool Specials — Aunt Peggy/Duenna — 2 episodes • 1976 — The Dumplings — Bridget McKenna — 10 episodes • 1976 — Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman — Nurse — 4 episodes • 1976 — Maude — Sally — Episode: The Game Show • 1976 — All's Fair — Mother — Episode: Happy Anniversary: Part 1 • 1977 — All In The Family — Sybil Gooley — Episode: Edith's 50th Birthday: Part 1 • 1978 — Good Times — Mrs. Flicker — Episode: Write On, Thelma • 1978 — C.P.O. Sharkey — Mrs. Holland — Episode: Captain's Right Hand Man • 1979 — Visions — Vinny — Episode: Ladies in Waiting • 1980 — M*A*S*H — Red Cross Worker Betty Halpern — Episode: Old Soldiers • 1985 — Tales from the Darkside — Grandma — Episode: Grandma's Last Wish • 1985 — Another World — Peg — 2 episodes • 1998 — Law & Order — Mrs. Hodge — Episode: Burden • 1999 — Great Performances — Mother — Episode: Crazy For You

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1956 — New Faces of 1956 — Edna/Miss Hat/Old Lady — Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway • 1959 — Pieces of Eight — Euphrosyne/Portia/Simpering — Julian Monk Theatre, Off-Broadway • 1960 — Once Upon a Mattress — Winnifred — Adelphi Theatre, West End • 1962 — Fortuna — Christina — Maidman Playhouse, Off-Broadway • 1962 — The Golden Apple — Lovey Mars — York Playhouse, Off-Broadway • 1965 — Drat! The Cat! — Matilda Van Guilder — Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway • 1966 — Mame — Agnes Gooch — Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway • 1969 — Dear World — Gabrielle, the Madwoman of Montmartre — Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway • 1972 — Lysistrata — Gamma — Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway • 1983 — Mame — Agnes Gooch — Gershwin Theatre, Broadway • 1985 — Oh, Boy! — Aunt Penelope Budd — Carnegie Hall • 1986 — Me and My Girl — Maria — Marquis Theatre, Broadway • 1989 — Lend Me a Tenor — Julia — Royale Theatre, Broadway • 1992 — Crazy For You — Mother — Shubert Theatre, Broadway • 1995 — Call Me Madam — Grand Duchess Sophie — New York City Center, Off-Broadway • 1995 — Moon Over Buffalo — Ethel — Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway • 1999 — Sail Away — Mrs. Sweeney — Carnegie Hall • 2000 — The Student Prince — Grand Duchess Anastasia — Paper Mill Playhouse • 2001 — The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — Widow Douglas — Minskoff Theatre, Broadway • 2001 — The Full Monty — Jeanette Burmeister (Replacement) — Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway

Jane Connell was recorded at birth as Jane Sperry Bennett. The authorities additionally record the headings Jane Sperry Bennett and Jane Sperry Connell. She married Gordon Connell.