Rosanne Katon
Encyclopedia
Rosanne Katon is an American model, actress, comedian and activist. She was Playboy
magazine's Playmate of the Month for its September 1978 issue. Her centerfold
was photographed by Mario Casilli
.
, the short-lived spin-off
of the hit sit-com, Sanford and Son
. However, the shapely actress was often typecast
in sex kitten
roles in R-Rated comedies such as Chesty Anderson, U.S. Navy
(1976), Lunch Wagon
(1981) and Bachelor Party. This was solidified by her appearance as the September 1978 Playboy
centerfold
. Notable exceptions to this rule were a recurring role opposite Denzel Washington
on the medical drama
St. Elsewhere
and her appearance in two award-winning UCLA student films, Julie Dash
's "Illusions" (1982) (in which she played a singer who doubles for a white actress in 1940s Hollywood) and S. Torriano Berry
's "Rich" (playing the supportive girlfriend of the title character).
Katon also had leading roles in two Cirio Santiago action films released in 1976, Ebony, Ivory & Jade
(in which she received top billing) and The Muthers (playing opposite former Playboy centerfold, Jean Bell).
Additionally, Katon has had several stage credits including a Broadway lead role in Godspell
, and a featured role in the parody of women in prison movies, Women Behind Bars.
At one point, Katon segued into the world of stand-up comedy
, even appearing in Playboy' s June 1991 pictorial "Funny Girls," which covered female comedians.
, an international organization that supplies relief to Third World
areas in need such as Rwanda
, Cambodia
and, more recently, tsunami
-ravaged Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Indonesia; and to Hurricane Katrina-areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. Rosanne is an active participant with Operation USA serving on its Advisory Board. The relief group is based in California.
and an expert cellist
. The family is featured in the 2007 documentary Autism: The Musical
which won the 2007 Emmy for Best TV Documentary Special (HBO).
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine's Playmate of the Month for its September 1978 issue. Her centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
was photographed by Mario Casilli
Mario Casilli
Mario A. Casilli was a photographer for Playboy magazine.From 1962 until 1981 he photographed 57 Playmate pictorials, including Playmates of the Year Linda Gamble, Christa Speck, Jo Collins, Connie Kreski, Claudia Jennings and Dorothy Stratten...
.
Career
Beginning in the mid-1970s, Katon worked steadily in Hollywood, including a stint on GradyGrady (TV series)
Grady was an spin-off of the sitcom, Sanford and Son. In this series, Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady moves out of Watts and moves in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. Executive producer Norman Lear served as a consultant to the show.Redd Foxx made a special guest appearance as...
, the short-lived spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the hit sit-com, Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
. However, the shapely actress was often typecast
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
in sex kitten
Sex kitten
Sex kitten is a term that typically refers to a woman who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated circa 1958, and was used to describe French starlet Brigitte Bardot, who appeared in the 1956 film And God Created Woman.It has also often been...
roles in R-Rated comedies such as Chesty Anderson, U.S. Navy
Chesty Anderson, USN
Chesty Anderson, USN is a 1976 R-rated comedy film featuring Shari Eubank in one of her two movies. The film features Fred Willard, Betty Thomas, Scatman Crothers, Dyanne Thorne, Rosanne Katon, Joyce Mandel, and many others....
(1976), Lunch Wagon
Lunch Wagon
Lunch Wagon is a 1981 sex comedy starring Pamela Jean Bryant, Rosanne Katon, and Candy Moore. The film was directed by Ernest Pintoff and written by Marshall Harvey and Leon Phillips.-Synopsis:...
(1981) and Bachelor Party. This was solidified by her appearance as the September 1978 Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
. Notable exceptions to this rule were a recurring role opposite Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
on the medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
and her appearance in two award-winning UCLA student films, Julie Dash
Julie Dash
Julie Dash is a United States filmmaker. She directed Daughters of the Dust, which in 1991 became the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman...
's "Illusions" (1982) (in which she played a singer who doubles for a white actress in 1940s Hollywood) and S. Torriano Berry
S. Torriano Berry
Steven Torriano Berry is an award-winning American film producer, writer and director. He directed Noh Matta Wat!, the first Belizean dramatic television series, which first aired on November 28 2005.-Background and career:...
's "Rich" (playing the supportive girlfriend of the title character).
Katon also had leading roles in two Cirio Santiago action films released in 1976, Ebony, Ivory & Jade
Ebony, Ivory & Jade
Ebony, Ivory & Jade is a 1976 film by director Cirio Santiago, made in Manila, Philippines. A relatively well-budgeted martial arts feature by Santiago's standards, the film was seen mainly in US drive-in movies, where it was first released as She-Devils in Chains...
(in which she received top billing) and The Muthers (playing opposite former Playboy centerfold, Jean Bell).
Additionally, Katon has had several stage credits including a Broadway lead role in Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
, and a featured role in the parody of women in prison movies, Women Behind Bars.
At one point, Katon segued into the world of stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, even appearing in Playboy
Humanitarian work
In 1984, Katon married Richard M. Walden, who is the president and chief executive officer of Operation USAOperation USA
Operation USA is a non profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping communities alleviate the effects of disaster, disease, and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction, humanitarian aid and development aid...
, an international organization that supplies relief to Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
areas in need such as Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and, more recently, tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
-ravaged Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Indonesia; and to Hurricane Katrina-areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. Rosanne is an active participant with Operation USA serving on its Advisory Board. The relief group is based in California.
Personal life
The Waldens have two children, including a son who is autisticAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and an expert cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. The family is featured in the 2007 documentary Autism: The Musical
Autism: The Musical
Autism: The Musical is an Independent documentary film by Tricia Regan. In April 2007, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City...
which won the 2007 Emmy for Best TV Documentary Special (HBO).