Born in Boston, MA; educated at Hofstra University. Delightfully funny, offbeat comedienne of the American stage, TV, and films. Trained as an opera singer, she sang and acted on and off Broadway and in nightclubs before her screen debut in the early 70s (WHAT'S UP DOC? 1972). She was nominated for best supporting actress Oscars® for her performances in PAPER MOON (1973, her second feature film) and BLAZING SADDLES (1974) and brightened many other films with her animated comic presence, often in feverishly lusty roles, most effectively in the zany farces of Mel Brooks (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, 1974; HIGH ANXIETY, 1978; HISTORY OF THE WORLD: PART I, 1981). She starred on TV in two series, "Oh Madeline" (1983-84) and "Mr. President" (1989) and in the telefilm "Wanted: The Perfect Guy" (1990). She co-starred with Ed Asner in the 1989 Broadway revival of Born Yesterday, a prelude to her Tony®-winning performance as sister Gorgeous in Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig (1992). She was co-starring in the TV series "Cosby" (1996 - 1999) when she took a leave of absence to "aggressively treat" her ovarian cancer, but she succombed to the disease in December, 1999. Other notable film credits include THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978), THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979), YELLOWBEARD (1983), CITY HEAT (1984), CLUE (1985), BETSY'S WEDDING (1990), MIXED NUTS (1994), NIXON (1995, as Martha Mitchell), A BUG'S LIFE (1998) and JUDY BERLIN (1999).  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1973: PAPER MOON  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1974: BLAZING SADDLES 2 nominations