Tony-winning character actress Rae Allen, who has appeared in The Sopranos, A League Of Their Own and Grey’s Anatomy, died Tuesday of natural causes while asleep. She was 95.
Allen’s talent manager Kyle Fritz confirmed the message of her death in a statement to People.
Allen was born Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo in Brooklyn, NY in 1926 and began acting on Broadway after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947.
The actor deserves it first of three Tony nominations Best Actress for the role of inquisitive reporter Gloria Thorpe in the 1955 stage musical Damn Yankees, a role she would also reprise in the 1958 film of the same name.
The veteran artist received a second award in the same award category for “Traveler Without Luggage” in 1967 and eventually took home the coveted statuette for “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little” in 1971.
Perhaps best known for TV roles, Allen appeared in a number of iconic 1960s series including The Untouchables, Car 54, Where Are You? and All In the Family, in which she portrayed Edith Bunker’s cousin, Amelia DeKuyper.
The Brooklyn native thrived on the small screen through the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, with roles on Soap, Grey’s Anatomy, NYPD Blue, Reign Over Me, and Seinfeld. On the latter, Allen played Mrs. Sokol in Seinfeld’s 1992 episode The Boyfriend. She also appeared in The Sopranos as Quintina Blundetto, the aunt of Tony Soprano’s cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi).
Her last credited TV appearances were in two episodes of Vampire Mob in 2011.
The prolific actress was not only a TV gamer, but also a host of memorable film credits. These included roles on Reign Over Me, Stargate, Where’s Poppa, and A League of Their Own, in which she played Ma Keller.
Allen is survived by her nieces, Laura and Betty Cosgrove.
https://nypost.com/2022/04/07/sopranos-and-damn-yankees-actress-rae-allen-dead-at-95/ “Sopranos” and “Damn Yankees” actress Rae Allen has died at the age of 95
