Geraldine Brooks (actress)
| Geraldine Brooks | |
|---|---|
Brooks in 1955
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| Born |
Geraldine Stroock October 29, 1925 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1977 (aged 51) Riverhead, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | heart attack |
| Years active | 1947–1976 |
| Spouse(s) |
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Geraldine Brooks (born Geraldine Stroock; October 29, 1925 – June 19, 1977) was an American actress whose three-decade career on stage as well as in films and on television was noted with nominations for an Emmy in 1962 and a Tony in 1970. She was married to author Budd Schulberg.
A native of New York City, Geraldine Stroock was born to a family descended from Dutch immigrants. Her parents had entertainment industry connections, with her father, James, as owner-manager of the Brooks theatrical costume concern and her mother, Bianca, with a career as stylist and designer of costumes. Two of her aunts had also been in show business, one as a singer at the Metropolitan Opera and another as a showgirl with the Ziegfeld Follies. Her elder sister, Gloria, is an actress. Geraldine, who was named after Metropolitan Opera's most famous diva of the era, Geraldine Farrar, took dancing classes from the age of two and attended all-girls' Hunter Modeling School and graduated in 1942 from Julia Richman High School, where she was president of the drama club.
The World War II years of 1942–45 found Geraldine Stroock refining her craft at such traditional venues as the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Neighborhood Playhouse and summer stock. Her first Broadway show, Follow the Girls, a musical comedy, opened at the New Century Theatre on April 8, 1944 and ran for 888 performances, closing over two years later, on May 18, 1946. The young actress, who was 18 when she was cast in this tuneful spoof of life in the theatre, played a character tellingly named "Catherine Pepburn". She did not stay with the production for its entire run, but was subsequently cast in another Broadway show, The Winter's Tale. This Theatre Guild production of the Shakespeare romance opened at the Cort Theatre on January 15, 1946 and closed after 39 performances on February 16. Playing the female lead, Perdita, the now-20-year-old actress was noticed by a Warner Bros. representative and signed to a contract.
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