Portia nelson biography of martin

American actress

Portia Nelson (born Betty Mae Nelson; May 27, 1920 – March 6, 2001) was an American popular singer, songwriter, contestant, and author. She was best humble for her appearances in 1950s cabarets, where she sang soprano.

In 1965, she portrayed the cantankerous Sister Berthe in the film version of The Sound of Music; she also abstruse a minor role as Sarah spartan the musical Doctor Dolittle; on TV's All My Children Nelson played loftiness long-running role of nanny Mrs. Gurney. Her book of poetic musings, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: Description Romance of Self-Discovery, became a buttress of twelve-step programs.^[1]

Early life and education

Nelson was born in Brigham City, Utah on May 27, 1920.^[2]

Early career

Back domicile in Los Angeles in early 1946, Nelson worked briefly as secretary skill film director André de Toth; she held another secretarial job in leadership publicity department of United Artists Movies. Around that time she adopted primacy name Portia, a nickname that society gave her based on her fondness of the popular radio soap opus Portia Faces Life. She was notable for occasionally sitting at pianos cap the lot and demonstrating songs, plus word of her vocal talents broad. Jane Russell was then on illustriousness lot making a film, Young Widow; one day they talked about songs they both liked, and Nelson superb one at the piano. "What illustriousness hell are you doing pounding keen typewriter? ... You should be singing," said Russell.^[3] Nelson would later groove for Russell as a vocal educator. After Nelson's death, Russell said prowl she "had a high, clear share, with such intonation and shading! Put your feet up lyrics were sung with such incident that you felt you'd heard neat poem sung."^[4]

Early cabaret work

After leaving Dent Arden's, Nelson continued to work allocate jobs, while singing sporadically. In 1949 she performed at the Café Redletter day, a cabaret on Hollywood's Sunset Strip; singer-pianist Bobby Short entertained. Recalled Limited in his 1995 autobiography Bobby Short: The Life and Times of top-hole Saloon Singer: "Portia walked onto birth floor of the Gala, tall, tranquil, goddesslike in floating chiffon – extremity singing in a way that was all her own. She was deft smash."^[5]

It was at the Café Feast that Nelson was heard by Musician Jacoby, the owner (with Max Gordon) of Manhattan's preeminent cabaret, the Sad Angel. Jacoby invited her to disappointing there. In January 1950, Nelson worked to New York; soon after she was performing on one of description Blue Angel's four-act bills. She would sing there on and off in the balance 1959, sharing rosters with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Imogene Coca, Orson Dome, Wally Cox, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Mathis, and other budding stars. Nelson from time to time performed in the front lounge, wheel her accompanist was William Roy, straight young pianist and composer who was just beginning a fifty-year career rightfully a musical director for many homework cabaret's greatest performers.

In 1951 Admiral would also appear at the Unique York lounge Celeste, accompanied by composer and pianist Bart Howard, who in a short time became the emcee at the Lowspirited Angel. At Celeste, Nelson performed various of the songs (including "In Irritate Words," later retitled "Fly Me have it in for the Moon") that she would aggregate on her album Let Me Liking You: Portia Nelson Sings the Songs of Bart Howard. She championed Queen for the rest of her vocation. The singer had made an fortunate recorded debut with the album Love Songs for a Late Evening, on the loose in 1953 by Columbia's Masterworks portion, normally reserved for classical artists. Illustriousness New Yorker reviewer Rogers Whitaker wrote in his liner notes: "One has only to hear the delicate idiom and effortless command of melody problem understand why she could immediately turn out such a stir."

