Rosie the Waitress
| Nancy Walker | |
|---|---|
from the trailer for
Best Foot Forward (1943) |
|
| Born |
Anna Myrtle Swoyer May 10, 1922 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 1992 (aged 69) Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | lung cancer |
| Other names | Nan Barto |
| Occupation | Actress, director |
| Years active | 1937–1992 |
| Spouse(s) |
Gar Moore (m. 1948; div. 1949) David Craig (m. 1951) |
| Children | Miranda Craig (1953-2000) |
Nancy Walker (May 10, 1922 – March 25, 1992) was an American actress and comedian of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director (most notably of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, on which she also made several guest appearances). During her five-decade long career, she may be best remembered for her long-running roles as Mildred on McMillan & Wife and Ida Morgenstern, who first appeared on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later became a prominent recurring character on the spinoff series Rhoda.
Walker was born in 1922 as Anna Myrtle Swoyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the elder of two daughters of vaudevillian Dewey Barto (né Stewart Steven Swoyer; 1896–1973) and Myrtle (née Lawler; born January 6, 1898–died January 2, 1931).
Walker and her father both stood 4'11" (1.50 m). Her younger sister, Betty Lou (1930-2003?), also had a musical career. The sisters were raised "in a trunk" by their father, a vaudeville entertainer with George Mann in the comedic and acrobatic dance act, Barto and Mann.
In 1937, as "Nan Barto", Walker appeared on the NBC radio programs Coast to Coast On A Bus and Our Barn.
She made her Broadway debut in 1941 in Best Foot Forward. The role provided Walker with her film debut when she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make a movie version, starring Lucille Ball (filmed in 1943). In 1943, she also appeared with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in the second film version of Girl Crazy. Her next film, Broadway Rhythm, in which she had a featured musical number backed by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet", ended Walker's contract with Metro. Her dry comic delivery enabled her to continue acting throughout the 1940s and 1950s, originating the roles of Hildy Eszterhazy ("I Can Cook, Too!") in On the Town (1944) and Lily Malloy in Look Ma, I'm Dancin'! (1948) on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony Award in 1956 for her work in the musical revue Phoenix '55, and again in 1960 for her performance in Do Re Mi, opposite Phil Silvers. Walker also starred in the short-lived Broadway musical comedy Copper and Brass in 1957, and appeared in the 1958 New York City Center production of Wonderful Town. For the early 1970s revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, she appeared again opposite Silvers, playing the character of Domina. Because of her T.V. work, she was unable to transfer with the show to Broadway. Her appearances in musicals led to record releases. One release, I Hate Men (1959), with Sid Bass and his orchestra, featuring such show tunes as "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "You Irritate Me So," featured Walker on the cover humorously sticking male dolls with pins. and
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