Sara Berner
Biography
Sara Berner was an American actress who started out in vaudeville and became known for her skill with dialects and character voices. Born Lillian Ann Herdan in Albany, New York, in 1912, she toured for four years with Major Edward Bowes's all-girl vaudeville unit before moving into network radio in Hollywood, where she had recurring roles on Fibber McGee & Molly and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. On The Jack Benny Program she played Jack Benny's girlfriend Gladys Zybisco and the gossipy telephone operator Mabel Flapsaddle, and she headlined her own NBC show, Sara's Private Caper. She voiced cartoon characters for Warner Bros. and Walter Lantz, including the first Andy Panda and the singing debut of Chilly Willy, and appeared in films such as Road to Morocco (1942), as the voice of a camel, and Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954). She died in 1969.
57years old at death
- Born Albany
- Died Van Nuys
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
Movie Career
- Films
- 9
- Career span
- 21 years1934 to 1955
Genres
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First role
Berner was hired for Major Edward Bowes's amateur hour after sneaking out during a shift at a Broadway millinery to audition, and was hired the next day.
A first
Berner's Hepburn impression got her the job at Lantz as the first voice of Andy Panda, a role she did only twice, in Life Begins for Andy Panda and Knock Knock.
A first
In August 1953, Berner gave Chilly Willy, a Walter Lantz penguin, his first voice. She earned onscreen credit, but only sang the opening theme, since the character stayed mute until Daws Butler created his speaking voice in the 1960s.
Languages
Berner's dialects covered French, Spanish, Italian, Southern American, and New York English. She picked them up through contact with speakers of those accents.
A change of course
During World War II, Berner entertained American servicemen, performing more than 300 times at Army bases and making 84 appearances at the Hollywood Canteen.
Sara Berner movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Hollywood Steps Out1941as Greta Garbo / Coat Check Girl / Henry Fonda's Mother / Dorothy Lamourvoice
IMDb rating 7.11.3K votes
Most often with
Tex Avery directed two of these films. Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Anthony Quinn's page
Pinto Colvig's page
Martha Wentworth's page
Kent Rogers's page
All films by Tex Avery
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.