Charlotte Rae

Died at 99

born April 22, 1926

female32 suggestions0 votes

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

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Bananas

Ricki and the Flash

Top Casting Suggestions

Charlotte Rae has been suggested to play 32 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.

Charlotte Rae

The Facts of Life

Face Claims Sorted by Cancelled TV Shows

The Facts of Life

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Puff

Spongebob Squarepants (1980's)

Mrs. Puff

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Crenshaw

Sorority Row (1979)

Mrs. Crenshaw

Charlotte Rae

Best Actor and Actress staring with every letter

Charlotte Rae

Best singers

Face Claims

Best singers

Charlotte Rae

Contralto

Who’s a marvelous singer?

Contralto

Charlotte Rae

The Facts of Life

Face Claims Sorted by TV Shows

The Facts of Life

Charlotte Rae

Contralto

Who’s a Fantastic Singer

Contralto

Charlotte Rae

Fairy Godmother

Shrek 2 (1994)

Fairy Godmother

Charlotte Rae

Agatha Harkness

MCU 80s

Agatha Harkness

Charlotte Rae

Died in the 2010s

Face Claims Sorted by 2010s

Died in the 2010s

Charlotte Rae

In Memoriam

Best & Worst of Cartoons

In Memoriam

Charlotte Rae

2018

Face Claims: Death Year

2018

Charlotte Rae

Greatest singers

Who’s a great singer

Greatest singers

Charlotte Rae

Friendly customer

The dictator (1982)

Friendly customer

Charlotte Rae

1926

Best Actor/Actress by year of birth

1926

Charlotte Rae

Generation V/Silent Generation

Face Claims Sorted by Generations

Generation V/Silent Generation

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Puff

SpongeBob SquarePants trilogy (1994-2011)

Mrs. Puff

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Puff

SpongeBob SquarePants trilogy (1994-2011)

Mrs. Puff

Charlotte Rae

Mrs. Puff

SpongeBob SquarePants (1989-2013)

Mrs. Puff

Showing 20 of 32 suggestions

Charlotte Rae

Known for

Related Talent

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