Gail Fisher
Gail Ann Fisher (born August 18, 1935 in Orange , New Jersey , † December 2, 2000 in Culver City , California ) was an American actress . She was the first African-American female Emmy Award winner in 1970 .
Life
Fisher grew up as a half-orphan , the youngest of five children , after her father passed away at an early age. During her time at the High School in Metuchen , she participated in various beauty pageants and was able to gain some local titles. From her income as a model , she financed her acting training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . In New York City she studied with Lee Strasberg and later joined the Repertory Theater, where she worked with Elia Kazan and Herbert Blau , among others . She made her Broadway debut in 1961 in Purlie Victorious .
She made her first guest appearance on a television series a year earlier, and the following year she appeared as one of the first African American actors to speak in a national commercial. In 1965 she appeared in the English-language adaptation of Georg Büchner's Dantons death . After a few other guest appearances in television series, her breakthrough came in 1968, when she received a series lead role as its secretary from the second season of the crime series Mannix ; after Nichelle Nichols , she was only the second African American actress to do so. Until the discontinuation of the series in 1975, she played the role of Peggy Fair in 117 episodes . During this time she was awarded an Emmy and two Golden Globes ; she was nominated for both prizes for four years in a row.
After the end of the series, she could not continue her successes. In 1978 she was arrested for drug possession and subsequently underwent drug therapy. In the 1980s, she made sporadic appearances in television series and television films. In 2000 she died of kidney failure . She left two daughters from the first of several marriages.
Filmography
- 1959: Play of the Week (TV series, one episode)
- 1962: Preston & Preston ( The Defenders , TV series, an episode)
- 1963: General Hospital (TV series)
- 1967: He and She ( He & She , TV series, an episode)
- 1967: The Second Hundred Years (TV series, episode)
- 1968: My Three Sons ( My Three Sons , television series, one episode)
- 1968–1975: Mannix (TV series, 153 episodes)
- 1969, 1971: Love, American Style (TV series, two episodes)
- 1970: Thoughtful Stories ( Insight , TV series, an episode)
- 1971: Room 222 (TV series, an episode)
- 1972: Every Man Needs One (TV movie)
- 1975: Medical Center (TV series, an episode)
- 1979: Fantasy Island (TV series, episode)
- 1983: Knight Rider (TV series, an episode)
- 1985: Hotel (TV series, an episode)
- 1986: He's the Mayor (TV series, episode)
- 1987: Death Squad (Mankillers)
- 1990: Scalpel of Terror ( Donor , TV movie)
Broadway
- 1961–1962: Purlie Victorious
- 1965: Danton's Death
Awards
- 1970: Emmy for Mannix
- 1971: Emmy nomination for Mannix
- 1971: Golden Globe for Mannix
- 1972: Emmy nomination for Mannix
- 1972: Golden Globe nomination for Mannix
- 1973: Emmy nomination for Mannix
- 1973: Golden Globe for Mannix
- 1974: Golden Globe nomination for Mannix
Web links
- Gail Fisher in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Gail Fisher in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Gail Fisher in the All Movie Guide (English)
- Obituary of The New York Times (English)
- Gail Fisher in the German dubbing file
Individual evidence
- ^ Internet Broadway Database
- ↑ Allmovie ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Obituary of The New York Times (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fisher, Gail |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fisher, Gail Ann (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-american actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Orange , New Jersey , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 2, 2000 |
| Place of death | Culver City , California , United States |