Elmarie Louise Wendel (November 23, 1928 –July 21, 2018)[1][2][3] was an American actress and singer best known as Mamie Dubcek on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Elmarie Wendel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 23, 1928 Howard County, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2018 (aged 89) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1956–2018 |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editBorn on a farm in Howard County, Iowa, one of five siblings, Wendel spent her childhood travelling with her musical parents and dancing with her sisters in and around the Midwest in club and concert hall venues,[4][5] including the Grand Ole Opry. She eventually made her way to New York City where she appeared in, among other productions, the original 1959 off-Broadway production of Little Mary Sunshine, starring Eileen Brennan and John McMartin.[6]
Career
editA national touring company of Annie took her to Los Angeles,[4] where she made a successful transition into film and television.[6] She garnered the role of the eccentric Mrs. Dubcek on 3rd Rock from the Sun. From 1996 to 2001, she appeared in about 70 episodes of the show.[5][7] She made appearances on such shows as Seinfeld, Love & War, Murphy Brown, Murder, She Wrote, and Empty Nest.[8][9] She appeared in And the Band Played On and Far from Home.[citation needed] She had a recurring role as Gina, a lascivious assembly line co-worker of the title character on George Lopez.[5][8] In 2008, she appeared on General Hospital in the recurring role of Peg.[10] Her musical theatre credits include Wonderful Town, Cole Porter Revisited, Little Mary Sunshine and Gigi.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
editWendel's daughter, J.C. Wendel, is also an actress.[5] Her death was announced on her daughter's Instagram on July 21, 2018.[11] No cause or place of death was given but Wendel had resided in Studio City, California, at the time of her death.[12]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | A Bowl of Cherries | Daphne | Short comedy film written and directed by William Kronick | |
| 1990 | The Immortalizer | Agnes |
|
[13] |
| 1991 | Going Under | Sonar | Comedy film directed by Mark W. Travis | [14] |
| 1995 | Rumpelstiltskin | Gypsy Woman | Comedy fantasy horror film directed by Mark Jones | [15] |
| 2000 | Attraction | Beehive Waitress | Drama romantic thriller film directed by Russell DeGrazier | [16] |
| 2011 | A Bag of Hammers | The Mark | Comedy drama film directed by Brian Crano and written by Crano and Jake Sandvig | [17][18] |
| 2012 | The Lorax | Aunt Grizelda |
|
[19][20] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Crisis Counselor | Guest | Episode: "Aging Woman" | |
| 1982 | Knight Rider | Woman | Episode: "No Big Thing" | |
| 1985 | The Jeffersons | Mrs. Pardella | Episode: "State of Mind" | |
| 1987 | The Facts of Life | Jackie | Episode: "Sweet Charity" | [21] |
| 1990 | Sugar and Spice | Bag Lady | Episode: "Breaking in Is Hard to Do" | |
| She Said No | Guest | Television film directed by John Patterson concerning acquaintance rape | [22][23] | |
| 1991 | Babes | Sister Katherine | Episode: "All Bummed Out" | |
| Murphy Brown | Mrs. Beale | Episode: "Everytime It Rains... You Get Wet" | ||
| Major Dad | Mona | Episode: "On the Line" | [21] | |
| 1992 | Empty Nest | Vivian | Episode: "Charley for President" | [21] |
| Seinfeld | Helene | Episode: "The Trip" | [21] | |
| Santa Barbara | Landlady | Episode: "Ep 2,053" | ||
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Nurse Receptionist | Episode: "The Petrified Florist" | |
| Love & War | Maude | Episode: "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | ||
| The Pink Panther | Guest | Episode: "Pilgrim Panther/That Old Pink Magic" | ||
| 1994 | Empty Nest | Agnes | Episode: "The Ballad of Shady Pines" | |
| Weird Science | Mrs. Wilder | Episode: "She's Alive" (Pilot) | ||
| 1996–2001 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Mrs. Dubcek |
|
[7] |
| 1998 | Jenny | Doris | Episode: "A Girl's Gotta Merger" | |
| 2000 | The Angry Beavers | Doris Rabbit | Voice, episode: "Driving Misses Daggett/Big" | |
| 2001–2002 | NYPD Blue | Susan Hornby | Recurring role, 4 episodes | [21] |
| 2003–2007 | George Lopez | Gina Sorenstam | Recurring role, 12 episodes | [24] |
