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When did I first notice Kathleen Freeman? At least 20 years ago, the first time I saw The Blues Brothers. She was an old nun, but you know what? I recognized her in that having seen her before! She made four films with Cary Grant: Dream Wife (1953), Houseboat (1958), Kiss Them for Me (1957) and Monkey Business (1952). That could be it. She made six films with Harry Morgan and 11 with Jerry Lewis. Most recently she did a voice in Shrek (2001) and had a bit in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) with Eddie Murphy. She's just one of those capable character people that you've seen so many times. She died. Character actress NEW YORK (Variety) - Kathleen Freeman, the Tony-nominated star of the current Broadway musical "The Full Monty," died Thursday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City of lung cancer. She was 78. The longtime character actress gave her final performances Saturday, doing two shows at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. Her comic turn as a rehearsal pianist in "Monty" not only nabbed the actress her first Tony Award nomination, it epitomized the wisecracking, no-nonsense, eternally perturbed persona she polished over a 50-year career in film, TV and onstage. As piano-player Jeanette Burmeister, she always brought down the house with her line, "If you want to be in show business, you should be spayed first." Born in Chicago, Freeman made her stage debut at the age of 2 when she appeared with her parents in vaudeville. The family later moved to Los Angeles, and she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. A founding member of the Circle Players, and later a director, producer and actor in the Players Ring and Gallery theaters, Freeman also appeared in 70 feature films, including... Shrek (2001) (voice) For her film work, she may best be remembered as a stone-faced foil to Jerry Lewis as she played a blue-collar Margaret Dumont to his juvenile Groucho Marx in 10 of the comic's movies. Freeman appeared on hundreds of TV shows, from "Topper" and "The Donna Reed Show" to "Murphy Brown" and "Becker." Prior to Broadway, the actress costarred in the national companies of "Deathtrap," "Annie" and "Woman of the Year." She is survived by her best friend, Helen Ramsey. Memorial services are being planned in L.A. and New York. My good friend Ashley said: "She is survived by her best friend, Helen Ramsey... what the fuck does that mean?" To which, I suggested that it might mean that Kathleen Freeman was a lesbian. Several months after writing this obit, I received this email: "To whom it may concern, As executor for the estate of Kathleen Freeman and a freind as well, it would have made her crazy to read that she was considered a lesbian because she had a housekeeper friend who, along with a huge family of friends, is considered her survivor. As one of the many unmarried women who had no mate, she would be the first to acknowledge that she loved men but could not hold one. She would also say, 'Rats'!!! J.A. Wallace." No offense had been meant; I have always liked character players, and Ms. Freeman was a very good one. A good obit from The Guardian.
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