Rae Allen, a Tony-winning actress who starred in The Sopranos, has died. She was 95. Allen died peacefully in her sleep Wednesday morning, reports Deadline. Those who knew her described the Damn Yankees star as a “force of nature.”
Allen was born Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo in Brooklyn on July 23, 1926. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947 and quickly found success on Broadway. She earned her first Tony nomination for playing the reporter Gloria in Damn Yankees in 1955. She recreated the role in the 1958 film version and performed the song “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.”
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Allen went on to star in The Pajama Game, Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and Dude. Traveler Without Luggage earned Allen a Tony nomination in 1967. She won the 1971 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little.
Allen also starred in several 1960s TV shows, including The Untouchables, The Patty Duke Show, and Car 54, Where Are You?. She also starred in two All in the Family episodes as Edith Bunker’s cousin Amelia. Other television credits include Soap, The Greatest American Hero, Lou Grant, Remington Steele, Equal Justice, Head of the Class, Brooklyn Bridge, and L.A. Doctors. She was seen in the Seinfeld episode “The Boyfriend.”
In 2004, Allen joined The Sopranos cast. She starred as Aunt Quintina Blundetoo in five episodes of Season 5. In 2004, she starred in an episode of NYPD Blue and was seen in a 2006 Grey’s Anatomy episode. Her final credits came in 2011, when she starred in two episodes of Vampire Mob. Allen also starred in several films, including A League of Their Own, Stargate, Where’s Poppa?, Angie, Love for Rent and Reign Over Me.
Allen is survived by her nieces Laura and Betty Cosgrove, her adopted family, and friends April Webster and Lisa Ann Gold. Her loved ones are planning memorial services on both coasts.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
