Sandra Church
Encyclopedia
Sandra Church is an American
actress in films and theatre, primarily known for her performance as Gypsy Rose Lee
in the 1959 musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable
, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
. Her father died when she was two years old; her mother, a nurse, "thrust her in to show business". Although Church had original detested the idea, she later decided to choose acting as her vocation. She attended Immaculate Heart High School
in Hollywood.
, followed by the role of Jeannie in The Mugger
(1958). She subsequently guest starred on the television series Look Up And Live (1959), as well as The DuPont Show of the Month in 1960. Three years later, she played Marion MacWhite in the film adaptation of Eugene Burdick
and William Lederer
's novel, The Ugly American
(1963). Also in 1963, she appeared on television in The Eleventh Hour
and Kraft Suspense Theatre
. Church played a minor role in the film Prison Ship, which was released in North America in 1986.
debut in William Inge
's Picnic
at the Music Box Theatre
. Church then starred as Betsy Dean in the Ronald Alexander play Holiday for Lovers
.
Church's first major theatre role was in the Stephen Sondheim
, Jule Styne
, and Arthur Laurents
1959 Broadway musical, Gypsy: A Musical Fable
, in which Church starred as Louise Havoc ("Gypsy Rose Lee
"). In his autobiography, Laurents states, "It came down to between Suzanne Pleshette
and Sandra Church. Suzanne was the better actress, but Sandra was the better singer. We went with Sandra." In Gypsy, Church introduced the popular standard "Let Me Entertain You."
Following Gypsy, Church appeared in the 1960 Broadway play Under the Yum Yum Tree
at Henry Miller's Theatre
, directed by Joseph Anthony
, which ran for 173 performances.
would marry, although this was denied in rehearsals of the musical. Church was later romantically linked to Harold Fishman; their relationship ended in April 1964. In November 1964, she married Broadway producer Norman Twain in Barbados
. She currently lives in San Francisco .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress in films and theatre, primarily known for her performance as Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
in the 1959 musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Early life
Church was born and raised in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her father died when she was two years old; her mother, a nurse, "thrust her in to show business". Although Church had original detested the idea, she later decided to choose acting as her vocation. She attended Immaculate Heart High School
Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)
Immaculate Heart High School is a Catholic, all-girl, college preparatory school located in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Western Avenue. There are 200 students in the middle school and 521 in the high school . It is located in...
in Hollywood.
Films and television
Church's first on-screen appearance was on the Producers' ShowcaseProducers' Showcase
Producers' Showcase is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth Monday at 8 p.m. ET for three seasons, beginning October...
, followed by the role of Jeannie in The Mugger
The Mugger
The Mugger is a 1958 American film about a police psychiatrist, Dr. Pete Graham, who is attempting to catch a mysterious mugger that has been attacking women in his city. The film's screenplay, written by Henry Kane, is based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter. William Berke directed the...
(1958). She subsequently guest starred on the television series Look Up And Live (1959), as well as The DuPont Show of the Month in 1960. Three years later, she played Marion MacWhite in the film adaptation of Eugene Burdick
Eugene Burdick
Eugene L. Burdick , was an American political scientist, novelist, and non-fiction writer, co-author of The Ugly American and Fail-Safe and author of The 480 ....
and William Lederer
William Lederer
William Julius Lederer, Jr. was an American author.-Biography:He was a US Naval Academy graduate in 1936. His first appointment was as the junior officer of a river gunboat on the Yangtze River....
's novel, The Ugly American
The Ugly American
The Ugly American is the title of a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. The novel became a bestseller, was influential at the time, and is still in print...
(1963). Also in 1963, she appeared on television in The Eleventh Hour
Eleventh Hour (U.S. TV series)
Eleventh Hour is an American science-based drama television series, which is based on the 2006 British series of the same name. The series originally ran on CBS from October 9, 2008 to April 2, 2009 and aired on Thursdays at 10 pm . The series was a joint venture between Jerry Bruckheimer...
and Kraft Suspense Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre, an anthology series, was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly...
. Church played a minor role in the film Prison Ship, which was released in North America in 1986.
Theatre
In 1953, she made her BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in William Inge
William Inge
William Motter Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize...
's Picnic
Picnic (play)
Picnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February 1953 in a Theatre Guild production, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 477 performances....
at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
. Church then starred as Betsy Dean in the Ronald Alexander play Holiday for Lovers
Holiday for Lovers
Holiday for Lovers is a 1959 comedy film directed by Henry Levin. Based on a 1957 play by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Clifton Webb, Jane Wyman, Jill St. John and Carol Lynley.-Plot:...
.
Church's first major theatre role was in the Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
, and Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, stage director and screenwriter.After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S...
1959 Broadway musical, Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
, in which Church starred as Louise Havoc ("Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee
Gypsy Rose Lee was an American burlesque entertainer famous for her striptease act. She was also an actress, author, and playwright whose 1957 memoir was made into the stage musical and film Gypsy.-Early life:...
"). In his autobiography, Laurents states, "It came down to between Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette
Suzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
and Sandra Church. Suzanne was the better actress, but Sandra was the better singer. We went with Sandra." In Gypsy, Church introduced the popular standard "Let Me Entertain You."
Following Gypsy, Church appeared in the 1960 Broadway play Under the Yum Yum Tree
Under the Yum Yum Tree
Under the Yum Yum Tree is a 1963 comedy movie that stars Jack Lemmon, Carol Lynley, Paul Lynde, Dean Jones and Edie Adams.This sex comedy was one of the successful small comic movies that Lemmon despised making . It first ran on Broadway in 1960-1961.-Plot:Jack Lemmon stars as the playboy landlord...
at Henry Miller's Theatre
Henry Miller's Theatre
The Stephen Sondheim Theatre, formerly Henry Miller's Theatre, is a Broadway theatre located at 124 West 43rd Street, between Broadway and 6th Avenue, in Manhattan's Theatre District.-History:...
, directed by Joseph Anthony
Joseph Anthony
Joseph Anthony was an American playwright, actor, and director. He made his film acting debut in the 1934 film Hat, Coat, and Glove and his theatrical acting debut in a 1935 production of Mary of Scotland...
, which ran for 173 performances.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| |
(Original Broadway Cast Recording) |
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
| |
|
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
| |
|
|
Personal life
In October 1961 it was widely reported that Church and Gypsy composer Jule StyneJule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
would marry, although this was denied in rehearsals of the musical. Church was later romantically linked to Harold Fishman; their relationship ended in April 1964. In November 1964, she married Broadway producer Norman Twain in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. She currently lives in San Francisco .