Movies
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Imogene Coca

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
58

Gender
Female

Birthday
November 18, 1908 (117 years old)

Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Imogene Coca

Biography

Imogene Fernandez de Coca (November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows.

Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wished to have a serious career in music and dance, graduating to decades of stage musical revues, cabaret and summer stock. Finally in her 40s she began a celebrated career as a comedienne in television, starring in six series and guesting on successful television programs from the 1940s to the 1990s.

She was nominated for five Emmy awards for Your Show of Shows, winning Best Actress in 1951 and singled out for a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting in 1953. Coca was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century and received a sixth Emmy nomination at the age of 80 for an episode of Moonlighting.

She possessed a rubbery face capable of the broadest expressions—Life magazine compared her to Beatrice Lillie and Charlie Chaplin, and described her characterizations as taking "people or situations suspended in their own precarious balance between dignity and absurdity, and push(ing) them over the cliff with one single, pointed gesture"—the magazine noted a "particularly high-brow critic" as observing, "The trouble with most comedians who try to do satire is that they are essentially brash, noisy and indelicate people who have to use a sledge hammer to smash a butterfly. Miss Coca, on the other hand, is the timid woman who, when aroused, can beat a tiger to death with a feather."

In addition to vaudeville, cabaret, theater and television, she appeared in film, voiced children's cartoons and was even featured in an MTV video by a New Wave band. Though her fame began late, she worked well into her 80s. Twice a widow, Coca died in 2001.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Imogene Coca, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

2018Mel Brooks: Unwrappedas Self (archive footage)
2012In the Beginning: The Caesar Yearsas Self
1999Television: The First Fifty Yearsas Self (archive footage)
1996Caesar's Writersas Self (archive footage)
1996Hollywood: The Movieas Roxy
1990Bobby's Worldas
1989Buy & Cellas Reggie's Mother
1988Monstersas The Old Woman
1987The Little Match Girlas Self - Host
1986Papa Was a Preacheras Missy B
1985Alice in Wonderlandas Cook
1985Moonlightingas Clara DiPesto
1984Nothing Lasts Foreveras Daisy Schackman
1983National Lampoon's Vacationas Aunt Edna
1983Reading Rainbowas Self - Narrator (voice)
1983Mama's Familyas
1981Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinneras Molly - Bag Lady
1981The Return of the Beverly Hillbilliesas Granny's Maw
1980The Big Showas Self
1979Trapper John, M.D.as
1978A Special Sesame Street Christmasas Self
1978Rabbit Testas Madam Marie
1975Too Easy to Killas Mrs. Bradshaw
1973Ten from Your Show of Showsas
1972The Emperor's New Clothesas Princess Jane Klockenlocher (voice)
1970Night Galleryas Wife (segment "The Merciful")
1969Love, American Styleas Doctor's wife
1969The Brady Bunchas
1967The Carol Burnett Showas Self - Guest
1966It's About Timeas Shad
1964Bewitchedas
1964The Hollywood Palaceas Self
1963The Sound of Laughteras Miss Klutz (Ballerina)
1963Under the Yum Yum Treeas Dorkus Murphy
1963The Danny Kaye Showas Self
1963Grindlas Grindl
1963Promises! Promises!as Woman Under Hair Dryer (uncredited)
1962The Merv Griffin Showas Self
1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonas Self
1961The Mike Douglas Showas Self
1958Shirley Temple's Storybookas Miss Clavel
1956Made in Heavenas Elsa Meredith
1956The Steve Allen Showas Self - Guest Performer
1956Tony Awardsas Self - Nominee / Performer
1954The Imogene Coca Showas Host
1953General Electric Theateras Virginia Odell
1952This Is Your Lifeas Self
1950Dangeras
1950The Colgate Comedy Houras Self
1950The Bob Hope Showas Self
1950Your Show of Showsas Self - Regular Performer
1950What's My Line?as Self
1949The Admiral Broadway Revueas
1948Buzzy Wuzzyas
1948The Ed Sullivan Showas Self
1937Dime a Danceas Esmeralda
1937Bashful Ballerinaas Miss Klutz
1936Imogene Coca Screen Testas

Production