Imogene Coca

Born: 1908-11-18

Imogene Fernandez de Coca (November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wished to have a serious career in music and dance, graduating to decades of stage musical revues, cabaret and summer stock. Finally in her 40s she began a celebrated career as a comedienne in television, starring in six series and guesting on successful television programs from the 1940s to the 1990s. She was nominated for five Emmy awards for Your Show of Shows, winning Best Actress in 1951 and singled out for a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting in 1953. Coca was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century and received a sixth Emmy nomination at the age of 80 for an episode of Moonlighting. She possessed a rubbery face capable of the broadest expressions—Life magazine compared her to Beatrice Lillie and Charlie Chaplin, and described her characterizations as taking "people or situations suspended in their own precarious balance between dignity and absurdity, and push(ing) them over the cliff with one single, pointed gesture"—the magazine noted a "particularly high-brow critic" as observing, "The trouble with most comedians who try to do satire is that they are essentially brash, noisy and indelicate people who have to use a sledge hammer to smash a butterfly. Miss Coca, on the other hand, is the timid woman who, when aroused, can beat a tiger to death with a feather." In addition to vaudeville, cabaret, theater and television, she appeared in film, voiced children's cartoons and was even featured in an MTV video by a New Wave band. Though her fame began late, she worked well into her 80s. Twice a widow, Coca died in 2001. Description above from the Wikipedia article Imogene Coca, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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National Lampoon's Vacation

as Aunt Edna
Released: 1983-07-29

Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation,...

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Rabbit Test

as Madam Marie
Released: 1978-04-09

Lionel's life turns around after a one-night stand on top of a pinball table... he becomes the...

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Under the Yum-Yum Tree

as Dorkus Murphy
Released: 1963-10-23

A love-struck landlord tries to convince a pretty tenant to dump her fiancé and give him a chance.

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Nothing Lasts Forever

as Daisy Schackman
Released: 1984-09-06

An artist fails a test and is required to direct traffic in New York City's Holland Tunnel. He...

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A Special Sesame Street Christmas

as Herself
Released: 1978-12-08

Leslie Uggams hosts this take on A Christmas Carol, where she and fellow guest stars, Anne...

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The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies

as Granny's Maw
Released: 1981-10-06

Jed Clamplett and his backwoods family help solve an energy crisis in their own rustic ways for...

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Buy & Cell

as Reggie's Mother
Released: 1989-01-27

Herbie Altman is framed for Stock fraud by his boss when the SEC starts investigating his...

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Mel Brooks: Unwrapped

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2018-02-17

At the age of 91, Mel Brooks is unstoppable, with his musical "Young Frankenstein" opening to...

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Promises! Promises!

as Woman Under Hair Dryer (uncredited)
Released: 1963-08-01

After a drunken spree on a cruise ship, two women discover that they're pregnant, and set out to...

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Papa Was a Preacher

as Missy B
Released: 1986-09-19

Edwin Porter, a Methodist minister, is sent to a little church in the small town of Sterling,...

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Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes

as Princess Jane Klockenlocher (voice)
Released: 1972-02-21

Two con men convince a king that they have woven for him a suit made of magical cloth that only...

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The Sound of Laughter

as Miss Klutz (Ballerina)
Released: 1963-12-17

A compilation of film clips of comedies from 1930's.

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In the Beginning: The Caesar Years

as Self
Released: 2012-11-13

New interviews with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, footage from the reunion of Caesar's Writers...

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Too Easy to Kill

as Mrs. Bradshaw
Released: 1975-10-14

A nurse deeply involved in the occult is hired to care for a wounded policeman who is secretly...

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Hollywood: The Movie

as Roxy
Released: 1996-01-01

An ambitious filmmaker sets out to make an avant-garde film but soon learns the only way he can...

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Ten from Your Show of Shows

as uncredited
Released: 1973-02-23

Ten comedy sketches compiled from the 1950s TV series, "Your Show of Shows."

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The Little Match Girl

as Self - Host
Released: 1987-12-01

Adaptation of a Hans Christian Andersen story about a poor dying child who dreams of different...

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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...

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Bewitched

as uncredited
First aired: 1964-09-17

Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine...

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The Mike Douglas Show

as Self
First aired: 1961-12-11

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that...

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What's My Line?

as Self - Mystery Guest
First aired: 1950-02-02

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...

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Tony Awards

as Self - Nominee/Performer
First aired: 1956-04-01

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award,...

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Moonlighting

as Clara DiPesto
First aired: 1985-03-03

After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in...

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The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran...

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The Carol Burnett Show

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1967-09-11

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol...

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The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self
First aired: 1948-06-20

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...

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The Brady Bunch

as uncredited
First aired: 1969-09-26

When widower Mike Brady marries a lovely lady widow Carol Ann, their two families become one....

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The Steve Allen Show

as Self - Guest Performer
First aired: 1956-06-24

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Mama's Family

as uncredited
First aired: 1983-01-22

Thelma Harper and her spinster sister Fran open their home to Thelma's recently divorced son...

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The Colgate Comedy Hour

as Self
First aired: 1950-09-10

The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...

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The Bob Hope Show

as Self
First aired: 1950-04-09

The Bob Hope Show hosted by Bob Hope, debuted on April 9, 1950. During the 1952-1953 season, NBC...

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The Danny Kaye Show

as Self
First aired: 1963-09-25

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963...

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Trapper John, M.D.

as uncredited
First aired: 1979-09-23

Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH,...

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Night Gallery

as Wife (segment "The Merciful")
First aired: 1970-12-16

Rod Serling narrates an anthology of fantasy, horror and sci-fi stories from a set resembling a...

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Bobby's World

as uncredited
First aired: 1990-09-08

Bobby Generic lives in a typical suburban neighborhood and uses his overactive imagination to...

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Reading Rainbow

as Herself - Narrator (voice)
First aired: 1983-06-06

Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode...

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This Is Your Life

as Self
First aired: 1952-10-01

This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally...

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Your Show of Shows

as Self - Regular Performer
First aired: 1950-02-25

Your Show of Shows was a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United...

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Monsters

as uncredited
First aired: 1988-10-22

Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and...

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The Hollywood Palace

as Self - Host
First aired: 1964-01-04

The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly...

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The Hollywood Palace

as Self - Sketch Actor
First aired: 1964-01-04

The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly...

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Alice in Wonderland

as Cook
First aired: 1985-12-09

Sometimes she's too big. Or much too small. Sometimes things are backwards. And there's always...

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Alice in Wonderland

as The Cook
First aired: 1985-12-09

Sometimes she's too big. Or much too small. Sometimes things are backwards. And there's always...

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It's About Time

as Shad
First aired: 1966-09-11

It's About Time is an American fantasy/science-fiction comedy TV series that aired on CBS for...

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The Big Show

as Self
First aired: 1980-03-04

The Big Show is an American comedy-variety-musical television series produced and broadcast by...

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General Electric Theater

as Virginia Odell
First aired: 1953-02-01

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was...

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