| 2008 | General Hospital | Peg |
|
[10] |
| 2011 | American Dad! | Beverley Billingsley | Voice, episode: "Stanny Boy and Frantastic" | |
| Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior | Paula | Episode: "Devotion" | ||
| 2014 | The Exes | Ruthie | Episode: "The Old Man and the Holly" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fallout 4 | Mandy Stiles / Cathy / Pulowski Preservation Shelter | [25] | |
| 2018 | Fallout 76 | Pulowski Preservation Shelter | Posthumous release | [20] |
References
edit- ^ On April 11, 1930, in New Ogen Township, Howard County, Iowa, Elmarie L. Wendel's age is given for the census as "1 3/12" (i.e. 1 year and 3 months = 15 months); in the 1940 census in Cresco, Howard County, Iowa on April 10, 1940, her age is given as 11. Given her November birthdate this means she was born in 1928, not 1932.
- ^ Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: New Oregon, Howard, Iowa; Roll: 659; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0014; Image: 159.0; FHL microfilm: 2340394. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.
- ^ Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: Cresco, Howard, Iowa; Roll: T627_1167; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 45-19. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
- ^ a b Shoemaker, Allison (July 23, 2018). "R.I.P. Elmarie Wendel, 3rd Rock From The Sun's salty Mrs. Dubcek". The A.V. Club. Chicago: The Onion, Inc. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Hoahing, Cheryl A. (July 22, 2018). "Elmarie Wendel Of '3rd Rock From The Sun' Dies At 89". The Inquisitr. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (July 22, 2018). "Elmarie Wendel Dies: '3rd Rock From The Sun' Actress Was 89". Deadline Hollywood. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Elmarie Wendel Credits: 3rd Rock From the Sun". TV Guide. New York City: NTVB Media. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ a b Lenker, Maureen Lee (July 22, 2018). "Elmarie Wendel, '3rd Rock From the Sun' actress, dies at 89". EW.com. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ Bell, Amanda (July 22, 2018). "3rd Rock Actress Elmarie Wendel Passes Away at 89". TV Guide. New York City: NTVB Media. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Eades, Chris (July 23, 2018). "GENERAL HOSPITAL Actress Elmarie Wendel Dead at 89". ABC Soaps In Depth. United States: Bauer Media Group. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ Perez, Lexy (July 22, 2018). "Elmarie Wendel, '3rd Rock From the Sun' Star, Dies at 89". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles: Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group (Eldridge Industries). Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ "Jc Wendel on Instagram: "#ripelmariewendel you were a great mom and a badass dame. #thirdrockfromthesun #mrsdubcek #georgelopez #thegeorgelopezshow…"". Instagram. United States: Facebook. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ "The Immortalizer". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ "Going Under". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ "Rumpelstiltskin". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ "Attraction". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- ^ "A Bag of Hammers". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ "A Bag of Hammers". Fandango. Los Angeles: NBCUniversal (Comcast) (70%) Warner Bros. (Time Warner) (30%). Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ "The Lorax". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ a b "Behind the Voice Actors – Elmarie Wendel". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Elmarie Wendel List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. New York City: NTVB Media. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ "She Said No". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ Strasburger, Victor C.; Wilson, Barbara J.; Jordan, Amy B. (2013). Children, Adolescents, and the Media (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-9926-7.
- ^ "Elmarie Wendel". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Hilliard, Kyle (September 5, 2015). "Bethesda Completes Recording Of Fallout 4's 111,000 Lines Of Dialogue". Game Informer. Minneapolis: GameStop. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2017.