Georgia Engel

Georgia Engel
Engel in 1977
Born
Georgia Bright Engel

(1948-07-28)July 28, 1948
DiedApril 12, 2019(2019-04-12) (aged 70)
Resting placeCape Charles Cemetery, Cape Charles, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
OccupationActress
Years active1969–2018

Georgia Bright Engel (July 28, 1948 – April 12, 2019) was an American actress. She is best known for having played Georgette Franklin Baxter in the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 to 1977, Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005, and Mamie Sue on Hot in Cleveland from 2012 to 2015 She was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA award.

Early life

Georgia Engel was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Ruth Caroline (née Hendron) and Benjamin Franklin Engel, who was a Vice Admiral in the United States Coast Guard. Engel attended the Kodiak Island Borough School District, Walter Johnson High School, and the Academy of the Washington Ballet from which she graduated. She earned her theater degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Career

The wedding of Georgette and Ted in 1975

After college, Engel appeared in musical productions with Washington's American Light Opera Company. She moved to New York City in 1969, appearing off-Broadway in Lend an Ear, and for a year as Minnie Fay in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, starting in December 1969. A 1971 off-Broadway production of The House of Blue Leaves eventually played in Los Angeles, where Engel was seen by Mary Tyler Moore and her husband, producer Grant Tinker, her soon-to-be employers.

Engel portrayed the character Georgette on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 until the sitcom ended in 1977. The role won her two Emmy nominations. After that sitcom ended, she teamed up with former Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Betty White for The Betty White Show during its only (1977–78) season. She later co-starred on two short-lived 1980s sitcoms, Goodtime Girls as Loretta Smoot, and in Jennifer Slept Here featuring Ann Jillian.

Engel had a recurring role on Coach as Shirley Burleigh and starred as the voice of Love-a-Lot Bear in The Care Bears Movie (1985). She played a good witch in a 2007 recurring role of Esmeralda on the now-defunct NBC soap opera Passions. Engel received consecutive Emmy Award nominations as outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2003, 2004, and 2005 for her role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Robert Barone's mother-in-law, Pat MacDougall.

Engel made her "big screen" debut in Miloš Forman's first English-language movie Taking Off (1971), playing "Margot", a performance that earned her a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress. Her other film appearances include The Outside Man (1973), Papa Was a Preacher (1987), Signs of Life (1989),The Sweetest Thing (2002), and the made-for-TV movies The Day the Women Got Even (1980) and A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978).

She lent her distinctive voice to the animated films Open Season (2006), Open Season 2 (2008), Open Season 3 (2010) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001).

Engel returned to her stage roots in 2006, appearing on Broadway in the musical The Drowsy Chaperone, with Sutton Foster and Edward Hibbert. She created the role of Mrs. Tottendale, which she continued to perform, leaving the Broadway production as of April 1, 2007. She was featured in the North American tour, performing in Toronto in September 2007, through engagements at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco, in August 2008, and at the Denver Performing Arts Complex in October 2008.

For the summers of 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010, Engel appeared in various productions at The Muny Theater in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. She also appeared in Show Boat in August 2010 as Parthy. In July 2005, she appeared in Mame as Agnes Gooch, in June 2007, she appeared in Oklahoma! as Aunt Eller, and in July 2009, she appeared as Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man.

In June 2010, Engel appeared at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, production of The Drowsy Chaperone as Mrs. Tottendale. In October through December 2010, Engel was featured in the Vineyard Theatre's off-Broadway production of Middletown, written by Will Eno.

In 2012, she appeared in episodes of The Office as Irene, an older lady being helped by Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper). She also appeared in two episodes of Two and a Half Men as the mother of Lyndsey McElroy, Alan's girlfriend. The character would also become a lesbian lover of Alan's mom, Evelyn. In March 2012, 35 years after the close of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Engel was reunited with Betty White in the third season of Hot in Cleveland as Mamie Sue Johnson, best friend of White's character Elka, in a recurring role.

Engel appeared in the new Annie Baker play John, which opened off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre on July 22, 2015 (previews), directed by Sam Gold. The play ran to September 6, 2015. The cast also featured Lois Smith. Engel won a 2016 Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress and was nominated for the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play for her role in this play.

Engel starred in the musical Gotta Dance, which premiered at the Bank of America Theatre, Chicago on December 13, 2015, and ran until January 17, 2016. The cast also featured Stefanie Powers, Lillias White, and André De Shields. The musical was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with a book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, and the score by Matthew Sklar and Nell Benjamin. The musical, under the new title of Half Time, played a limited engagement at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. The production opened on May 31, 2018, and was scheduled to run to July 1, 2018.

