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{{short description|American actress}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Connie Sawyer
| name = Connie Sawyer
| image =
| image = Conniesawyer.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption = Sawyer, circa 1940s
| birthname = Rosie Cohen
| birth_name = Rosie Cohen
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1912|11|27}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|11|27}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|01|21|1912|11|27}}
| birth_place = [[Pueblo, Colorado]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]], Colorado, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Woodland Hills, California|Woodland Hills]], California, U.S.
| resting_place = [[Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery]]
| occupation = Film actress
| yearsactive = 1948-present}}
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1920s–2014
| spouse = Marshall Schacker
| children = 2
}}


'''Connie Sawyer''' (born '''Rosie Cohen'''; November 27, 1912 – January 21, 2018) was an American stage, film, and television actress, affectionately nicknamed "The Clown Princess of Comedy".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.montrosepress.com/national/news/hollywood-s-oldest-working-actress-born-in-pueblo-dies-at/article_7c6834f7-e095-5f4c-9377-cae36611327c.html|title=Hollywood's oldest working actress, born in Pueblo, dies at 105|last=Pompia|first=Jon|work=Montrose Daily Press|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123213708/http://www.montrosepress.com/national/news/hollywood-s-oldest-working-actress-born-in-pueblo-dies-at/article_7c6834f7-e095-5f4c-9377-cae36611327c.html|archive-date=January 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> She had over 140 film and television credits to her name, but was best known for her appearances in ''[[Pineapple Express (film)|Pineapple Express]], [[Dumb and Dumber]]'', and ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/connie-sawyer-dies-hollywood%E2%80%99s-oldest-working-actress-was-105/ar-AAv2qAx|title=Connie Sawyer Dies: Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress Was 105|website=www.msn.com|access-date=January 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190952/https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/connie-sawyer-dies-hollywood%E2%80%99s-oldest-working-actress-was-105/ar-AAv2qAx|archive-date=January 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the time of her death at age 105, she was the oldest working actress in Hollywood, with a career spanning 85 years, and was the oldest member of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] and the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://people.com/movies/connie-sawyer-hollywoods-oldest-working-actress-dies/|title=Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105|work=PEOPLE.com|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
'''Connie Sawyer''' (born 27 November 1912, [[Pueblo]], [[Colorado]]) is an American actress.


==Early life==
Born as Rosie Cohen in 1912 into a Jewish family <ref>http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/the_99-year-old_actress_20120215/</ref>, her early career included working as a stand-up comedian and nightclub performer,<ref>http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/02/academy-oscar-voters-connie-sawyer.html</ref> Connie began appearing in television shows like [[The Milton Berle Show]], The [[Colgate Comedy Hour]] and [[The Jackie Gleason Show]] in the late 1940s. In 1959, she was cast in the comedy film [[A Hole in the Head]] alongside stars like [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Edward G. Robinson]] and [[Eleanor Parker]].<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0768145/?ref_=sr_1</ref>
Connie Sawyer was born as Rosie Cohen on November 27, 1912 in [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]], Colorado, to Orthodox Jewish parents. Her father, Samuel Cohen, and mother, Dora Inger, were from Romania.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=I Never Wanted to Be a Star - and I Wasn't|last=Sawyer|first=Connie|year=2017}}</ref><ref name="obit NYT">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/obituaries/connie-sawyer-films-oldest-working-actress-dies-at-105.html|title=Connie Sawyer, Film's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105|work=The New York Times|date=January 31, 2018|author=Roberts, Sam}}</ref> Both of her parents came from the same village in Romania, but her mother arrived first in the United States.<ref name="obit NYT"/> When she was 7, the family moved to [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], California, where her father opened an army-navy store.<ref name="obit NYT"/><ref name="JBN"/><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://jewishjournal.com/mobile_20111212/101161/connie-sawyer-the-worlds-eldest-working-actress/|title=Connie Sawyer: The world's eldest working actress — Jewish Journal|last=Berrin|first=Danielle|date=February 15, 2012|work=Jewish Journal|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=jj>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/the_99-year-old_actress_20120215 Connie Sawyer: The world’s eldest working actress], Jewishjournal.com; accessed January 22, 2018.</ref>


