Estelle Harris
This article is missing information about voice roles in television shows and movies. (April 2022) |
Estelle Harris (née Nussbaum; April 22, 1928 – April 2, 2022) was an American actress and comedienne, known for her exaggerated shrill, grating voice. She was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld. Her other roles included the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise, Muriel in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Mama Gunda in Tarzan II. During her career, Harris starred in various television commercials.
Estelle Harris | |
|---|---|
Harris at the premiere of Ponyo in 2009 | |
| Born | Estelle Nussbaum April 22, 1928 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 2022 (aged 93) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedienne |
| Years active | 1977–2019 |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)[1] |
| Spouse | Sy Harris (m. 1953; died 2021) |
| Children | 3[2] |
Early life and education
Harris was born Estelle Nussbaum in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York on April 22, 1928, the younger of two daughters of Isaac ("Ira") and Anna Nussbaum, Polish Jewish immigrants who owned a candy store and soda shop. For many years, her date of birth was mistakenly cited as April 4, 1928. The correct date was not revealed until after her death.[3][4] In 1935, when she was seven years old, the family relocated to Tarentum, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Tarentum High School.[1]
Career
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Harris began her career in amateur productions and in dinner theater before moving on to regional theaters and summer stock productions across the country.
She later found success on Madison Avenue as she appeared in as many as 25 national television commercials in a single year, earning her the nickname "Queen of Commercials."
After her children grew up, Harris pursued acting and achieved early success in television commercials, even logging 23 spots in a year at one point. In one of her most-famous commercials, she energetically sang the praises of Handi-Wrap II.[5]
In 1977, Harris began her long format acting career in the film Looking Up about three generations of a working class Jewish family in New York City. She became widely known for her supporting role as Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld. "She is the mother that everybody loves, even though she's a pain in the neck," Harris told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1998. Despite her iconic role, she was highly reclusive.
In Star Trek: Voyager, she portrayed the old woman who was actually a projection of the Nechani Spirits in the third-season episode "Sacred Ground," which aired on October 20, 1996.[6] She played a small role as Bridget in Out to Sea (1997).[6]
In Toy Story 2 (1999), she provided the voice of Mrs. Potato Head and would continue to reprise the role for the rest of the franchise. In 2005, she lent her voice to Mama Gunda in Tarzan II. In The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Harris had a recurring role as Muriel. In 2007, she appeared in Brad Paisley's music video for the song "Online."[7] Harris reprised her role of Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 3 (2010). She portrayed Bertha Kristal, the mother of CBGB founder Hilly Kristal, in CBGB (2013).
Her other voice work included Lula in Dave the Barbarian, Mama Lipsky in Kim Possible, Thelma in The Proud Family, Mrs. Turtle in Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse, Death's mother in Family Guy, the Old Lady Bear in Brother Bear (2003), and Audrey in Home on the Range (2004).[8] She also provided the voice of Marty's wife in the American Dad! episode "In Country...Club."[citation needed] She appeared in Promoted (2015) as Sylvia Silver. Harris retired from acting in 2015.
Harris came out of her retirement to reprise her role of Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 4 (2019), which was her final film role.
