Kay Medford: Broadway and Film Character Actress
Kay Medford (September 14, 1916 – April 10, 1980) was an American actress and singer. She earned Tony and Academy Award nominations for her role as Rose Brice in the musical Funny Girl and its 1968 film adaptation.
Early Life and Education
Born Margaret Kathleen Regan in 1916, Medford’s mother had been an actress with a Shakespearean stock group in Connecticut. Orphaned during her teens, she adopted the professional name Kay Medford and began her career after graduating from high school, initially working as a nightclub waitress while seeking acting roles.
Career and Achievements
Medford’s early professional work included performing at summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains and touring with a nightclub routine featuring impersonations of Hollywood celebrities in 1949. She made her Broadway debut in 1951 in Paint Your Wagon and was cast as the original Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, earning excellent reviews. Her film debut came in the Warner Bros. rock and roll picture Jamboree (1957), the same year she appeared in A Face in the Crowd.
After appearing in Carousel, Medford took on the role of Fanny Brice’s mother in the Broadway production of Funny Girl opposite Barbra Streisand. She reprised this role in the 1968 film adaptation, which became her most recognized work. Her television career included regular roles on To Rome with Love as Harriet Endicott, That’s Life as Gloria’s mother, and On Our Own as Maria’s mother, along with appearances on The Dean Martin Show and guest spots on series including Decoy, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Partridge Family, and Barney Miller.
Her film credits spanned three decades and included The Rat Race (1960), BUtterfield 8 (1960), Girl of the Night (1960), Ensign Pulver (1964), A Fine Madness (1966), The Busy Body (1967), Angel in My Pocket (1969), Twinky (1969), But I Don’t Want to Get Married! (1970), Fire Sale (1977), and Windows (1980).
Notable Events and Milestones
A multi-page portrait in the March 10, 1942, issue of Look magazine brought Medford to national attention. The feature led to her being noticed by columnist Whitney Bolton and MGM producer Mervyn LeRoy, who signed her to a personal contract and oversaw her training and preparation before she relocated to Los Angeles. In the summer of 1970, she appeared at Denver’s Elitch Theatre in Light Up the Sky alongside Kitty Carlisle. Her final screen performance was a guest appearance on Barney Miller in the episode “Dietrich’s Arrest,” which aired on March 6, 1980.
Awards and Honors
Medford received a Tony Award nomination in 1964 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Funny Girl on Broadway. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1968 film adaptation of Funny Girl.
Additional Resources
Medford never married and had no children. She died of cancer in New York City on April 10, 1980, at age 63. Readers seeking more detailed information about her career and life can consult Wikipedia and other biographical archives that document her contributions to stage and screen.
Observer Voice is the one stop site for National, International news, Sports, Editor’s Choice, Art/culture contents, Quotes and much more. We also cover historical contents. Historical contents includes World History, Indian History, and what happened today. The website also covers Entertainment across the India and World.