==Professional career==
She continued to appear regularly in various films and television shows, having over 100 credits to her name. These include [[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]], [[The Rockford Files]], [[Hawaii Five-O]], [[Dynasty (TV series)|Dynasty]], [[When Harry Met Sally...]], [[Murder, She Wrote]], [[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]], [[Seinfeld]], [[Boy Meets World]], [[Will & Grace]], [[That '70s Show]], [[8 Simple Rules]], [[ER (TV series)|ER]], [[How I Met Your Mother]] and [[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]] <ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0768145/?ref_=sr_1</ref>
Sawyer's mother loved showbusiness and encouraged Sawyer to learn singing and dancing, and entered her into talent competitions as a child. In her first competition, a song and dance routine, at the age of 8, she won third prize and was given a stack of pies.<ref name=":1" /> She attended Roosevelt High School in Oakland and was the first woman to be senior class president. Following graduation, Sawyer won a radio contest (first place this time) which came with a chance to perform on a radio variety show in San Francisco titled “Al Pearce and His Gang,” a show which gave her the opportunity to develop her own comedy routine.<ref name=":1" />


At the age of 19, Sawyer moved to New York and performed in nightclubs and vaudeville theaters. Sawyer and a few friends worked their way across the country (literally), staying in each city along the way and performing for several weeks. Once in New York she met [[Sophie Tucker]], who connected Sawyer with a comedy writer, and she began to travel with her show.<ref name=":1" /> In the 1950s she began to appear on television, including ''[[Texaco Star Theatre|The Milton Berle Show]]'' and ''[[The Jackie Gleason Show]].''<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/connie-sawyer-oldest-working-actress-hollywood-dies-105-080705011.html|title=Connie Sawyer, the oldest working actress in Hollywood, dies at 105|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>
In 2012, Connie Sawyer was one of the oldest members of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], at the age of 99.<ref>http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/02/academy-oscar-voters-connie-sawyer.html</ref>

In the late 1950s, agent Lillian Small, who worked for [[Frank Sinatra]], saw Sawyer in the Broadway show ''A Hole in the Head'', playing "Miss Wexler". Sinatra later optioned the rights for a film version and hired Sawyer to reprise her role in the [[A Hole in the Head|1959 film production]], which starred Sinatra, [[Edward G. Robinson]], and [[Eleanor Parker]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Sawyer continued to appear regularly on television, in such series as ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[Laverne & Shirley]]'', ''[[The Rockford Files]]'', ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'', ''[[Seinfeld]]'', ''[[Boy Meets World]]'', ''[[Will & Grace]]'', ''[[Welcome Back, Kotter]]'', ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', and ''[[Ray Donovan]]''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/connie-sawyer-1912-2018-known-as-hollywoods-oldest|title=Connie Sawyer (1912 – 2018), known as Hollywood's oldest working actress|last=Staff|first=Legacy|date=January 22, 2018|work=Legacy.com|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 2007, Sawyer appeared in the [[HBO]] series [[Tell Me You Love Me (TV series)|''Tell Me You Love Me'']] with [[Jane Alexander]]; however, Sawyer, later expressed regret as she considered the show to be pornographic.<ref name=":1" /> In 2012, the year of her centenary, she appeared on ''[[2 Broke Girls]]'', and, in recognition of her birthday, she was a guest on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hollywood-star-connie-sawyer-dead-11898071|title=Hollywood star Connie Sawyer dies aged 105 after glittering acting career|last=Saunders|first=Emmeline|date=January 23, 2018|work=mirror|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref> Past 100 years of age, she appeared on television in ''[[NCIS: Los Angeles]]'' (2013), and, opposite [[Zooey Deschanel]], in ''[[New Girl]]'' (2014), as ''"the Oldest Woman in the World"''. In 2014, she also appeared in two films: ''[[Lovesick (2014 film)|Lovesick]]'' and the short film [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3632856/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1 ''Entanglement''].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=http://popculture.com/celebrity/2018/01/22/connie-sawyer-oldest-working-actress-dies-105/|title=Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105|accessdate=January 13, 2021}}</ref>

