Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life
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"All we have is today. Just live it. We don't know about tomorrow. So, enjoy the day. Love yourself, and spread love around." Charlotte Rae broke into the entertainment industry in 1952. Over the following 50+ years, Rae would become icon known as much for her work on camera as her work off of it. While Rae is most well-known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, she has appeared in 93 total projects throughout her career.
Rae had a prolific career that spanned from film and television to video games, stage performances, and even work as a published author. After passing away in August of 2018, now is a great time to revisit the historic career of one of America's finest character actresses.
Raised in Wisconsin
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky was born on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee, WI. Her parents were Esther and Meyer Lubotsky. Meyer operated his own business where he sold tires. Esther was close childhood friends with the Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir. Rae had two sisters, Beverly and Miriam, where she was the middle of the bunch.
Rae lived for ten years in a small apartment above her father's tire store in Milwaukee. When 1936 rolled around, Rae and the family moved to Shorewood, WI, so that they could get a larger home. Rae would attend Shorewood High School until graduation in 1944. After graduating from high school, Rae would start work at the Wauwatosa Children's Theatre where she performed on the radio. At 16-years-old, Rae would gain an apprenticeship role at the Port Players theater company in Milwaukee.
After leaving home, Rae would attend Northwestern University. It was there that she met Cloris Leachman, a longtime friend, and former actress. Rae would drop out of Northwestern University after meeting many future stars, including Charlton Heston, Gerald Freedman, and Paul Lynde. After leaving school, Rae would move to New York City in order to perform in theater. At the beginning of her career, Rae only wanted to work on serious projects. She admitted that she would never see herself working in comedy.
Rae also spent time working at the Village Vanguard where she would work with Barbra Streisand, Elaine May, and Mike Nichols. Eventually, Rae would make the move to Los Angeles in 1974.
Understanding The Facts of Life
Before Rae made her move to Los Angeles, she had worked to establish herself as a regular performer on television. She made her debut performance on the television show, Look Up and Live (1954). Rae would follow that role up with numerous appearances on variety shows like The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Phil Silvers Show, Armstrong Circle Theatre, and The Philco Television Playhouse.
Up to this point in her career, Rae was still more well-known for her work on Broadway. In 1952, she had gained a major role in the musical comedy, Three Wishes for Jamie. She would also appear in other Broadway projects such as Lil Abner and Threepenny Opera. In 1955, Rae would drop an album filled with comedic tracks titled, Songs I Taught My Mother.
In 1961, Rae would make her big break on television with a starring role on Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). Rae portrayed the wife of Leo Schnauzer, a police officer played by Al Lewis. Rae would appear in 11 episodes on the program over a span of nearly two years. Still, Rae couldn't find the right television role, and she would head back to Broadway in order to perform in Pickwick (1965). Rae would land a Tony Award nomination for her work on Pickwick.
In 1971, Rae would land a regular role on Sesame Street as Molly the Mail Lady. She would take that success and run with it straight into roles on The Partridge Family (1972) and Hot I Baltimore (1975). In 1978, Rae's life would turn on its head when she landed a starring role in Diff'rent Strokes (1978), one of the most celebrated television programs of all time. Rae would steal the show as Edna Garret and, as a result, earn her own role in the spin-off show, Facts of Life (1979). Rae would reprise the role of Edna on The Facts of Life from 1979 until 1986, appearing in 155 episodes in total. Rae would end up nominated for a Primetime Emmy due to her work on the show. Rae would come back as the character once again for the reunion TV movie, The Facts of Life Reunion (2001). Rae would also join the cast in 2007 during the TV Land Awards in order to sing the theme song of the show on stage.
Rae continued to work as an actor up until she could no longer physically do the work. She voiced a character in the hit video game Red Dead Redemption in (2010) before landing a supporting role in Ricki and the Flash (2015). Ricki and the Flash would be the final project that Rae worked on during her career before finally retiring due to age and health concerns. The film also starred Kevin Kline, Rick Springfield, and Meryl Streep.
Charlotte Rae had married John Strauss in 1951. The two stayed together until divorcing in 1976 following Strauss's coming out as bisexual. Strauss and Rae would share two children together before he eventually passed away in 2011. Rae would spend time away from film in support of Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that had become important to her over the years. Rae would pass away in her home on August 5, 2018, at the age of 92 from complications relating to bone cancer, which she was diagnosed with at the ripe old age of 91.
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