Miss Carol Kane

She's eccentric but a terrific comedy actress. I love her on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

I love being reduced to a cultural stereotype, OP.

First thing I recall KANE for was when I was a boy, 40 odd years ago and she did this commercial for DR. PEPPER in the early 70s.

I find it amusing that on a gay site the fact that a man or woman has never been married means that they must be gay (or something wrong with them), never mind that more and more straight people (and couples) are refusing to marry. It's not the '50s anymore. Marriage is not a requisite. even if you're over 30.

R4

Must be more to it than that. JACKIE BISSET, for example who has never married is not speculated to be a lesbian.

Cracker bitch stole my Emmy with a goddamn guest shot!

Love her in "Scrooged" as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Her big eyes are perfect for that silent movie Dr. Pepper commercial. Did anyone ever see her in a weird 70s movie called "The Mafu Cage" with Lee Grant?

Her last name isn't KANE for nothing!

R5 That's because tabloids were filled with stories about Bisset's relationships with other male celebs. But I never read an article about Carol Kane sleeping with Warren Beatty (although Ned Beatty would probably be more in her league).

But she is definitely a fantastic actress. Apparently even Bette Davis was a fan of her moving academy award-nominated performannce in Hester Street. That's also one of the very few movies made in the now almost extinct Yiddish.

A daughter of how many lesbos, OP?

R6 Carter and Kane were only in direct competition once, in 1982, when both were nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Carter for GIMME A BREAK and Kane for TAXI), which Kane won.

She isn't lesbian, but her family is her dogs. I did a movie with her. She was wonderful and easy to get along with, nothing like her reputation.

Whenever I see her I think of her & Andy Kaufman on Taxi. She was recently wonderful on Gotham & I was sorry she was killed off.

Wasn't Kane the name of that actress who did all those bisexual porn videos in the 80s?

R12 what movie? And what is her reputation?

I didn't know she had a bad reputation, R12. I'm glad to hear she was good to work with. I've always liked her and her strange aura of being from another era. And she has a distinctive kind of beauty.

R11 What's weird about Kane's Emmys is that she won for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1982, but the following year she was demoted to Supporting, which she also won. How did she go from Lead to Supporting in one year? I never saw the show.

Kane face

Sharon Kane

See, smooth! milky white! Yours!

Perfectly cast as a silent movie star in Ken Russell's VALENTINO.

I first noticed her in CARNAL KNOWLEDGE.

She and Wanda Sykes have the most distinctive (and horrid) voices on film or tv.

R22 pardon?

R9, you brought up an interesting point about Bisset. People believed she was having real relationships with male celebs but don't believe anyone is having a real, non-contractual, relationship in today's world. Why or when did that change? Datalounge doesn't believe any celebrity relationship is real unless it involves an ugly man.

Has she Checked the. Children ?

Don't know if this is true, but I remember reading somewhere that the role Kane played in ANNIE HALL was originally offered to Elizabeth Hartman. Hartman had been a longtime admirer of Woody Allen's work but was in the throes of her mental illness and turned the part down-- to her later regret.

R26 what mental illness?

Back in the 1980s, she and Woody Harrelson were reported to be in a relationship. Would seem like a very odd bearding arrangement.

[italic]THOSE[/italic] are what you consider "yellow teeth"? You must be very young, and used to new tombstone-white teeth and veneers bleached to the point of brittleness.

She was excellent in " Hester Street". I will never forget that performance.

Woody dated Glenn Close too. He has unusual taste in women.

R27, Elizabeth Hartman struggled with depression and mental illness for years before her 1987 suicide.

"See, smooth! milky white! Yours! "

There was a time.

I don't actually recall Carol in Carnal Knowledge, but I first noticed her pre-Taxi as the disinterested prostitute in The Last Detail. Surprisingly nice.

[quote] Apparently even Bette Davis was a fan of her moving academy award-nominated performannce in Hester Street.

That's interesting because Kane in her younger days looked exactly like young Bette. Maybe Bette saw her "mine-me" in Carol.

R32 thanks. I just Googled her and she jumped out of her apartment window, which was 8 stories high. Wow. I guess she really wanted to end it. Not half-hearted at all.