===Autobiography===
In September 2017, Sawyer self-published an autobiography, ''I Never Wanted to Be a Star — and I Wasn't'', describing her life in Hollywood.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" />

==Later life==
For 12 years, Sawyer lived at the [[Motion Picture & Television Fund]]’s [[Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital|residential complex for entertainment industry retirees]] in Los Angeles, where she remained an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, continuing to watch all Oscar-nominated films before placing her votes each year.<ref name=":0" />

=== Personal life and death ===
Sawyer was married to film distributor Marshall Schacker for ten years, later separating. They had two daughters together, Lisa and Julie.<ref name="BG">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2018/02/01/connie-sawyer-film-oldest-working-actress-dies/F3UaZcK4DGUli0eu3Tk74L/story.html|title=Connie Sawyer, 105, Hollywood's oldest working actress|publisher=The Boston Globe|date=February 1, 2018|author=Roberts, Sam}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Sawyer suffered a heart attack<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ktla.com/2018/02/01/connie-sawyer-oldest-working-actress-in-hollywood-dies-at-105/|title=Connie Sawyer, Oldest Working Actress in Hollywood, Dies at 105|author=Quednow, Cindy von|date=February 1, 2018|publisher=KTLA5}}</ref> and later died at her home at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s retirement community in [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills]], California on January 21, 2018, aged 105.<ref name="BG"/><ref>[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/connie-sawyer-dead-actress-was-105-781684 Connie Sawyer, Late-Blooming Comic Actress, Dies at 105]</ref><ref name="JBN">{{cite web|url=http://jewishbreakingnews.com/2018/01/25/rosie-cohen-aka-connie-sawyer-oldest-working-actress-hollywood-dies-105/|title=Rosie Cohen AKA Connie Sawyer, Oldest Working Actress in Hollywood, Dies at 105 (VIDEO)|publisher=Jewish Breaking News|date=January 25, 2018}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1959 || ''[[A Hole in the Head]]'' || Miss Wexler
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|1961 || ''[[Ada (1961 film)|Ada]]'' || Alice Sweet
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|rowspan="2" |1966 || ''[[The Last of the Secret Agents?]]'' || Florence
|Uncredited<ref name=":7" />
|-
|[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212947/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_133 ''For Pete's Sake!''] ||
|
|-
|1967 || ''[[The Way West (film)|The Way West]]'' || Mrs. McBee
|<ref name=":2" />
|-
|rowspan="2" |1969 || ''[[True Grit (1969 film)|True Grit]]'' || Talkative woman at hanging
|Uncredited<ref name=":4" />
|-
| ''[[Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice]]'' || Waitress
|Uncredited
|-
|1971 || ''[[Five Desperate Women]]'' || Mrs. Brown
|TV movie<ref>{{Cite book|title=Television Fright Films of the 1970s|last=MacFarland|year=2011|pages=67}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2" |1972 || ''[[Evil Roy Slade]]'' || Aggie Potter
|TV movie<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Kings & Queens of Hollywood Comedy|last=Rowan|first=Terry|publisher=Lulu|pages=98}}</ref>
|-
|''[[The Strangers in 7A]]'' || Mrs. Layton
|TV movie<ref name=":7" />
|-
|1975 || ''[[The Man in the Glass Booth]]'' || Mrs. Levi
|<ref name=":7" />
|-
|1977 || ''[[Oh, God! (film)|Oh, God!]]'' || Mrs. Green
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|1978 || ''[[Foul Play (1978 film)|Foul Play]]'' || Screaming Lady
|<ref>{{Cite book|title=Academy Awards Oscar Annual|last=Osborne|first=Robert|year=1979|pages=94}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2" |1979 || ''[[Fast Break (film)|Fast Break]]'' || Mom
|<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/meet-oldest-working-member-sag-790518|title=Meet the Oldest Working Member of SAG|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|''[[...And Justice for All (film)|...And Justice for All]]'' || Gitel
|<ref name=":8" />
|-
|1984 || ''[[The Rosebud Beach Hotel]]'' || Carlotta
|<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003|last=Johnson|first=Tom|publisher=MacFarland|year=2009|pages=339}}</ref>
|-
|1985 || ''[[Hot Chili]]'' || Mrs. Houston
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/hot-chili/cast/101276/|title=Hot Chili|website=TVGuide.com|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|1987 || ''Nights in White Satin'' || Martha
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/503861/Nights-in-White-Satin/|title=Nights in White Satin (1987) - Overview - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2 |1989 || ''[[Far from Home (1989 film)|Far From Home]]'' || Viney Hunt
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008ghnn|title=Far from Home - BBC Two|website=BBC|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'' || Documentary Couple #1