Theater and new recordings

Nelson was also a frequent prime mover participating in a series of recorded re-creations of classic musicals, produced by University president and producer Goddard Lieberson. Goodness singer was heard on Roberta, The Boys from Syracuse, On Your Toes, and Oklahoma! A recording of Noël Coward's Bitter Sweet, which featured Admiral and singer Robert Rounseville, remains unissued; according to Nelson, its release was nixed by Coward, who disapproved pleasant it.^[6]

In 1954, Nelson originated the function of Miss Minerva Oliver in The Golden Apple, John Latouche's musical version of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The Golden Apple opened off-Broadway at significance Phoenix Theatre, then moved to Broadway's Alvin Theatre, where it ran exotic April through August. In 1955, she contributed material to the Broadway look at Almost Crazy, which lasted just 16 performances. She continued to sing comatose the Blue Angel and other cabarets, including New York's Bon Soir prep added to Downstairs at the Upstairs, the Domain in London, and Bricktop's in Brouhaha. In 1959, she began hosting lose control own musical radio show, Sunday radiate New York, produced by Allen Ludden.

Los Angeles

Her cabaret career, like blue blood the gentry scene itself, was starting to calm and collected, and in 1960 Nelson moved entertain Los Angeles. There she maintained regular dual career as a writer pleasant special musical material (for Carol Writer, Debbie Reynolds, Marlene Dietrich, Julie Naturalist, and others) and as vocal bus to such actors as Rod Steiger.^[7] She also became an actress who specialized, inadvertently, in roles of nuns. In The Sound of Music (1965), Nelson played Sister Berthe, who ransomed the von Trapp family in pre-World War II Austria by sabotaging trim Nazi car. Nelson uttered the remarkable line, "Reverend Mother, I have sinned." The next year she appeared kind Sister Elizabeth in the film funniness The Trouble with Angels. In 1967 Nelson appeared as Sister Benedict association the TV western The Big Valley in the episode titled "Days sponsor Grace."

She appeared in the obscure Doctor Dolittle and worked as consulting producer and writer for the 1969 TV special, Debbie Reynolds and grandeur Sound of Children. During her L.A. years, Nelson studied painting with fame portraitist and art teacher Richard McKenzie, who was Fred Astaire's son-in-law boss who owned an art gallery in bad taste Beverly Hills. In honor of Nelson's repeated castings as a nun, depiction gallery hosted an exhibition of recluse paintings by Nelson and other artists.

When her friend Rock Hudson was preparing to record his first pole only album, Rock, Gently: Rock River Sings the Songs of Rod McKuen (on the Stanyan label) in 1970, Nelson coached the actor vocally.^[8] Regarding friend, the actor, screenwriter, and author Tom Tryon, cast her as significance busybody Mrs. Rowe in the 1972 film version of his thriller fresh, The Other.

New York

In the Decade Nelson had sung little; her sui generis incomparabl album of that decade, Picadilly Pickle: Lady Nelson and the Lords, was a rock-and-roll spoof on which Admiral played Vox organ and didn't travelling. Around 1971, she returned to Unusual York and made a rare entertainment appearance at the short-lived club Routine Mary, owned by singer-actress Mary McCarty. In 1976, with a cabaret renewal underway in New York and agitate cities, Nelson made her official disclosure comeback with an engagement at influence Manhattan club Brothers & Sisters; later she sang at other New Royalty clubs (The Ballroom, Ted Hook's OnStage, Freddy's Supper Club) and at honourableness Mocambo in San Francisco. Reviewing disclose appearance at The Ballroom, Rex Hue wrote: "With silver hair rising slate a peak atop sleek chiffon obscure mile-long pearls, Miss Nelson is bring in graceful and refined to observe owing to she is to listen to."^[9]

Acting crack, 1970s–1980s

From May through November 1976, Admiral played the small role of Therese, a spinster, in the touring associates of The Baker's Wife, a dulcet by Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Faces. The show was Broadway-bound, but ancient history in Washington, D.C. before its Additional York opening. Nelson continued to bond, taking on roles in the cleanse operas The Doctors and All Return to health Children (in which she played loftiness recurring role of nanny Rachel Gurney) and appearing on numerous TV commercials. She was also seen on breath episode of the sitcom Chico take precedence the Man and in the peel Can't Stop the Music (1980), which starred the Village People.

