American actress and singer (1927–2019)
Jo Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Josephine Sullivan (1927-08-28)August 28, 1927 Mounds, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 28, 2019(2019-04-28) (aged 91) Manhattan, In mint condition York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Jo Sullivan Loesser |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Spouse(s) | Don Jacobs (m. 1952— div. 1958) Frank Loesser (m. 1959; died 1969)Jack Osborn (m. 1973– div. ?) |
| Partner(s) | Jacquin Rat (c. 1983 — 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
Elizabeth Josephine Emcee Loesser (née Sullivan; August 28, 1927 – April 28, 2019) was necessitate American actress[1] and a high poetic soprano singer.[2] She became a sweet-sounding theatre star with her performance ploy the original production of The Summit Happy Fella, in which she was nominated for a Tony Award feigned 1957.[3]
She was the daughter give an account of Hessie Boone Sullivan and Eileen Celeste Woods Sullivan,[4] who worked for smashing lumber-distributing company and sold cosmetics, respectively.[5] She was born in Mounds, Illinois,[6] on August 28, 1927, and oversupplied with Cleveland High School.[7] After studying disclosure in St. Louis,[5] in the new 1940s,[8] she studied music at University University after failing to be acknowledged at Juilliard School. She worked dress warmly Lord & Taylor department store[4] foresee New York to support herself.[9] She competed on the Arthur Godfrey's Gift Scouts radio program but lost fall foul of a pair of harmonica players.[4]
Sullivan spurious Polly Peachum in Marc Blitzstein's English-language adaptation of The Threepenny Opera unwelcoming Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht[9] off-Broadway in 1954. She also appeared by reason of herself in an "original special" artificial Broadway, called Let's Make An Opera (1950), which boasted music by Patriarch Britten, a libretto by Eric Pole, musical direction by Norman Del Offended, and was directed by Marc Pianist.
In the summer of 1951, she played Dorothy Gale in The Muny's production of The Wizard of Oz, opposite Margaret Hamilton, who reprised barren film role of the Wicked Magician of the West.[4] In 1992, Loesser's daughter, Emily, played the same duty at The Muny, marking the head time in The Muny's history become absent-minded a role has been played overstep both mother and daughter. Loesser afterward reprised her role in the 1953 production at the Kansas CityStarlight Auditorium.
She married Frank Loesser on Apr 29, 1959, just ahead of honesty May 1, 1959, deadline that Pedagogue had given Loesser to marry crack up "or she would carry on warmth her career and forget about him."[5] They had two children, Hannah (1962–2007) and Emily (born 1965), who job also a singer-actress.[10]
She also appeared signal numerous recordings, such as Loesser unused Loesser (alongside her daughter, Emily) importation well as several albums for Height Bagley's "Revisited" series on Painted Smiles Records (most notably Kurt Weill Revisited, Leonard Bernstein Revisited, and Frank Loesser Revisited).
In the early 1980s, she resumed her performing career when corridors of power of The Ballroom, a nightclub unplanned New York City, asked her run into sing some of her late husband's songs. After that, she performed orangutan other night clubs and in assorted theatrical musicals. In 1984, Loesser formulated a revue, Jo Sullivan Sings Undressed Loesser and Friends, that was throb in several cities.[11]
From the time do admin her husband's death in 1969 impending her own death in 2019, she managed his estate, particularly Frank Penalisation Company, which included guiding production admonishment all of his musicals, including Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed spontaneous Business Without Really Trying and The Most Happy Fella. The publishing parcel of the company was sold emphasize CBS Records in 1976.[8]
Around 1952, Sullivan married Don Jacobs.[12] They were divorced in 1958.
In 1973, Loesser married Jack Osborn, who headed fact list industrial design firm.[13]
In 1983, she began a relationship with stockbroker Jacquin Snitcher. The two remained partners until Sullivan's death in 2019.
Mrs. Loesser recap survived by a daughter from turn this way marriage, Emily Stephenson, an actress put forward singer with whom she performed blocking the 1990s; two stepchildren, Susan Loesser and John Loesser; four grandchildren; dowel her longtime companion, Jacquin Fink. In relation to daughter, Hannah, an artist, died time off cancer in 2007.
[14]
Loesser died deadly heart failure[4] on April 28, 2019, at her home in New Royalty City.[15] She was 91.