American actress, comedian, and singer Charlotte Rae Lubotsky was born. Known for her roles as “Edna Garrett” on the television series “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life,” Charlotte began her career in the 1940s as a stand-up comedian in New York nightclubs. Even though she enjoyed doing the stand-up routines, acting had always been her long-term goal. In 1952, she received her big break as an actor when she was cast in the Broadway musical comedy “Three Wishes for Jamie.” In addition to continuing to work on Broadway musicals, she published her debut album, Songs I Taught My Mother, which was written by her husband, John Strauss. She soon began receiving offers to guest star on a number of TV shows, and in 1961 she was cast in her first regular program, “Car 54, Where Are You?” In 1963, she returned to the Broadway stage and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal in “Pickwick.” The invitation to play Edna Garret in the sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” was her biggest break. Her portrayal struck a chord with the public so strongly that her character was given a spinoff called “The Facts of Life.” She received a Primetime Emmy nomination for her seven-year tenure as “Edna Garrett.” Following her departure from “The Facts of Life,” Rae voiced characters for animated films like “Tom and Jerry: The Movie” and “101 Dalmatians: The Series,” and she made several guest appearances on TV shows. In 2015, she published her autobiography, “The Facts of My Life.”
Childhood & Formative Years
Esther and Meyer Lubotsky welcomed Charlotte Rae into the world on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her dad had a retail tire company. Of her parents’ three children, Rae was the second. Beverly was her older sister, and Miriam was her younger sister.
Rae relocated to Shorewood, Wisconsin with her parents after ten years of living in Milwaukee. She worked at Wauwatosa Children’s Theatre and did radio work while attending Shorewood High School. 1944 saw her graduate from Shorewood High School.
She then enrolled at Chicago’s Northwestern University. She didn’t finish her education, though, and moved to New York in 1948 to work in theater and nightclubs.
Career of Charlotte Rae
In 1952, Charlotte Rae got her big break when she was hired to perform in the Broadway musical comedy “Three Wishes for Jamie.” Her Broadway career continued with roles in “Lil’ Abner” and “Threepenny Opera.”
“Songs I Taught My Mother,” Rae’s debut album of humorous songs, was released in 1955. Her husband, John Strauss, composed the music, while Sheldon Harnick, a lyricist and acquaintance from college, wrote the words.
Even though she has appeared on television before thanks to guest spots on a number of well-known shows, “Car 54, Where Are You?” was her first regular program. She returned to Broadway, but success eluded her, and she was soon nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress for her role in “Pickwick” in 1965.
In 1978, Rae’s big break came when she was chosen to play “Edna Garrett” in a brand-new television series called “Diff’rent Strokes.” Rae’s most successful TV series to date was “The Facts of Life,” where she played the role of “Edna Garrett” for six seasons (1979–1986) before having to leave the show due to health issues. Rae’s character gained so much popularity among viewers that NBC decided to give her own TV show.
Rae’s most memorable theatrical performance was in 1990 when she was cast as “Winnie” in “Happy Days,” a play by Samuel Beckett. Rae was able to fulfill her aim of becoming a dramatic actress because of this part.
Rae provided the voice of “Aunt Christine Figg” in “The Tom and Jerry Movie” in 1992 and “Nanny” in “101 Dalmatians: The Series,” a television series, in 1997.
In addition to acting in a few TV movies, such as 1999’s “Crime in Connecticut: The Alex Kelly Story,” Rae kept making guest appearances on a variety of TV shows.
Rae rejoined her co-stars from “The Facts of Life” in 2001 for the television film “The Facts of Life Reunion,” where she played “Edna Garrett” once more. The film brought in 11.5 million viewers and a respectable 7.1 rating.
Rae’s latter career was restricted to small parts in TV shows like “King of Queens” and “Strong Medicine” and films like “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” due to her aging body and declining health. Her LAST production was a comedy-drama starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Rick Springfield called “Ricki and the Flash” in the United States. 2015 saw the release of the film.
Rae released her autobiography, “The Facts of My Life,” in November 2015. Her son Larry Strauss and she authored her memoirs together.
Large Works of Charlotte Rae
Rae’s most popular piece of work, “The Facts of Life,” catapulted her into the public eye. The protagonist of the show is “Edna Garrett,” a housemother at the made-up all-female boarding school Eastland School. The program addressed a number of significant social concerns of the 1980s, including peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, and depression. The American daily newspaper “USA Today” named “The Facts of Life” one of the top 10 shows for teenagers in 1988.
Individual Life and Legacy of Charlotte Rae
1951 saw Charlotte Rae wed music composer John Strauss. After John came out as bisexual, the couple’s 25-year marriage ended in divorce in 1976. The two Strauss children were Andrew and Larry.
Rae revealed to the public in 2017 that, at the age of 91, she had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Seven years prior, she had previously been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, for which she received chemotherapy treatment.
At the age of 92, she passed away in Los Angeles, California, on August 5, 2018.
Net worth of Charlotte Rae
The estimated net worth of Charlotte Rae is about $1 million.