“Holliday” is a free translation of the Hebrew word Tuvium. At 4 Judy was taking ballet lessons, and upon graduation from high school she studied at Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater. “Born Yesterday,” was her first major role and she got it in the classical manner. Search Obituaries & Guest Books on Legacy.com, Honor a loved one, place an obituary notice, Bob Biggs, founder of iconic L.A. independent label Slash Records, dies at 74. She was then cast as a last-minute replacement for ailing star Jean Arthur in Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday and memorized the difficult role of dim-witted ex-chorine Billy Dawn in three days. In her last film (1960), Holliday re-created her stage role in Bells Are Ringing. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Actress. She was 43. Obtaining a release from her movie contract, Holliday made her Broadway debut in Kiss Them for Me (1945), receiving praise for her supporting performance as a wistful prostitute. Fred Dean, fearsome pass rusher of 49ers’ dynasty, dies battling COVID-19. Rhonda Fleming, an actress and singer who starred opposite such leading men as Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and Ronald Reagan, has died at 97. Former Arco CEO Lodwrick Cook, who staged one of the zaniest charity telethons in history to rebuild L.A.'s Central Library, has died at 92. James A. Johnson, who chaired Mondale’s presidential bid and led Fannie Mae, dies. View Full Article in Timesmachine », See the article in its original context from. Cradle to grave, Hector Albert Padilla, who passed last week at age 90, was a fixture on the L.A. football scene and the lives of the players he coached. Nevertheless, Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, was reluctant to star the actress in his film version of the play. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Judy-Holliday, Turner Classic Movies - Biography of Judy Holliday, Judy Holliday - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Golden Age actress and singer Rhonda Fleming has died at 97. Judy Holliday, whose portrayal of a junk dealer's doxy in "Born Yesterday" created a new kind of beautiful-but-dumb blonde, died of cancer yesterday. Called the Revuers, the troupe (which included Betty Comden and Adolph Green) began performing at cafés and cabarets in New York City and later in Los Angeles and on radio. Spencer Davis, ‘Gimme Some Lovin” rock star, dead at 81, With Steve Winwood as lead vocalist, the Spencer Davis Group had two No. James Redford, a filmmaker, activist and son of actor Robert Redford, has died of liver cancer at the age of 58. She returned to Broadway in November 1956, where her old colleagues Comden and Green had tailored for her the female lead in the musical Bells Are Ringing, for which she won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical. Judy Holliday, 42, Is Dead of Cancer; Judy Holliday, Actress, Is Dead of Cancer at 42. Holliday went on to make a handful of delightful film comedies, including The Marrying Kind (1952), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), and Full of Life (1956). He was hospitalized last week with the coronavirus. Judy Holliday, original name Judith Tuvim, (born June 21, 1921, New York, New York, U.S.—died June 7, 1965, New York City), American actress noted for her distinctive voice and her warm, intelligent portrayal of funny and endearing “dumb blondes” onstage and in film. After working briefly as a switchboard operator for Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre ensemble, she joined with several friends to form a comedy sketch troupe in 1939. Born Judith Tuvim in New York City, the only child of Russian Jewish immigrants, she graduated from high school in 1938, first in her class, and proceeded to a job as a telephone operator at Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. She played farces on the Eastern Seaboard’s borscht circuit and then more of the same at the Village Vanguard, a New York night club. Judy Holliday, who won an Oscar and a niche in theatrical history for her performance as the junk dealer’s squeaky-voiced girl friend in “Born Yesterday,” died Monday of cancer. In her passing the world has lost a great, a beautiful talent, and those who knew her have lost and irreplaceable friend.”. Born June 21, 1921, she was the daughter of Abraham and Helen Tuvim. She was 42 years old. She had lent her name and made contributions to leftist causes. . Dean, who helped San Francisco win two Super Bowls, was 68. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.