|<ref name=":3" />
|-
|rowspan=3 |1990 || ''Blue Desert'' || Elderly lady
|<ref name=":7">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba746ec15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124072041/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba746ec15|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 24, 2018|title=Connie Sawyer|work=BFI|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|''[[The End of Innocence (film)|The End of Innocence]]'' || Grandma
|
|-
|''[[The Bonfire of the Vanities|The Bonfire of the Vanities (film)]]'' || Ruskin Family member
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
|1992 || ''[[The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them]]'' || Waitress from Hell
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-opposite-sex-and-how-to-live-with-them/cast/129545/|title=The Opposite Sex And How To Live With Them|website=TVGuide.com|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="3" |1994 || ''Roseanne and Tom: Behind the Scenes'' || Motel Clerk
|TV movie<ref>{{Cite book|title=Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993-1994|last=Prouty|publisher=Taylor and Francis|year=1996}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Murphy Brown]]'' || Woman on Elevator
|-
|''[[Dumb and Dumber]]'' || Elderly lady
|<ref name=":8" />
|
|-
|1995|| ''[[Scorpion Spring]]'' || Diner Waitress
|<ref name=":8" />
|-
|1996|| ''It Came From Outer Space II'' || Mrs. Otis
|TV movie<ref>{{Cite book|title=Cyborgs, Santa Claus and Satan: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Made for Television|last=Sherman|first=Fraser|publisher=MacFarland|year=2009|pages=101}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2" |1998
|''[[Out of Sight]]'' || Old Elevator Lady
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
|''[[Where's Marlowe?]]'' || Skip's mother
|<ref name=":8" />
|-
|1999 || ''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]'' || Mrs. Yudelson|| Episode: Partial Law
|-
|rowspan=1 |2000 || ''[[That 70's Show]]'' || Aunt Pearl|| Episode: Kelso's Serenade
|-
|rowspan=2 |2002 || ''[[The Trip (2002 film)|The Trip]]'' || Barbara Baxter
|<ref name=":7" />
|-
|''Staring at the Sun'' || Grace
|Short<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.erichaywood.com/site/director.html|title=eric haywood. director.|website=www.erichaywood.com|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713105346/http://www.erichaywood.com/site/director.html|archive-date=July 13, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2|2003 || ''[[View from the Top]]'' || Grandma Stewart
|<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/connie-sawyer/credits/228744/|title=Connie Sawyer|website=TVGuide.com|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Something's Gotta Give (film)|Something's Gotta Give]]'' || Lady at the market
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
|2004 || ''[[Promised Land (2004 film)|Promised Land]]'' || Hazel
|<ref>{{Cite book|title=Promised Land - A Film by Michael Bertrami|last=Bertrami|first=Michael|publisher=57th International Film Festival, Locarno|year=2004}}</ref>
|-
|2005 || ''Complete Guide to Guys'' || Senior Wife
|
|-
|2006 || ''[[Relative Strangers]]'' || Old Lady
|
|-
|2006
|''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]''
|Second Old Lady
|Episode: "[[Twenty-One Guns (ER)|Twenty-One Guns]]"
|-
|2007 || ''[[Kiss the Bride (2007 film)|Kiss the Bride]]'' || Aunt Minnie
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
|2008 || ''[[Pineapple Express (film)|Pineapple Express]]'' || Faye Belogus
|<ref name=":1" />
|-
|2009 || ''[[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]]'' || Nana Scott|| Episode: "[[Dream Team (The Office)|Dream Team]]"
|-
|2010 || ''Watch Out for Slick'' || Gussie
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marvinkaplan.com/buy-marvins-movie|title=Buy Marvin's Movie|website=www.marvinkaplan.com|language=en|access-date=January 23, 2018|archive-date=January 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124070706/http://www.marvinkaplan.com/buy-marvins-movie|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2|2014 || ''[[Lovesick (2014 film)|Lovesick]]'' || Nana Bebe
|<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20160809/approaching-104-actress-connie-sawyer-still-eyeing-roles|title=Approaching 104, actress Connie Sawyer still eyeing roles|last=Press|first=Nick Thomas For the Daily|work=VVdailypress.com|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|''Entanglement'' || Rose
|Short, (final film role)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://popculture.com/celebrity/2018/01/22/connie-sawyer-oldest-working-actress-dies-105/|title=Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105|work=Celebrity|access-date=January 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers)]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Becker (TV series)]]


