Selma Diamond
| Selma Diamond | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 6, 1920 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 13, 1985 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Occupation | Comedic actress Comedy writer for radio and television |
| Years active | 1943–1985 |
Selma Diamond (August 6, 1920 – May 13, 1985) was an American comedic actress and radio and television writer, known for her high-range, raspy voice, and her portrayal of Selma Hacker on the first two seasons of the NBC television comedy series Night Court.
Diamond was born in London, Ontario Canada in 1920 to a tailor and his wife, but moved at a young age to Brooklyn, New York. She was graduated from New York University and published cartoons and humour essays in The New Yorker before moving to the West Coast, hiring an agent, and finding work in radio and, eventually, television. Her first radio writing credit was in 1943 on Pabst Blue Ribbon Time with Groucho Marx, the Camel Caravan with Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore,The Drene Show with Rudy Vallee,Duffy's Tavern, and The Kenny Baker Show. In 1950, she became one of the staffers hired by legendary comedy writer Goodman Ace (who'd previously hired her for some work on Danny Kaye's short-lived 1940s' radio show) for The Big Show (1950–52), the ninety-minute weekly radio variety program hosted by Tallulah Bankhead and featuring some of the biggest entertainers of the era.
She moved on to television as one of the writers for Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca's groundbreaking Your Show of Shows. Diamond was reputed to have been the inspiration for the Sally Rogers character on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which centered on the head writer for a fictitious, mercurial television comedian. While writing for another Caesar vehicle, Caesar's Hour, Diamond earned an Emmy nomination. She also worked for Goodman Ace once again, writing for Perry Como's successful Kraft Music Hall NBC television series.
...
Wikipedia