Biography
Born on 13 September 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama, Nell Carter died on 23 January 2003 in Beverly Hills, California. She launched her professional singing career at age 11 on a local radio broadcast and spent the 1960s appearing in New York nightclubs. Stage credits from that era include the musicals Soon (1971), Dude, and Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope (both 1972). An off-Broadway run in Ain’t Misbehavin’ earned her an Obie Award before the production reached Broadway on 9 May 1978 and played until 21 February 1982. For that production she received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, a Theatre World Award, and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Carter later appeared in the 1988 revival, this time billed above the title, performing “Cash For Your Trash,” “I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling,” “Honeysuckle Rose” (in duet with Ken Page), and “Mean To Me.” In 1997 she played Miss Hannigan in a revival of Annie.
Her screen work, mostly in supporting roles, encompassed Hair (1979), Back Roads (1981), Modern Problems (1981), The Grass Harp (1995), The Proprietor (1996), Fakin’ Da Funk (1997), Special Delivery (1999), Perfect Fit (1999), and Back By Midnight (2002). A short appearance on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope in the late 1970s preceded her star turn as housekeeper Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme A Break! (1981–87), for which she also sang the theme. That role brought two Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations. Additional television credits include the game shows Match Game and To Tell The Truth (both 1998), the television films Sealed With A Kiss (1999) and The Tulsa Lynching Of 1921: A Hidden Story (2000), and guest spots on The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo (aka Lobo) (1979), Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper (1992), Touched By An Angel and Reba (both 2001), and Ally McBeal (2002).
During her final months Carter rehearsed the musical Raisin, drawn from A Raisin In The Sun, for a planned staging by International City Theatre in Long Beach, California, while also preparing the film Swing. Heart disease was the immediate cause of her death, though she had lived for many years with diabetes and had survived surgery to remove aneurysms in the early 1990s.
Her screen work, mostly in supporting roles, encompassed Hair (1979), Back Roads (1981), Modern Problems (1981), The Grass Harp (1995), The Proprietor (1996), Fakin’ Da Funk (1997), Special Delivery (1999), Perfect Fit (1999), and Back By Midnight (2002). A short appearance on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope in the late 1970s preceded her star turn as housekeeper Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme A Break! (1981–87), for which she also sang the theme. That role brought two Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations. Additional television credits include the game shows Match Game and To Tell The Truth (both 1998), the television films Sealed With A Kiss (1999) and The Tulsa Lynching Of 1921: A Hidden Story (2000), and guest spots on The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo (aka Lobo) (1979), Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper (1992), Touched By An Angel and Reba (both 2001), and Ally McBeal (2002).
During her final months Carter rehearsed the musical Raisin, drawn from A Raisin In The Sun, for a planned staging by International City Theatre in Long Beach, California, while also preparing the film Swing. Heart disease was the immediate cause of her death, though she had lived for many years with diabetes and had survived surgery to remove aneurysms in the early 1990s.