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0768145|Connie Sawyer}}
* {{IMDb name|0768145|Connie Sawyer}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=170737|name=Connie Sawyer}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186811055/connie-sawyer Connie Sawyer] at [[Find a Grave]]
| NAME = Sawyer, Connie
* [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=52746 Connie Sawyer] (Aveleyman)
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American actress
{{Authority control}}
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 27, 1912

| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Pueblo, Colorado]], U.S.
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Connie}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Connie}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]

[[Category:Actresses from Colorado]]
{{US-actress-stub}}
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Actresses from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:People from Pueblo, Colorado]]
[[Category:Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:American women centenarians]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Jews from Colorado]]
[[Category:Jewish centenarians]]

Latest revision as of 21:36, 22 December 2024

Connie Sawyer
Sawyer, circa 1940s
Born
Rosie Cohen

(1912-11-27)November 27, 1912
Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.
DiedJanuary 21, 2018(2018-01-21) (aged 105)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeHillside Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1920s–2014
SpouseMarshall Schacker
Children2

Connie Sawyer (born Rosie Cohen; November 27, 1912 – January 21, 2018) was an American stage, film, and television actress, affectionately nicknamed "The Clown Princess of Comedy".[1] She had over 140 film and television credits to her name, but was best known for her appearances in Pineapple Express, Dumb and Dumber, and When Harry Met Sally....[2] At the time of her death at age 105, she was the oldest working actress in Hollywood, with a career spanning 85 years, and was the oldest member of the Screen Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Connie Sawyer was born as Rosie Cohen on November 27, 1912 in Pueblo, Colorado, to Orthodox Jewish parents. Her father, Samuel Cohen, and mother, Dora Inger, were from Romania.[4][5] Both of her parents came from the same village in Romania, but her mother arrived first in the United States.[5] When she was 7, the family moved to Oakland, California, where her father opened an army-navy store.[5][6][7][8]

Professional career

[edit]

Sawyer's mother loved showbusiness and encouraged Sawyer to learn singing and dancing, and entered her into talent competitions as a child. In her first competition, a song and dance routine, at the age of 8, she won third prize and was given a stack of pies.[7] She attended Roosevelt High School in Oakland and was the first woman to be senior class president. Following graduation, Sawyer won a radio contest (first place this time) which came with a chance to perform on a radio variety show in San Francisco titled “Al Pearce and His Gang,” a show which gave her the opportunity to develop her own comedy routine.[7]