Well that's kind of the point R34. Davis was giving another of her casket interviews when said that this new young actress Carol Kane should play her in a future biopic. Clearly she had never seen Kane's work or heard her speak because Kane could never approximate Davis is any way, except maybe in a still photo. I always thought Jodie Foster or Susan Sarandon were better choices to play Davis, and now Sarandon is going to play her for Ryan Murphy.

I would be a great Joan to Carol's Bette. Call me, Ryan!

Is Swoosie Kurtz a lesbian?

I passed Carol Kane on the street in NYC one time, and gave her a nod and a smile because I thought I recognized her from work. (She was very familiar, but I couldn't place how I knew her - work seemed the most likely possibility.) She nodded and smiled back, which was sweet. The encounter lasted all of three seconds, but my very brief impression was that she was a little bit nicer than she had to be.

R39 when did it hit you that you had smiled/nodded at Carol Kane, and vice-versa?

Kane is a highly trained actress. Of course she could approximate Bette Davis' voice. Are people idiots about skill and technique? Reality tv has convinced audiences that people can only play themselves. It's maddening!

I never married, and you don't see people running around calling me a Lezzie!

Carol Kane did play an elder Bette Davis recently in a new play off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre. Didn't see it but wish I had as it sounded fascinating. Though I think the reviews were just so-so.

Probably the most underrated actress on the planet. Even M thinks so.

[quote]I never married, and you don't see people running around calling me a Lezzie!

I don't see people calling you PERIOD, Kate.

Teri Garr is the poor man's Carol Kane.

R40, I think I was about half a block away when it hit me that the "nice lady from work" was actually the deranged fairy from Scrooged. Sometimes the truth is painful, Frank!

I have seen her in "Scrooged," "Flashback" with Dennis Hopper and Kiefer Sutherland, and an episode of "Seinfeld," what else would people recommend?

r48 - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, of course!

Do you think Carol and Bernadette competed for the same roles at times?

Her supporting turn in Jumping Jack Flash was divine.

R48 Miss Kane herself is most proud of her work in 'Hester Street' and 'Wedding in White'. Too bad she got typcasted as the crazy old loon in comedies because she happens to be a wonderful dramatic actress.

I remember when she did a guest spot on Ellen's sitcom back in the 90s. She played the mother of the annoying book store employee Audrey.

Wasn't she linked with Pacino at one point?

R53 she was perfectly cast as Audrey Penny's mom. She looked and sounded exactly like Clea Lewis. Great casting there!

Clea Lewis as Audrey

She has her Emmys and a 2nd career starring in a hit Netflix series. Furthermore, she got to sample the Harrelson cock and ass when he was in her prime. She's winning.

R53 why do you think she was annoying?

R54 you're thinking of Beverly D'Angelo.

HIS prime.

R57 Kane also has a recurring role in GOTHAM, as the Penguin's batshit crazy mother mother, so she's doing pretty well for herself lately.

Similar to Sandy Dennis in her eccentricity, but unlike Dennis, Carol Kane understood how to use and even parody her unique deliver and looks into something that went beyond narrowcasting. She seems in on the joke unlike Dennis who is deadly serious.

She did an obscure horror spoof called "Pandemonium" (aka "Thursday the 12th") in the early 80s. It's hit-and-miss but overall worth watching if you can find it. Plus it co-stars DL faves Debralee Scott and Eileen Brennan. And a pre-Pee Wee Herman Paul Reubens.

Met her and Madeline Kahn at a press party for a new book by Belva Plain in the early 80s, if I recall correctly. They were sitting together, very approachable and very friendly. I was more engaged with Madeline, as I was a huge fan of her work. What struck me odd - about both of them - was how tiny they were, how overly made-up they were, and how over-processed/brittle their hair seemed. Funny what you remember.

[quote]What struck me odd - about both of them - was ... how overly made-up they were, and how over-processed/brittle their hair seemed.

Uh, "early 80s". Duh!

eccentric but sweet and delivers. Never heard she was difficult

R66, she had a reputation for being difficult, I think around the time of Scrooged. She would only wear one style of dress, wear her hair in one certain style, etc. I don't know the details, but it was as if everything else was falling apart in her life and she was holding on to details to keep some consistency. If something wasn't just-so, she either had a meltdown or a blowup. It was kind of more like Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory than typical diva behavior.

I thought Kane's character was killed off on Gotham.

I worked on a TV movie she was in.

