Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Emmy- and Tony-winning singer-actress Nell Carter died early Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills, her manager said. She was 54. Best known as the wisecracking but warm housekeeper on the hit TV comedy "Gimme a Break," Carter won a Tony in 1978 for "Ain't Misbehavin'" for featured role in a musical. She went on to win an Emmy for the show's 1982 TV revival. Advertisement Carter -- who was instantly recognizable by her short stature (4-ft., 11-inches) and her "plus-size" figure -- was nominated for the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series in 1982 and 1983 for "Gimme a Break." Her manager, Susan Joseph, said Carter collapsed during the night at her home. She said the cause of death was not known. "We're not sure yet," said Joseph. "All we know is that she apparently died very quickly." Nell Ruth Carter was born on Sept. 13, 1948, in Birmingham, Ala. She told an interviewer she had success as a singer very early in life. "The first time I sang publicly was in church," she said. "I won my first talent contest in the first grade and started singing. I sang 'Mood Indigo.' I guess that's how it all began." Advertisement Carter moved to New York and studied acting, while performing in nightclubs including The Village Gate, Dangerfield's and The Rainbow Room. Carter appeared on the daytime TV drama "Ryan's Hope" as Ethel Green (1978-79) and had movie roles in "Hair" (1979) and "Modern Problems" (1981), before her star-making turn as Nell Harper in "Gimme a Break." She went on to appear in the comedy series "You Take the Kids" and "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," and was a panelist on a 1990s revival of the TV game show "Match Game." Carter frequently guest-starred on TV series including "Ally McBeal," "Reba," "Touched by an Angel" and "The Division." She also appeared in the CBS TV movie "Sealed With a Kiss" and starred in the Emmy-winning PBS special "Baryshnikov on Broadway." Other notable TV appearances included "A Capital Fourth," "Evening at Pops," "Christmas in Washington" and three presidential inaugural galas. Carter also performed frequently with symphony orchestras, and appeared in the 1996 TV special "Marvin Hamlisch & the Pittsburgh Pops." Joseph said Carter had been planning a new direction for her career at the time of her death, and had even been developing a new physical image. "She was 170 pounds lighter," said Joseph. "She was in great health and great spirits -- she never looked or sounded better." Advertisement Joseph said Carter was also being considered for several TV shows, and had currently been preparing to star in "Raisin" -- a musical version of Lorraine Hansberry's New York Drama Critics Circle Award-winning play. "That was to be her launch for the new year," said Joseph. The production is scheduled to open Feb. 9 at the International City Theater in Long Beach, Calif. Carter is survived by two adopted sons and an adult daughter.
