Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American actress and singer. On screen, Rae was best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and its spin-off, The Facts of Life.
She was born to Russian Jewish immigrants Esther (née Ottenstein), who was a childhood friend of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, and Meyer Lubotsky, a retail tire business owner. She was one of three sisters, along with Miriam and the late Beverly (December 21, 1921 – June 2, 1998).
She graduated from Shorewood High School in 1944. For the first ten years or so of her life, Rae's family lived in Milwaukee, then moved to Shorewood, Wisconsin. She did radio work and was with the Wauwatosa Children's Theatre. At 16, she was an apprentice with the Port Players, a professional theater company that came for the summer to Milwaukee, with several established actors such as Morton DaCosta, who would eventually direct The Music Man on Broadway.
Rae attended Northwestern University, although she did not complete her studies, where she met Cloris Leachman, who many years later succeeded Rae on The Facts of Life for the show's last two seasons. At Northwestern she met several unknown stars and producers, including Agnes Nixon, Charlton Heston, Paul Lynde, Gerald Freedman, Claude Akins and songwriter Sheldon Harnick. When a radio personality told her that her last name wouldn't do, she dropped it, to her father's chagrin. She moved to New York City in 1948, where she performed in the theater and nightclubs. During her early years in New York, she worked at the Village Vanguard (alongside up-and-coming talents such as singer Richard Dyer-Bennet) and at the posh Blue Angel, home to budding talents Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols and Elaine May. She moved to Los Angeles in 1974.
Known for
Murder, She Wrote
Nettie Harper
ER
Roxanne Gaines
Pretty Little Liars
Bead boutique owner
The King of Queens
Betty
The Love Boat
The Love Boat
Ellen van Bowe
Diagnosis: Murder
Estelle
Great Performances
Madame Aigreville
Strong Medicine
Maude
Love, American Style
Barney Miller
Mrs. Rebecca Sobel
St. Elsewhere
Proud Mary
The Facts of Life
Edna Garrett
The Philco Television Playhouse
Life
Mary Ford
The Defenders
Mrs. Abeles
Intimate Portrait
Self
101 Dalmatians: The Series
101 Dalmatians: The Series
Nanny (voice)
Girl Meets World
Gammy Hart
All in the Family
Lillian Henderson
227
The Wonderful World of Disney
Good Times
The Partridge Family
Dr. Beecher
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Mrs. Greenhouse
Rabbit Test
Cousin Claire
McMillan & Wife
Family
Thunder in Paradise
Lola Miller
The United States Steel Hour
The Facts of Life Reunion
Mrs. Edna Garrett
All's Fair
Temperatures Rising
Mrs. Moscowitz
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Hello, Larry
Edna Garrett
Al Lewis: Forever Grandpa
Self
Flying High
Hair
Lady in Pink
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
Aunt Figg (voice)
Play of the Week
Nowhere
Fortune Teller
The Paul Lynde Show
Charlotte
Thunder in Paradise
Can't Hurry Love
Helen
The Huffless, Puffless, Dragon
Queen of the Stardust Ballroom
Helen
The Brothers Flub
Tarara Boomdeeyay (voice)
Appointment with Adventure
The Hot Rock
Ma Murch
Bananas
Mrs. Ruth Mellish
Night of 100 Stars
Self
WonderWorks
Mary Tom Chism
Hallmark Hall of Fame
The DuPont Show of the Week
Mona Brinkman
E! True Hollywood Story
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Adrienne
Sidewinder 1
Mrs. Holt
Diff'rent Strokes
Edna Garrett
Christmas Cottage
Vesta
Ricki and the Flash
Oma
Words by Heart
Mary Tom Chism
Hot l Baltimore
101 Dalmatians Christmas
Nanny
Szysznyk
Way Out
The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas!
Mrs. Caruthers (voice)
Jenny
Bella Star
The Worst Witch
Miss Cackle / Agatha
Noah's Ark
Noah's Wife / Additional Voices (voice)
Hello Down There
Myrtle Ruth
Night of 100 Stars II
Self
The Rich Little Show
A Different Approach
In Fashion
Madame Aigreville
"Waiting for Godot" Intercut with “Krazy Kat”
Krazy Kat
Pinocchio
Rosa Whale
The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
Sisters
Our Town
Mrs. Soames
Another Woman's Husband
Stella
The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
Bessie
Beane's of Boston
Mae Slocombe
She's The Best Thing in It
Self
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
Edna Garrett
Beane's of Boston
Mae Slocombe
Save the Dog!
The Love Song of Barney Kempinski
Woman in Window
The Journey of the Fifth Horse
Terentievna
Baby Talk
Love Sick Love
Edna
The World of Sholom Aleichem
The Angel Rochele
The Bob Hope Show
Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self