Matinee Classics - Imogene Coca Biography & Filmography

Imogene Coca ACTOR

PHOTOS

IMOGENE COCA BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Imogene Coca was born on November 18th, 1908 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the birth name Imogene Fernandez de Coca. She was born into a family involved in entertainment, her father, Jose Fernandez de Coca, was the conductor at a Philadelphia Opera House and her mother, Sadie Brady Coca, performed in vaudeville. As a youngster she took up piano, dance and singing lessons and by the age of fifteen she relocated to New York performing as a dancer.

Her first real professional job was as a member of the chorus in a production of, "When You Smile". She followed this with doing her own act in a number of Manhattan night clubs and realizing she had a knack for comedy she later traveled to the Pocono's and performed her dance and comedic act.

In 1949 she was seen on NBC's, "The Admiral Broadway Revue" opposite Sid Caesar. Later in 1950 the two were paired together again in the live 90 minute, "Your Show of Shows" which ran for four years and was a role she became most well known by. In total she was nominated for five Emmy's and won a Best Actress Award in 1951.

After the show ended the two parted ways and she tried to continue a solo career, however, she was never able to reach the level of success she had with Caesar. She went on to appear on two sitcoms, "Grindl" (1963) and "It's About Time" (1966). She also appeared in such films as, "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) alongside, actor, Chevy Chase, "Under the Yum Yum Tree" (1963), "Rabbit Test" (1978), "Nothing Lasts Forever" (1984) and "Buy and Sell" (1987)

In 1991, she partnered up again with Caesar in, "Together Again" and they toured on stage throughout the United States. She also added a number of other television guest appearances to her resume such as, "Bewitched", "Fantasy Island", "As The World Turns", "One Life to Live" and "Mama's Family".

Coca also did voice over work for such projects as, "The Emperor's New Clothes", "A Special Sesame Street Christmas", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Garfield and Friends".

Imogene Coca married twice throughout her lifetime, first to Robert Burton in 1935 and they were together until he passed away in 1955. She then married King Donovan in 1960 and again remained together until he passed away in 1987. She never had any of her own children and remained in the entertainment industry her entire life until she passed away on June 1st, 2001 in Westport, Connecticut from natural causes.