At the age of 19, Sawyer moved to New York and performed in nightclubs and vaudeville theaters. Sawyer and a few friends worked their way across the country (literally), staying in each city along the way and performing for several weeks. Once in New York she met Sophie Tucker, who connected Sawyer with a comedy writer, and she began to travel with her show.[7] In the 1950s she began to appear on television, including The Milton Berle Show and The Jackie Gleason Show.[9]

In the late 1950s, agent Lillian Small, who worked for Frank Sinatra, saw Sawyer in the Broadway show A Hole in the Head, playing "Miss Wexler". Sinatra later optioned the rights for a film version and hired Sawyer to reprise her role in the 1959 film production, which starred Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, and Eleanor Parker.[3][7] Sawyer continued to appear regularly on television, in such series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Boy Meets World, Will & Grace, Welcome Back, Kotter, ER, How I Met Your Mother, and Ray Donovan.[7][9][10] In 2007, Sawyer appeared in the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me with Jane Alexander; however, Sawyer, later expressed regret as she considered the show to be pornographic.[7] In 2012, the year of her centenary, she appeared on 2 Broke Girls, and, in recognition of her birthday, she was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[11] Past 100 years of age, she appeared on television in NCIS: Los Angeles (2013), and, opposite Zooey Deschanel, in New Girl (2014), as "the Oldest Woman in the World". In 2014, she also appeared in two films: Lovesick and the short film Entanglement.[3][12]

Autobiography

[edit]

In September 2017, Sawyer self-published an autobiography, I Never Wanted to Be a Star — and I Wasn't, describing her life in Hollywood.[3][4]

Later life

[edit]

For 12 years, Sawyer lived at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s residential complex for entertainment industry retirees in Los Angeles, where she remained an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, continuing to watch all Oscar-nominated films before placing her votes each year.[3]

Personal life and death

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Sawyer was married to film distributor Marshall Schacker for ten years, later separating. They had two daughters together, Lisa and Julie.[13][7]