Personal life and death
In 1952, after moving back to New York, Harris met window treatment salesman Sy Harris at a dance. Six months later, they were married.[2] They had two sons, Eric (born 1957) and Glen (born 1961), and a daughter Taryn (born 1964).[2] Eric is a social worker, Glen is a music promoter who doubled as his mother's unofficial manager, and Taryn is a former Nassau County police officer retired on disability.[2] Harris also had three grandsons and one great-grandson. Once her children started school, Harris pursued acting roles, first in amateur productions, then dinner theatre and commercials.[2]
On September 20, 2001, the couple's car blew a tire and flipped twice, but they managed to escape serious injuries.[9] Sy Harris died on January 11, 2021, predeceasing his wife by one year.[10]
On April 2, 2022, Harris died of natural causes at her home in Palm Desert, California, at the age of 93.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Once Upon a Time in America | Thelma | |
| 1988 | Stand and Deliver | Jackie Harris | |
| 1992 | This Is My Life | Aunt Harriet | |
| 1995 | Perfect Alibi | Aunt Dorothy | |
| The West Side Waltz | Estelle | ||
| 1997 | Out to Sea | Bridget | |
| 1998 | Chairman of the Board | Ms. Dawn Krubavitch | |
| The Odd Couple II | Peaches | ||
| My Giant | Aunt Pearl | ||
| 1999 | Lost & Found | Mrs. Donna Stubblefield | |
| Toy Story 2 | Mrs. Potato Head | Voice | |
| 2000 | What's Cooking? | Aunt Bea | |
| Dancing in September | Sally | ||
| Playing Mona Lisa | Aunt Velva | ||
| 2001 | Good Advice | Iris | |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | Old Lady Bear | Voice |
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Audrey | |
| Teacher's Pet | Mrs. June Boogin | ||
| 2005 | Tarzan II | Mama Gunda | Voice; direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Queer Duck: The Movie | Mrs. Catherina Duckstein | Voice |
| 2007 | The Grand | Ruth Melvin | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | Mrs. Potato Head | Voice |
| Movin' In | Arlene Taylor | ||
| 2011 | Hawaiian Vacation | Mrs. Potato Head | Voice; short film |
| Small Fry | |||
| 2012 | Partysaurus Rex | ||
| 2013 | CBGB | Bertha Kristal | |
| 2015 | Promoted | Sylvia Silver | |
| 2019 | Toy Story 4 | Mrs. Potato Head | Voice; final film role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1986 | Night Court | Easy Mary | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Married... with Children | Delilah | Episode: "Al Loses His Cherry" |
| 1990 | Mathnet | Agnes | Episode: "The Case of the Swami Scam" |
| 1991 | Brooklyn Bridge | Esther Shapiro | Episode: "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Mrs. Lynn Rachlin | Episode: "Intolerance" |
| Mad About You | Mother Thelma | Episode: "Sofa's Choice" | |
| 1992–1998 | Seinfeld | Estelle Costanza | 27 episodes |
| 1993 | Good Advice | Ronnie Cohen | 5 episodes |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Thelma Johnson (uncredited) | Episode: "Heartbreak" |
| Aladdin | Additional voices | Episode: "While the City Snoozes" | |
| Timon & Pumbaa | Timon's Mother | Voice; episode: "Mombasa-In-Law/The Laughing Hyenas: TV Dinner" | |
| In the House | Mrs. Claus | Episode: "Christmas Story" | |
| 1996 | Night Stand with Dick Dietrick | Mary the Real Mother | Episode: "Dick Goes Home" |
| The Mask: Animated Series | Lt. Kellaway's Mother (voice) | Episode: "The Mother of All Hoods" | |
| The Tick | Arthur's Mother (voice) | Episode: "The Tick vs. Dot and Neil's Wedding" | |
| Star Trek: Voyager | Old Woman | Episode: "Sacred Ground" | |
| 1997 | Moesha | Frances Howie | Episode: "Break a Leg" |
| Living Single | Esther Brooks | Episode: "Back in the Day" | |
| Cybill | Woman | Episode: "From Boca, with Love" | |
| 1998 | Addams Family Reunion | Great-grandmother Delilah Addams | Television film |
| Hercules | Phil's Mother | Voice; episode: "Hercules and the King for a Day" | |
| The Wild Thornberrys | Iguana/Turtle | Voice; episode: "Eliza-cology" | |
| Godzilla: The Series | Old Lady/Receptionist | Voice; episode: "What Dreams May Come" | |
| The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Herself | ||
| 1999 | The Brothers Flub | Additional voices | 16 episodes |
| Sunset Beach | Margaret Raynor | 3 episodes | |
| The Parkers | Miss Agnes | Episode: "Scammed Straight" | |
