Sada Thompson

She was born Sada Carolyn Thompson in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1927 to Hugh Woodruff Thompson and his wife Corlyss (née Gibson). The family moved to Fanwood, New Jersey a few years later.^[1][2] where she attended Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, graduating in the class of 1945.^[3] Thompson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University),^[2] after which she worked steadily in regional theatre in such plays as The Seagull, Pygmalion, Our Town, Arms and the Man, and Blithe Spirit. She received training at Pittsburgh Playhouse, where she appeared in numerous productions.^[4]

She made her Off-Broadway debut in a 1955 production of Under Milk Wood,^[2] and the following year she appeared on television in a Goodyear Television Playhouse production. She made her Broadway debut in the 1959 musical Juno. Her additional New York City stage-credits include The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Tartuffe, and Twigs. Her stage performances won her an Obie Award, a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (for "Twigs"), three Drama Desk Awards and two Sarah Siddons Awards (the last presented for outstanding performances in Chicago theatre). She was elected to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005.^[5]

On the strength of her success in Twigs, Thompson was signed to play neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family. After taping her first episode, however, she was replaced by Betty Garrett, when it became obvious that she and producer Norman Lear had different opinions about how the character should be played.^[2]

She was subsequently cast as matriarch Kate Lawrence on Family. Thompson's portrayal of Kate was lauded for its realism.^[1] She won the 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the role, which also garnered three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.^{[citation needed]}

She was nominated for the Emmy Award nine times, including a nomination for her portrayal of Carla's mother on Cheers.^[6] Thompson's additional television credits included Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, The Love Boat, Father Dowling Mysteries, Andre's Mother, Indictment: The McMartin Trial, ER and Law & Order. Her feature films included The Pursuit of Happiness, Desperate Characters, and Pollock.

Thompson was married to Donald E. Stewart from December 18, 1949, until her death.^[1] She and her husband lived in Southbury, Connecticut. Their daughter, Liza Stewart, is a costume designer.^[7]

Thompson died on May 4, 2011, in Danbury, Connecticut, of lung disease, aged 83.^[7]

Film

More information Year, Title ...

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	The Pursuit of Happiness	Ruth Lawrence
1971	Desperate Characters	Claire
1976	The Entertainer	Phoebe Rice	Television movie
1977	Our Town	Mrs. Gibbs	Television movie
1983	Princess Daisy	Masha	Television movie
1986	My Two Loves	Dorothea	Television movie
1987	Father Dowling Mysteries	Maria Pello	Television movie
1989	Home Fires Burning	Pastine Tibbetts
1989	Fear Stalk	Pearl	Television movie
1990	Andre's Mother	Katharine Gerard	Television movie
1995	Indictment: The McMartin Trial	Virginia McMartin	Television movie
1997	Any Mother's Son	Gertie	Television movie
1998	The Patron Saint of Liars	Sister Evangeline	Television movie
2000	Pollock	Stella Pollock

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Television

More information Year, Title ...

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Camera Three	Rosalyn	Episode: "The Cracked Looking Glass"
1963	The Nurses	Mrs. Mitchell	Episode: "The Helping Hand"
1964	The DuPont Show of the Week	Judy	Episode: "The Missing Bank of Rupert X. Humperdinck"
1973	Love Story	Mamma Cassalini	Episode: "Joie"
1974–76	Lincoln	Mary Todd Lincoln	5 episodes
1976–80	Family	Kate Lawrence	86 episodes
1982	Marco Polo	Aunt Flora	2 episodes
1986	The Love Boat	Laura Jameson	2 episodes
1991	Cheers	Mama Lozupone	Episode: "Honor Thy Mother"
1993	Alex Haley's Queen	Miss Mandy	3 episodes
1995	Law & Order	Elaine Nicodos	Episode: "Jeopardy"

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