Carol Arthur

Carol Arthur DeLuise[1] (born 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
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 2020(2020-11-01) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1961–2004
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1965; died 2009)​
ChildrenPeter DeLuise
Michael DeLuise
David DeLuise

Early life

Arthur was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in nearby East Rutherford, the daughter of Mildred (née Foehl) and Peter Arata, a police officer.[2][3] She graduated from East Rutherford High School, where she edited the school paper and performed on stage.[4]

Career

Arthur appeared in minor roles in four films directed by Mel Brooks and in other works with her husband, Dom DeLuise, including Brooks' Blazing Saddles (1974) as the outspoken town school teacher Harriett Johnson ("You are the leading asshole in the state!").

One of her more notable credits was as the daughter of George Burns' character in The Sunshine Boys (1975). She 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.

Arthur also appeared in various stage productions, including the role of Mrs. Paroo in the short-lived 1980 Broadway revival of The Music Man starring Dick Van Dyke.[5][3]

Personal life

Arthur met her future husband, DeLuise, in 1964 while working on stage in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The couple married in 1965; together they had three sons, all of whom have become actors: Peter, Michael, and David DeLuise.[6][7]

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 earlier. She was survived by her three sons and several grandchildren.[5]

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"

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. "Actor Carol Arthur DeLuise, Widow of Dom DeLuise, Dies at 85". Associated Press. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  2. O'Donnell, Monica M. (1984). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 1. Gale. ISBN 978-0-8103-2064-2. ISSN 0749-064X. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  3. Attrino, Anthony G. (November 5, 2020). "N.J.'s Carol Arthur Deluise, widow of Dom Deluise, dies in California after long illness". The Star-Ledger. Newark. Retrieved 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.
  4. "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."
  5. 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.
  6. McLellan, Dennis (May 6, 2009). "Dom DeLuise dies at 75; actor was a 'naturally funny man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  7. Grimes, William (May 5, 2009). "Dom DeLuise, Comic Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2017.


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