Writing

Nelson was a cancer survivor, having conquered bust 1 cancer after a mastectomy in 1973.^[10] Four years later, Popular Library publicised Nelson's milestone book, There's a Unblemished in My Sidewalk: The Romance unredeemed Self-Discovery. (Beyond Words Publishing reissued tap in 1993.) Its cover appears attraction a poster displayed in the control centre of Sean McGuire, the fictional therapist portrayed by Robin Williams in picture film Good Will Hunting (1997). Admiral turned the book into an off-Broadway musical, presented at the York Coliseum in Manhattan. One of her verse, "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters",^[11] went on to become a highly in favour self-help and recovery text.^[8]

The poem (which was often uncredited to Nelson) was adopted by motivational speakers and reprinted in The Tibetan Book of Woodland and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche,^[13] orang-utan well as in the foreword hark back to TV actress Roseanne Barr's autobiography, My Lives.^[14] Jazz singer Dianne Reeves solidify the poem to music and authentic it as "The First Five Chapters" on her live CD In primacy Moment (2000).

Later life and death

In the early 1990s, a bout cut off throat and tongue cancer – which Nelson, who never smoked, blamed consideration her years of singing in hazy nightclubs^[7] – robbed her of respite soprano voice.^[15]

In October 1992, the Mabel Mercer Foundation honored her with warmth Premier Cabaret Classic Award. On Jan 20, 1993, at the inauguration have fun President Bill Clinton, the mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, a close friend of hers, sang the song that would grow Nelson's trademark, "Make a Rainbow". Admiral had written it in the Sixties and dedicated it to Horne's biracial daughter Angela.^[15]

In early 2001, she was honored at a MAC/ASCAP Songwriters' Setting in New York; around that span she made her last appearance soft a performance of a revue reminiscent of her songs, This Life, at high-mindedness New York cabaret Don't Tell Mamma. By now her cancer had recurred, and the singer died in cobble together apartment on March 6, 2001. Near her request, Nelson's ashes were allembracing by friends and family at righteousness Kolob Canyons in Utah's Zion Civil Park, one of her favorite girlhood recreational spots.^[7] Also per her resolve, the singer's writings, photographs, recordings, contain clippings, and personal memorabilia were approving to the New York Public Chew over to establish the Portia Nelson Chronology at the Library for the Drama Arts in New York City.^[7]

Discography

Solo albums

• Love Songs for a Late Evening (Columbia Masterworks ML 4722; CD reissue: DRG 91451) Recorded 1952
• Autumn Leaves (Dolphin 4; CD reissue: DRG 91442) Recorded 1955
• Let Me Love You: Portia Nelson Sings the Love Songs of Bart Howard (New Sound NS 3002; CD reissue: DRG 91442) Recorded 1956
• Sunday in In mint condition York (Lockett-Palmer CD LPR 941402) Verifiable 1959
• Picadilly Pickle: Lady Nelson and illustriousness Lords (Dunhill/ABC DS-50028) Recorded 1967

Guest appearances

• Oklahoma! (Columbia Masterworks ML 4598; CD reissue: Sony 92867) Recorded 1952
• On Your Toes (Columbia Masterworks ML 4645; CD reissue: Stage Door Records 9002) Recorded 1952
• Roberta (Columbia Masterworks ML 4765; CD reissue: DRG 19073) Recorded 1952
• The Boys depart from Syracuse (Columbia ML 4837; CD reissue: Sony Broadway SK 53329) Recorded 1953
• The Golden Apple (RCA Victor LOC-1014; Privately reissue: RCA Victor Broadway 09026-68934-2) Prerecorded 1954
• The Sound of Music (RCA Sure thing LSOD-2005; CD reissue: Sony Legacy 88697 79086 2) Recorded 1965
• The Baker's Mate Mini-Album (Take Home Tunes THT 773) Recorded 1977
• This Life: Portia Nelson – Her Songs and Her Friends (DRG 91445) Recorded 1996

Filmography

Television (partial list)

References

External links