Sawyer suffered a heart attack[14] and later died at her home at the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s retirement community in Woodland Hills, California on January 21, 2018, aged 105.[13][15][6]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1959 A Hole in the Head Miss Wexler [3]
1961 Ada Alice Sweet [10]
1966 The Last of the Secret Agents? Florence Uncredited[16]
For Pete's Sake!
1967 The Way West Mrs. McBee [10]
1969 True Grit Talkative woman at hanging Uncredited[17]
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Waitress Uncredited
1971 Five Desperate Women Mrs. Brown TV movie[18]
1972 Evil Roy Slade Aggie Potter TV movie[19]
The Strangers in 7A Mrs. Layton TV movie[16]
1975 The Man in the Glass Booth Mrs. Levi [16]
1977 Oh, God! Mrs. Green [17]
1978 Foul Play Screaming Lady [20]
1979 Fast Break Mom [21]
...And Justice for All Gitel [22]
1984 The Rosebud Beach Hotel Carlotta [23]
1985 Hot Chili Mrs. Houston [24]
1987 Nights in White Satin Martha [25]
1989 Far From Home Viney Hunt [26]
When Harry Met Sally... Documentary Couple #1 [9]
1990 Blue Desert Elderly lady [16]
The End of Innocence Grandma
The Bonfire of the Vanities (film) Ruskin Family member [7]
1992 The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them Waitress from Hell [27]
1994 Roseanne and Tom: Behind the Scenes Motel Clerk TV movie[28]
Murphy Brown Woman on Elevator
Dumb and Dumber Elderly lady [22]
1995 Scorpion Spring Diner Waitress [22]
1996 It Came From Outer Space II Mrs. Otis TV movie[29]
1998 Out of Sight Old Elevator Lady [7]
Where's Marlowe? Skip's mother [22]
1999 Becker Mrs. Yudelson Episode: Partial Law
2000 That 70's Show Aunt Pearl Episode: Kelso's Serenade
2002 The Trip Barbara Baxter [16]
Staring at the Sun Grace Short[30]
2003 View from the Top Grandma Stewart [22]
Something's Gotta Give Lady at the market [7]
2004 Promised Land Hazel [31]
2005 Complete Guide to Guys Senior Wife
2006 Relative Strangers Old Lady
2006 ER Second Old Lady Episode: "Twenty-One Guns"
2007 Kiss the Bride Aunt Minnie [12]
2008 Pineapple Express Faye Belogus [7]
2009 The Office Nana Scott Episode: "Dream Team"
2010 Watch Out for Slick Gussie [32]
2014 Lovesick Nana Bebe [17]
Entanglement Rose Short, (final film role)[33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pompia, Jon. "Hollywood's oldest working actress, born in Pueblo, dies at 105". Montrose Daily Press. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Connie Sawyer Dies: Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress Was 105". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Sawyer, Connie (2017). I Never Wanted to Be a Star - and I Wasn't.
  5. ^ a b c Roberts, Sam (January 31, 2018). "Connie Sawyer, Film's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105". The New York Times.
  6. ^ a b "Rosie Cohen AKA Connie Sawyer, Oldest Working Actress in Hollywood, Dies at 105 (VIDEO)". Jewish Breaking News. January 25, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Berrin, Danielle (February 15, 2012). "Connie Sawyer: The world's eldest working actress — Jewish Journal". Jewish Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  8. ^ Connie Sawyer: The world’s eldest working actress, Jewishjournal.com; accessed January 22, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "Connie Sawyer, the oldest working actress in Hollywood, dies at 105". Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Staff, Legacy (January 22, 2018). "Connie Sawyer (1912 – 2018), known as Hollywood's oldest working actress". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  11. ^ Saunders, Emmeline (January 23, 2018). "Hollywood star Connie Sawyer dies aged 105 after glittering acting career". mirror. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105". Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Roberts, Sam (February 1, 2018). "Connie Sawyer, 105, Hollywood's oldest working actress". The Boston Globe.
  14. ^ Quednow, Cindy von (February 1, 2018). "Connie Sawyer, Oldest Working Actress in Hollywood, Dies at 105". KTLA5.
  15. ^ Connie Sawyer, Late-Blooming Comic Actress, Dies at 105
  16. ^ a b c d e "Connie Sawyer". BFI. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Press, Nick Thomas For the Daily. "Approaching 104, actress Connie Sawyer still eyeing roles". VVdailypress.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  18. ^ MacFarland (2011). Television Fright Films of the 1970s. p. 67.
  19. ^ Rowan, Terry. The Kings & Queens of Hollywood Comedy. Lulu. p. 98.
  20. ^ Osborne, Robert (1979). Academy Awards Oscar Annual. p. 94.
  21. ^ "Meet the Oldest Working Member of SAG". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Connie Sawyer". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  23. ^ Johnson, Tom (2009). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003. MacFarland. p. 339.
  24. ^ "Hot Chili". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  25. ^ "Nights in White Satin (1987) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  26. ^ "Far from Home - BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  27. ^ "The Opposite Sex And How To Live With Them". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  28. ^ Prouty (1996). Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993-1994. Taylor and Francis.
  29. ^ Sherman, Fraser (2009). Cyborgs, Santa Claus and Satan: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Made for Television. MacFarland. p. 101.
  30. ^ "eric haywood. director". www.erichaywood.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  31. ^ Bertrami, Michael (2004). Promised Land - A Film by Michael Bertrami. 57th International Film Festival, Locarno.
  32. ^ "Buy Marvin's Movie". www.marvinkaplan.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  33. ^ "Connie Sawyer, Hollywood's Oldest Working Actress, Dies at 105". Celebrity. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

Becker (TV series)

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