Personal life and death

Engel was an adherent of Christian Science. She died on April 12, 2019, at the age of 70 in Princeton, New Jersey. Her friend John Quilty told The New York Times that the cause was unknown as Engel did not consult doctors due to her religious beliefs. She was buried at Cape Charles Cemetery, in Cape Charles, Virginia.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1971 Taking Off Margot Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1972 The Outside Man Mrs. Joan Barnes
1978 A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story Claire Ruth TV film
1980 The Day the Women Got Even Kathy Scott TV film
1983 The Magic of Herself the Elf Willow Song Voice
Television special
1985 Papa Was a Preacher 'Mama' Porter
1985 The Care Bears Movie Love-a-Lot Bear Voice
1989 Signs of Life Betty
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 Giraffe Voice
2002 The Sweetest Thing Vera
2006 Open Season Bobbie Voice
2006 Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run Bobbie Voice
Short film
2007 Nunsensations Sr. Marie Eugene Video
2007 The Beast Doris TV movie
2008 Open Season 2 Bobbie Voice
2010 Open Season 3 Bobbie Voice
2013 Grown Ups 2 Mrs. Jayne Lamonsoff
2016 The Family Lamp Marsha TV film
2018 Groomzilla Grandma Gigi TV film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1972–77 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Georgette Franklin Baxter 56 episodes
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1976–77)
1974 Rhoda Georgette Franklin 1 episode: Rhoda's Wedding
1975 Dinah! Herself 1 episode
1975 The Mike Douglas Show Herself 3 episodes
1975–76 Tony Orlando and Dawn Herself 3 episodes
1977 The Jacksons Herself 1 episode
1977–78 The Betty White Show Mitzi Maloney 14 episodes
1977–82 The Love Boat Cleo Bagby 4 episodes
1978–83 Fantasy Island Brenda Rappaport 5 episodes
1979 Mork & Mindy Ambrosia Malspar 2 episodes
1980 The Associates Wendy Turner 1 episode: A Date with Johnny
1980 Goodtime Girls Loretta Smoot 13 episodes
1983–84 Jennifer Slept Here Susan Elliot 13 episodes
1991–97 Coach Shirley Burleigh 17 episodes
1992 Hi Honey, I'm Home! Georgette Franklin Baxter 1 episode: Elaine Takes a Wife
1998 Hercules Evelyn 2 episodes
2003–05 Everybody Loves Raymond Pat MacDougall 13 episodes
Prism Award for Best Performance in a Comedy Series (2006)
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2003–05)
2006 The View Herself 1 episode
2007 Passions Esmeralda 4 episodes
2008 The Oprah Winfrey Show Herself 1 episode
2008 Entertainment Tonight Herself 1 episode
2012 The Office Irene 3 episodes
2012 Two and a Half Men Jean 2 episodes
2012–15 Hot in Cleveland Mamie Sue Johnson 18 episodes
2018 One Day at a Time Sister Barbara 1 episode: Homecoming

Stage

Year Title Role(s) Venue(s) Notes Ref.
1969 Hello, Dolly! Minnie Fay St. James Theatre Broadway debut
1971 The House of Blue Leaves performer Truck and Warehouse Theater
1983 My One and Only Mickey St. James Theatre
1991 Nunsense Sister Mary Amnesia Bucks County Playhouse, Pocono Playhouse
1992 Cut the Ribbons performer Westside Theater
1996 Sleeping Beauty Mme. Sophie/Fairy Godmother The Muny
2000 The Pajama Game Mabel Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
2000 Dear World Gabrielle Goodspeed Opera House
2002 The Boys from Syracuse Seeress American Airlines Theatre
2006 The Drowsy Chaperone Mrs. Tottendale Marquis Theatre
2007 The Drowsy Chaperone Mrs. Tottendale US national tour
2009 The Music Man Mrs. Paroo The Muny
2010 High Spirits Madame Arcati G&L Theatre
2010 The Drowsy Chaperone Mrs. Tottendale Ogunquit Playhouse
2010 Show Boat Parthy The Muny
2010 Middletown Librarian Vineyard Theater
2012 Uncle Vanya Marina Soho Rep
2015 John Mertis Signature Theatre Company Obie Award
Drama Desk Award nomination
Drama League Award nomination
Lucille Lortel Award nomination
2015 Gotta Dance Dorothy/Dottie Bank of America Theater
2017 John Mertis American Conservatory Theater
2017 Roman Holiday Countess Golden Gate Theatre
2018 Half Time Dorothy Paper Mill Playhouse

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