| 1999–2000 | Mickey Mouse Works | Mrs. Tammy Turtle | Voice; 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Providence | Darlene | Episode: "Syd in Wonderland" |
| 72nd Academy Awards | Mrs. Potato Head | Voice; television special | |
| Queer Duck | Mrs. Catherina Duckstein | Voice; 5 episodes | |
| 2001 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Dora | Episode: "Sabrina, the Muse" |
| The Kids from Room 402 | Aunt Cookie | Voice; episode: "Uncle Bonehead" | |
| Family Guy | Death's Mother | Voice; episode: "Death Lives" | |
| 2002 | House of Mouse | Mrs. Tammy Turtle | Voice; 4 episodes |
| Weakest Link | Herself | 1 episode | |
| Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck | |||
| 2003 | Half & Half | Grandma Sophie | Episode: "The Big Phat Mouth Episode: Part 2" |
| Regular Joe | Aunt Mickie | Episode: "Boobysitting" | |
| The Proud Family | Helga | Voice; episode: "Thelma and Luis" | |
| Test the Nation | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2004 | Kim Possible | Mama Lipsky | Voice; 3 episodes |
| Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo | Herself | ||
| 2004–2005 | Dave the Barbarian | Lula | Voice; 21 episodes |
| 2005 | Tripping the Rift | Estelle | Episode: "Roswell" |
| Phil of the Future | Older Pim | Episode: "Maybe-Sitting" | |
| 2005–2008 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Muriel | 14 episodes |
| 2006 | Mind of Mencia | Herself | 1 episode |
| ER | Mrs. Dawn Markovic | Episode: "Bloodline" | |
| 2007 | iCarly | Mrs. Lydia Halberstadt | Episode: "iScream on Halloween" |
| The Emperor's New School | Mrs. Irma Mudka | Episode: "The Emperor's New Home School/Mudka's Secret Recipe" | |
| Case Closed | Madame | Television film | |
| 2008 | Can You Teach My Alligator Manners? | Nana | Episode: "Nana's Visit" |
| 2009 | American Dad! | Marty's Wife | Voice; episode: "In Country... Club" |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Estelle Costanza / Herself | Episode: "The Table Read" | |
| 2009–2010 | Made in Hollywood | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2014 | Fanboy & Chum Chum | Oz's Mother | Voice; 11 episodes |
| 2010 | Sonny with a Chance | Grace Gallagher | Episode: "Random Acts of Disrespect" |
| The Bonnie Hunt Show | Herself | 1 episode | |
| KTLA Morning News | |||
| Totally Tracked Down | |||
| 2011 | The Looney Tunes Show | Sylvester's Mother | Voice; episode: "Point, Laser Point" |
| 2012 | Futurama | Velma Farnsworth | Voice; episode: "Near-Death Wish" |
| 2013 | The Exes | Mother | Episode: "Zero Dark Forties" |
| 2014–2015 | Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Peg-Leg Peg | Voice; 3 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue | Mrs. Potato Head | Film Cutscene Footage |
References
- ^ a b Mills, Nancy (October 1, 1995). "A Mother Figure". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Mendoza, N. F. (January 29, 1995). "With An Eye On...Why Estelle Harris wants to be a full-time mom to her boy George on 'Seinfeld'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Traub, Alex; May, Tiffany (April 3, 2022). "Estelle Harris, George's Mother on 'Seinfeld,' Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 2, 2022). "Estelle Harris Dies: 'Seinfeld's Estelle Costanza, 'Toy Story' Franchise's Mrs. Potato Head Was 93". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Lane, Barbara Kaplan (August 21, 1994). "AT HOME WITH Estelle Harris; Building a Character as the Mother of TV's All-Time Loser". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ a b StarTrek.com Staff (April 3, 2017). "Seven Things You Should Know About Estelle Harris". Star Trek. CBS. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ "Brad Paisley gets in tune with "Online" video". Country Standard Times. June 25, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Estelle Harris (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ "Seinfeld and Toy Story star Estelle Harris dies aged 93". The Delta News. April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ Knapp, JD (April 2, 2022). "Estelle Harris, Seinfeld Star and Toy Story Voice Actress, Dead at 93". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
External links
- Estelle Harris at IMDb
- Estelle Harris discography at Discogs
- Estelle Harris at Rotten Tomatoes