Viola Harris
Viola Harris (née Sainer; July 5, 1920 – August 23, 2017) was an American actress known for roles in television, theater, and film from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Viola Harris
- Name
- Viola Harris
- Born
- 5 July 1920
- Birthplace
- Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
- Died
- 23 August 2017
- Place of death
- New York City, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actress
- Spouse
- Robert H.
- Nationality
- United States
- Education
- Hunter College · Northwestern University
- Languages
- English
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Viola Harris • Born — 5 July 1920 • Birthplace — Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. • Died — 23 August 2017 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1953–2017 • Spouse — Robert H. Harris (19??-1981; his death) • Children — 1
Early years
Early years
Harris's father, A. L. Sainer, was an attorney in New York who also operated the Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, Maine.
Career
Career
Harris appeared in a number of films including Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry in 1997, Choke in 2008, The Other Guys in 2010, and Sex and the City 2 in 2010. In 2010, she starred in the short film, The Secret Friend, directed by Flavio Alves. Harris received positive reviews for her role in the film. Phil Hall of Film Threat, who gave the film a positive score for example, argued that Harris "truly deserves to be in the center of the spotlight." On stage, Harris worked in summer stock theatre for a number of years. She also was a standby for the Broadway production of Zelda (1969).
Family
Family
She was married to actor Robert H. Harris until his death in 1981 at 70. They had one son, Steven Lee Harris, who passed away in 2021, and a daughter, Sunny Dee.
Death
Death
Harris died August 23, 2017, in New York City at age 97. She was interred at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, New Jersey. Her funeral was held at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel in New York, New York, where she was a member.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1958 — High School Hellcats — Linda Martin • 1958 — The Lost Missile • 1962 — Don't Knock the Twist — Helen - the Fashion Editor — Uncredited • 1965 — The Slender Thread — Telephone Supervisor • 1968 — Funny Girl — First Nighter — Uncredited • 1975 — Whiffs — Miss Zonen • 1977 — Fire Sale — Helen • 1978 — Good Guys Wear Black — Airline Ticket Agent • 1989 — That's Adequate — Carlotta Duprez • 1997 — Deconstructing Harry — Elsie • 1998 — Sour Grapes — Selma Maxwell • 2002 — Crooks — Mrs. Tobleroni • 2004 — The Amazing Floydini — Ida • 2007 — Noise — Elderly Woman • 2008 — Choke — Eva Muller • 2010 — Sex and the City 2 — Gloria Blatch • 2010 — The Other Guys — Mama Ramos • 2016 — My Dead Boyfriend — Ms. Schulz
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1961 — Rawhide — Mrs. Besson — S3:E21, "Incident of His Brother's Keeper"
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Viola Harris, revision 1374525191 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- Hunter CollegeOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 04 October 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
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