Selma Diamond
(1920 - 1985)She came into acting from a completely different field...that of comedy writing. She had immediate success as she had all the elements of a great character actor: looks, attitude and a terrific voice. A short, dishwater blonde lady with a nasal, raspy, twangy voice that was unforgettable, she played mostly strong-willed, tough, outspoken women. Born August 5, 1920 in London, Ontario she grew up in Brooklyn, New York as evidenced by her strong New York accent. She graduated from New York University and later sold cartoons and fiction to the New Yorker Magazine. She was hired by NBC to write for a radio program "The Big Show" and later moved on to writing for television. Stanley Kramer invited her to appear (voice only) in "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963) as the wife of Spencer Tracy's character, her film debut, and she was on her way. Her movie and television acting career was short but she created some very memorable roles. Among her film credits are: "Bang the Drum Slowly" (1973) as Tootsie; "My Favorite Year" (1982) as Lil, with Peter O'Toole; "Twilight Zone: the Movie" (1983) as Mrs. Weinstein; "Lovesick" (1983) as Harriet Singer M.D. and "All of Me" (1984) with Steve Martin, as Margo, her last film. On TV she was a regular on "Too Close for Comfort" (1980-81) as Mildred Rafkin and "Night Court" (1984-85) as Selma Hacker. She appeared in the made for TV movies "Magic Carpet" (1971); "The Other Woman" (1983) and "The Ratings Game" (1984). She was also a frequent talk show guest appearing on "the Jack Paar Show" and "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson." She died on May 14, 1985 of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California.
From Great Character Actors, Page 1.
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