Setting up one scene, she asked the camera operator if he was shooting her right side or her left side. His answer didn't please her. She insisted that whatever side of her face he was shooting wasn't her "good side" and demanded that he shoot her other side. At first we all thought she was goofing but then she got really diva about it and things got awkward as the DP said 'the shot is blocked, we're ready to shoot. Come on.' The director, to get her to simmer down and so we could get on with it told the camera guy to shoot whatever side she wanted.

But later she overheard me say "I hope we can wrap on time to get home and see the final "Seinfeld", which was airing that night. She was then real sweet and we had a fun chat about "Seinfeld".

[quote]I thought Kane's character was killed off on Gotham.

She popped up again in flashbacks.

R69 When Kane was on the cover of TV Guide in the early '80s, the writer documented exactly what you described: an insistence that they shoot her "good side" complete with meltdown, refusal to continue, etc. She said something like "I'm an actress, and my livelihood is my face..."

She came across as annoying but weirdly sympathetic at the same time; clearly, somebody had given her a real complex about there being something wrong with her face from a certain angle. Hope she eventually got over it.

She was on a Seinfeld episode. Elaine was in a taxi with some old Russian writer guy. Her new "electronic organizer " started belong . The Russian curmudgeon threw it out the window and it hit Carol Kane in the head.

She was very funny in her own understated quirky way.

She's my least favorite on The Unbreakable Titus Andromedon Show. Every solo scene she has without the other cast members is a slog to get through.

Um, this veered a bit off topic. So is she or isn't she lez? Why would you "hide" your marriage with a man anyway? (She was seen wearing a ring on her wedding finger & neither confirmed/denied the rumors. Then a friend on Twitter said something like: "you could see the love in your eyes when you love birds look at each other".

Nothing wrong with not breeding or being married whatsoever, but it does raise some eyebrows after all these years. Most celeb women are proud as pie to flaunt their hetero relationships to the world.

Years ago she lived across the street from me in LA...quirky, cute and friendly.....not lez....our balconies looked onto each other.

R69 I see nothing wrong with this.

How is she only 64. I would have guessed 75 or 85.

She's a great actress. The more she works, the richer we all are.

Unless you've seen her with men romantically, how can you say "not lez"? You'd think the paparazzi would've snapped pics of her with a man other than just Woody Harrelson at some point in all these decades too. (Must admit, that one feels a bit like a beard too). There's a pic of her with BeBe Neuwirth in "Out" magazine circa 2004, for what that's worth. She's the only 'hetero' person on the page with a bunch of out gays which I found odd.

Link:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=carol+kane+lesbian&source=bl&ots=jKFjnL9-Ba&sig=ACfU3U2ZslE8KE80GEmnROgbPEk9dLDV9A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiOgNDBveDhAhULSa0KHb-0AYYQ6AEwEHoECBMQAQ#v=onepage&q=carol%20kane%20lesbian&f=false

She looks more asexual than lesbian in my opinion.

She is a very good friend of Diane Keaton - nothing sexual though - just girl pals.

She's a nice lady. True professional.

Adore her!

Strange how her career faded fast after the 80’s.

Wasn't it a big shock when she got an Oscar nomination for Hester Street, a tiny little film?

[quote] See, smooth! milky white! Yours!

I adored Carol on Taxi. She had a very nice cameo on Mad About You playing the same (but unnamed) character driving a cab to support herself following the death of her husband.

I only know her from Kimmy Schmidt and the Princess Bride but she was wonderful in both. Now I want to watch Hester Street and see her in a dramatic role

[Quote] Strange how her career faded fast after the 80’s.

Are there many roles from the 1990s and beyond where you thought "That's a Carol Kane type of part?"

I'm surprised Burton didn't cast her in anything.

Does she have kane-face?

R89 I would hope he doesn't. Burton seems to be a destroyer of careers as of late. I've barely heard of Wasikowska since she started in his vomitous Alice in wonderland film.

I always love when she pops up in something. Those are the best kinds of actors. It's always a joy when you see them in even a tiny role. You know they'll deliver.

She hasn't had many big leading roles, but she did carry big portions of When A Stranger Calls and it's sequel very well. She also did an enjoyable dark comedy called Office Killer with Molly Ringwald and Jeanne Tripplehorn where she was a crazy cat lady who kills the people she works with for not appreciating her.

R9 Since when is Yiddish 'almost extinct'? Hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews in New York speak it as their primary language.

^^Since R9 declared it so, R93!