Elmarie Wendel | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1928-11-23)November 23, 1928 Howard County, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2018(2018-07-21) (aged 89) |
| Occupations | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1956–2018 |
| Children | 1 |
Elmarie Louise Wendel (November 23, 1928 –July 21, 2018)[1][2][3] was an American actress and singer best known as Mamie Dubcek on theNBC sitcom3rd Rock from the Sun.
Born on a farm inHoward County, Iowa, one of five siblings, Wendel spent her childhood travelling with her musical parents and dancing with her sisters in and aroundthe Midwest in club and concert hall venues,[4][5] including theGrand Ole Opry. She eventually made her way to New York City where she appeared in, among other productions, the original 1959 off-Broadway production ofLittle Mary Sunshine, starringEileen Brennan andJohn McMartin.[6]
A national touring company ofAnnie took her toLos Angeles,[4] where she made a successful transition into film and television.[6] She garnered the role of the eccentricMrs. Dubcek on3rd 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 asSeinfeld,Love & War,Murphy Brown,Murder, She Wrote, andEmpty Nest.[8][9] She appeared inAnd the Band Played On andFar from Home.[citation needed] She had a recurring role as Gina, a lascivious assembly line co-worker of the title character onGeorge Lopez.[5][8] In 2008, she appeared onGeneral Hospital in the recurring role of Peg.[10] Her musical theatre credits includeWonderful Town,Cole Porter Revisited,Little Mary Sunshine andGigi.[citation needed]
Wendel's daughter, J.C. Wendel, is also an actress.[5] Her death was announced on her daughter'sInstagram on July 21, 2018.[11] No cause or place of death was given but Wendel had resided inStudio City, California, at the time of her death.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | A Bowl of Cherries | Daphne | Short comedy filmwritten and directed byWilliam Kronick | |
| 1990 | The Immortalizer | Agnes |
| [13] |
| 1991 | Going Under | Sonar | Comedy film directed by Mark W. Travis | [14] |
| 1995 | Rumpelstiltskin | Gypsy Woman | Comedyfantasy horror film directed byMark Jones | [15] |
| 2000 | Attraction | Beehive Waitress | Dramaromanticthriller film directed byRussell DeGrazier | [16] |
| 2011 | A Bag of Hammers | The Mark | Comedy drama film directed by Brian Crano and written by Crano andJake Sandvig | [17][18] |
| 2012 | The Lorax | Aunt Grizelda |
| [19][20] |
| 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 byJohn Patterson concerningacquaintance 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" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fallout 4 | Mandy Stiles / Cathy / Pulowski Preservation Shelter | [25] | |
| 2018 | Fallout 76 | Pulowski Preservation Shelter | Posthumous release | [20] |