Arlene Golonka is a well-known American actress who has had a number of memorable roles. It was only logical for Arlene Golonka, who was named after the exceptionally gifted actress Arline Judge, to grow up to be as talented as the latter. Arlene’s first love was acting, which she discovered at a young age. She tried her hand at theatre at a young age and was successful. She made the transition to television after building a name for herself in the theater. While theatre had sharpened her skills and given her a name in the industry, television provided her commercial acclaim and increased her fame. She rose to prominence as a prominent character actress in just a few years. She appeared in sitcoms including ‘Mary Tyler Moore,’ ‘All in the Family,’ and ‘M*A*S*H,’ among others. In a recurring role as Millie in ‘Mayberry R.F.D.,’ she provided a captivating performance, widely regarded as her best to date. Aside from films, Golonka performed in a number of supporting roles and did a number of voiceovers. Golonka began teaching acting near the conclusion of her career. She is unquestionably a melting pot of talent, skill, and versatility.
Childhood and Adolescence
Arlene Golonka was born Arline Golonka in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1936 to Polish parents. Arline looked destined for acting from the moment she was born, so much so that she was named after the well-known actress Arline Judge. Singing and acting lessons were a big part of Golonka’s childhood. She devoted all of her energy as a child to becoming a well-known celebrity. She honed not just her acting abilities, but also her singing and dancing abilities.
She began performing while she was in her early adolescence. She worked for a summer stock group for a few years and eventually became a professional. She then enrolled in an acting class at Chicago’s famed Goodman Theatre.
Golonka came to New York City after mastering her artistic abilities, where she studied with Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, and Uta Hagen. Golonka began a full-fledged acting career when he was 19 years old.
Career of Arlene
Arlene Golonka’s first major performance was in Ben Gazzara’s production of “The Night Circus.” The Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, hosted the production. On November 17, 1958, the play was screened for the first time. The play was taken to Broadway on December 2, 1958, almost immediately following a week-long testing run. However, ‘The Night Circus,’ starring Ben Gazzara, did not receive many Broadway screenings and was closed after only seven performances.
The closure of ‘The Night Circus’ was a major setback for Golonka, who had hoped for a long run. She, on the other hand, was not one to bend down; instead, she continued to work in other plays. She worked on the play ‘Take Me Along’ with Jackie Gleason, Walter Pidgeon, and Robert Morse from the late 1950s through the late 1960s. They performed nearly 448 times in a year. She starred in Neil Simon’s first Broadway comedy, ‘Come Blow Your Horn,’ from February 1961 until October 1962. The show was performed 677 times over this time span. She co-starred with Kirk Douglas in the film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” from November 1963 to January 1964.
Between 1965 and 1966, Golonka appeared in two more Broadway productions. Meanwhile, she worked as a supporting actress in films, portraying bubble-headed or quirky blondes, typically prostitutes. Golonka recorded for the popular comedy album ‘You Don’t Have to Be Jewish’ in 1965. The album was a huge success. Because of its success, a sequel, ‘When You’re in Love, the Whole World Is Jewish,’ was made. She aspired to take her career to the next level, i.e. television, after gaining experience as a theatre performer and perfecting her talents. She then came to Los Angeles in 1967 to try her luck on the tiny screen in the hopes of attaining the same.
She controlled the small screen for the following three decades, with over a dozen appearances as main actresses, supporting roles, and even guest roles. She appeared in various roles and was frequently seen reprising her roles. She appeared in shows like ‘Car 54,’ ‘Where Are You?,’ ‘Get Smart,’ ‘The Flying Nun,’ ‘I Spy,’ ‘That Girl,’ ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘M*A*S*H,’ ‘All in the Family,’ ‘Cannon,’ and ‘Maude,’ among others. ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ ‘Alice,’ ‘The Rockford Files,’ ‘One Day at a Time,’ ‘The San Pedro Beach Bums,’ ‘Taxi,’ ‘Murder,’ ‘She Wrote,’ ‘The King of Queens,’ ‘Valerie,’ ‘Sunset Beat,’ and ‘Matlock,’ among many others, are just a few of the popular television shows in which she
Arlene Golonka played Sally Nash in season 5 of the television series ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ with Carroll O’Connor, in the 13th episode ‘Fool for Love,’ in 1992. She portrayed the philanderer Dr. Vance Talbot’s ‘other’ woman in the film. Talbot tries to frame her for his wife’s murder, but she is also murdered. Debbie, a character in the animated cartoon ‘Speed Buggy,’ was given her voice by her. ‘The New Yogi Bear Show,’ ‘Capitol Critters,’ ‘Yogi’s Treasure Hunt,’ and ‘The New Scooby-Doo Movies’ were among the animated shows for which she provided voiceovers. She even had a recurring role on ‘Joe & Valerie,’ a short-lived TV series.
Aside from television, Golonka has appeared in over 30 films, including ‘Harvey Middleman, Fireman,’ ‘Penelope,’ ‘The Busy Body,’ ‘Welcome to Hard Times,’ ‘Hang ‘Em High,’ ‘The Elevator,’ ‘Airport ’77,’ ‘The In-Laws,’ ‘Love At First Bite,’ ‘The Last Married Couple in America, Arlene has retired from television, but she still appears in films on occasion. She also works as a teacher, instructing her students in acting.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1963, Arlene Golonka married Michael Longo. They divorced in 1967 after a four-year marriage.
She married Larry Delaney on February 14, 1969. They were married until 1977, when they split up and eventually divorced.
Estimated Net Worth
Arlene Golonka net worth: Arlene Golonka is an actress from the United States with a net worth of $5 million. Arlene Golonka was born in January 1936 in Chicago, Illinois. She has a long list of acting credits, including Millie Hutchins on The Andy Griffith Show in 1967 and Mayberry R.F.D. in 1968.