Alaina Reed Hall | |
---|---|
Born |
Bernice Ruth Reed November 10, 1946 Springfield, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | December 17, 2009 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
(aged 63)
Cause of death | Breast Cancer |
Other names | Alaina Reed Alaina Reed-Amini |
Occupation | Actress and singer |
Years active | 1976–2009 |
Spouse(s) |
Kevin Peter Hall (m. 1988–91) Tamim Amini (m. 2008–09) |
Children | 2 |
Alaina Reed Hall (November 10, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American singer and actress best known for her roles as Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the long-running children's television series Sesame Street, and as Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227.
Hall was born Bernice Ruth Reed in Springfield, Ohio on November 10, 1946.
In the mid-1960s, she attended Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, where she was active in many productions at KSU's E. Turner Stump Theater. These included "The Streets of New York", "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!", and "The Tragedy of Tragedies - The Life and Death of Tom Thumb The Great". Known to many by her nickname "Tiny", she and her vocal group, "Tiny and the Velours", performed regularly at Kent's popular student nightspot, The Fifth Quarter.
She began her professional career in Philadelphia and off-Broadway productions. She was among the original cast members in the 1974 off-Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road. Hall appeared in productions of Hair (Chicago in 1970 and the 1977 revival),Chicago, and Eubie!.
In 1976, she won the role of Olivia on the children's series Sesame Street. Her character was a photographer and the kid sister of Gordon. In 1985, she also starred in the first ever Sesame Street movie Follow That Bird, reprising her role as Olivia. That same year, Hall co-starred on the sitcom 227, frequently traveling between New York City (where Sesame Street is taped) and Los Angeles (where 227 was taped). Due to this schedule, she left Sesame Street in 1988.