Sheila Margaret MacRae (née Stephens; 24 September 1921 - 6 March 2014)[1] was an English-born American actress, singer, and dancer.
Career
MacRae appeared in such films as Caged (1950), Backfire (1950), and Sex and the Single Girl (1964). On television, MacRae played herself in an episode of I Love Lucy, "The Fashion Show", in which she asks Lucy to participate in a Hollywood fashion show organized by Don Loper and featuring actors' wives as models.
In her first continuing role on television,[2] between 1966 and 1970, MacRae played Alice Kramden on 52 episodes of The Jackie Gleason Show, taking over the role from Audrey Meadows. She went on to have her own short-lived television series (The Sheila MacRae Show), and to play Madelyn Richmond in 1991 on the long-running soap opera General Hospital.
Personal life
MacRae between 1960 and 1970
Sheila Margaret Stephens was born in London in 1921,[1] but evacuated with her parents to Long Island, New York in 1939, shortly before the onset of World War II. She finished high school when she was 15.[3]
She married actor and singer Gordon MacRae in 1941; the couple divorced in 1967. They often appeared on the stage together in musicals such as Bells Are Ringing (in a 1964 production), and Guys and Dolls (as Miss Adelaide, a character that she took to Broadway in the 1965 revival).[1] They were the parents of two daughters, actresses Heather and Meredith MacRae, and two sons, William Gordon MacRae and Robert Bruce MacRae. One of Sheila's four children, Meredith, predeceased her.[4]
She later married Ronald Wayne, a television producer.[3]
MacRae became a naturalized United States citizen on 20 March 1959 in California.[5]
Death
MacRae, a devout Christian Scientist, died suddenly on 6 March 2014, in Englewood, New Jersey, aged 92,[1] at the Lillian Booth Actor's Home. She had suffered from dementia, but was otherwise in good health and had been hospitalized for a minor surgical procedure, when her death came suddenly from natural causes, said her daughter, Heather. She was soon cremated.[4]
Fred J. Scollay (March 19, 1923 - November 3, 2015) was an American character actor with dozens of credits in daytime and primetime television, as well as film and stage work
Early years and military service
Scollay was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts,[1] and was "one of four orphaned Scollays."[2] He was raised by Mr. and Mrs. James Murphy of Boston, Massachusetts. He studied acting at Emerson College and at Bishop-Lee Dramatic School.[2]
Scollay was in the United States Navy during World War II,[1] serving as an aviator machinist mate.[2]
Television, film and stage
On daytime TV, Scollay was an original cast member of The Doctors, playing hospital chaplain Rev. Sam Shafer (1963-1964). From 1970 to 1971, he appeared on Somerset (TV series) as Harry Wilson (aka Ike Harding). On Another World (1977-1980), he played Charley Hobson, the last husband of Ada Hobson (Constance Ford). He also had smaller roles on several other soap operas.
In primetime, Scollay had roles dating back to the earliest days of television. He made numerous appearances in such programs as Studio One, Kraft Television Theatre, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Naked City, The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, and Gunsmoke, among many others. His last part was a recurring role as a judge on several episodes of Law & Order (1991-1996).
Scollay's work in motion pictures included A View from the Bridge, Odds Against Tomorrow, and Stage Struck.[2]
Scollay's Broadway credits include The Devil's Advocate.[3]
Death
Fred J. Scollay died on November 3, 2015, in Hobe Sound, Florida. His wife, Ann, predeceased him.[1]