Kay Medford

Biography

Kay Medford, an American actress and singer, started her professional entertaining at summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains. She later toured a nightclub act featuring Hollywood celebrity impersonations. Her Broadway debut came in 1951 with Paint Your Wagon, and she originated Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie to excellent reviews. She played Rose Brice in Funny Girl on stage, earning a 1964 Tony Award nomination, and repeated the role in the 1968 film, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her films also included A Face in the Crowd (1957), BUtterfield 8 (1960), Ensign Pulver (1964), A Fine Madness (1966), and The Busy Body (1967). On television she portrayed Harriet Endicott on To Rome with Love and was a cast member of The Dean Martin Show. She died in 1980.

60years old at death

Born September 14, 1919New York City
Died April 10, 1980New York City
Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22

Movie Career

Films: 8
Career span: 19 years1949 to 1968

Genres

Drama88%, 7 films
Comedy50%, 4 films
Crime38%, 3 films
Mystery25%, 2 films
Romance25%, 2 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

Big break
A multi-page portrait in Look magazine's March 10, 1942, issue first brought Medford national attention, while she lived a spartan existence in New York and looked for acting roles.
A change of course
Kay Medford took her stage name and launched her professional career by entertaining at summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains. Her 1949 nightclub tour featured impersonations of Hollywood celebrities.

Kay Medford movies on Netflix

Funny Girl1968IMDb rating 7.4as Rose Brice
The Busy Body1967IMDb rating 5.5as Ma Norton
A Fine Madness1966IMDb rating 5.5as Mrs. Fish
Ensign Pulver1964IMDb rating 5.9as Head Nurse
BUtterfield 81960IMDb rating 6.3as Happy
A Face in the Crowd1957IMDb rating 8.1as First Mrs. Rhodes
Guilty Bystander1950IMDb rating 6.2as Angel
The Undercover Man1949IMDb rating 6.6as Gladys LaVerne

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Funny Girl1968 Biography, Comedy, Dramaas Rose Brice
IMDb rating 7.428K votes
A Face in the Crowd1957 Drama, Musicas First Mrs. Rhodes
IMDb rating 8.120K votes
BUtterfield 81960as Happy
IMDb rating 6.38.1K votes
Ensign Pulver1964as Head Nurse
IMDb rating 5.91.9K votes
Guilty Bystander1950as Angel
IMDb rating 6.21.4K votes
The Busy Body1967as Ma Norton
IMDb rating 5.5419 votes
A Fine Madness1966as Mrs. Fish
IMDb rating 5.51.7K votes
The Undercover Man1949as Gladys LaVerne
IMDb rating 6.62.0K votes

Worked with

Kay Medford shares two films with Walter Matthau, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Walter Matthau

Diana Sands

Sean Connery

Rip Torn

Jack Nicholson

Glenn Ford

William WylerDirector, 1 film

Elia KazanDirector, 1 film Daniel MannDirector, 1 film

Films together

Walter Matthau2 films together, 1957 to 1964
Walter Matthau's page
- Ensign Pulver1964IMDb rating 5.9Medford as Head NurseMatthau as Doc
- A Face in the Crowd1957IMDb rating 8.1Medford as First Mrs. RhodesMatthau as Mel Miller
Diana Sands2 films together, 1957 to 1964
Diana Sands's page
- Ensign Pulver1964IMDb rating 5.9Medford as Head NurseSands as Mila
- A Face in the Crowd1957IMDb rating 8.1Medford as First Mrs. RhodesSands as Homeless Woman
Sean Connery1 film together, 1966
Sean Connery's page
- A Fine Madness1966IMDb rating 5.5Medford as Mrs. FishConnery as Samson Shillitoe
Rip Torn1 film together, 1957
Rip Torn's page
- A Face in the Crowd1957IMDb rating 8.1Medford as First Mrs. RhodesTorn as Barry Mills
Jack Nicholson1 film together, 1964
Jack Nicholson's page
- Ensign Pulver1964IMDb rating 5.9Medford as Head NurseNicholson as Yeoman Dolan
Glenn Ford1 film together, 1949
Glenn Ford's page
- The Undercover Man1949IMDb rating 6.6Medford as Gladys LaVerneFord as Frank Warren
William WylerDirector, 1 film, 1968
All films by William Wyler
- Funny Girl1968IMDb rating 7.4Medford as Rose Brice
Elia KazanDirector, 1 film, 1957
All films by Elia Kazan
- A Face in the Crowd1957IMDb rating 8.1Medford as First Mrs. Rhodes
Daniel MannDirector, 1 film, 1960
All films by Daniel Mann
- BUtterfield 81960IMDb rating 6.3Medford as Happy

Awards

One award and honor.

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Kay Medford's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Other honors
1954	Theatre World Award		Won

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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