Somers, Brett 1924-2007 (Brett Somers Klugman)

PERSONAL

Birth name, Audrey Johnston; born July 11, 1924 in New Brunswick, Canada; died of stomach and colon cancer, September 15, 2007, in Westport, CT. Actress. Born in Canada, Somers grew up in Portland, Maine, and ran away to New York City at age 17 to pursue a career in acting. Somers settled in Greenwich Village and subsequently changed her first name to Brett after the female lead character in the Ernest Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises. She also changed her last name of Johnston to her mother's maiden name, Somers. Somers made her Broadway debut in the short-lived play Maybe Tuesday, which lasted only five performances. Somers also appeared in productions of Happy Ending, The Seven Year Itch, and The Country Girl. She amassed many appearances as a guest star on television programs, including Ben Casey, CHiPs, The Love Boat, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Barney Miller, and Love, American Style. Somers also had a recurring role on the 1970s sitcom The Odd Couple as Blanche, the ex-wife of Oscar Madison (played by Somers's real-life spouse, Jack Klugman, whom she had married in 1953). Her appearances as a panelist on the 1970s quiz show Match Game earned Somers her greatest fame. Her wit and dry humor, paired with her on-screen presence of enormous eyeglasses and various wigs, made her an audience favorite. She sparred regularly with the other panelists, including Charles Nelson Reilly, Betty White, Fannie Flagg, and Richard Dawson. An Evening with Brett Somers, a one-woman cabaret show that Somers wrote and coproduced, opened to rave reviews in New York City in 2003. Although Somers and Klugman separated in 1974, neither ever filed for divorce.

PERIODICALS

Variety, September 24, 2007.