Early Life
Elizabeth Ashley was born in Baton Rouge, Louisianna, United States on August 30, 1939. According to her birth chart, her zodiac sign is Virgo and she holds American citizenship. Currently, she is 84 years old as of 2023. Her real name is Elizabeth Ann Cole and she grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisianna, United States.
Her father’s name is Arthur Kingman Cole and her mother’s name is Lucille Cole. Moreover, her father was a music teacher and her family was a typical Gothic Southern family. According to online sources, she was the only child of her parents and was dyslexic. Due to this condition, she worked hard to learn and to read.
Caption: Elizabeth Ashley’s parents photo (Source: HTownDaily)
Elizabeth Ashley joined Louisiana State University but left after her freshman year. After that, she moved to New York and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Professional Career
Theatre
Elizabeth Ashley started working as the Jell-O pudding girl on television to support herself after moving to New York. She played a role in the “West End” musical “Expresso Bongo” by “Original London Production” in 1958. After that, she made her Broadway debut in the short-lived holiday drama “The Highest Tree” in the following year.
Caption: The poster of the Broadway play; Take Her, She’s Mine (Source: Playbill)
She also made her ‘off-Broadway’ debut with ‘Dirty Hands’ in that same year. In 1961, she won a Tony award for her role as “Mollie Michaelson” a college student in the Broadway play “Take Her, She’s Mine”. However, she went to a nervous breakdown after the huge accomplishment at such a young age.
She appeared in the romantic comedy Broadway play ‘Barefoot in the Park’ after 2 years in 1963 with Robert Redford. Due to play success, she got a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress and appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine.
She played the role of Maggie in the ‘Broadway’ revival of ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ in 1972. In 1977, she appeared as Cleopatra in the Broadway production play titled “Caesar and Cleopatra”. She appeared as Alexandra del Lago in the play Sweet Bird of Youth in 1998. In 2002, she appeared as the villainous Regina Giddens in the Shakespeare Theater’s play titled “The Little Foxes”. Moreover, she appeared in several plays including “Dividing the Estate”, “Zerline’s Tale”, “The Skin of Our Teeth”, “Agnes of God”, “Hide and Seek”, “You Can’t Take It with You”, and many more.
Films
Elizabeth made her debut on the big screen in 1964 in the film titled “The Carpetbaggers”. The film became a box-office success and she also got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe.
She appeared as Jenny in “Ship of Fools” and as Alexandria in the suspense thriller “The Third Day” in the following year. In 1995, she played the governor of New Jersey in the film titled “Mallrats” but dropped out because of her schedule issues.
Aside from that, she appeared in other films like “The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker”, “Paternity”, “Vampire’s Kiss”, “Just Getting Started”, and many more.
Television
Elizabeth made her television debut in the courtroom drama series titled “The Defenders” in 1961. She is popular for her role as Aunt Frieda Evans from the CBS sitcom titled “Evening Shade” which earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
After that, she appeared on TV shows like “The Hitchhiker”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Route 66”, “Homicide: Life on the Street”, “The Two Mrs. Grenvilles”, and many more.
She also played the role of Aunt Mimi in the HBO series Treme from 2010 to 2013. In 2020, she appeared as Pam Sheard in “The Bold Type” and as Miss Louise in “Better Things”. She currently plays the role of Ruth Brenner in the Netflix comedy series “Russian Doll” which aired in 2019.
On June 1, 1978, she released the hardcover edition of her autobiography titled “Actress: Postcards from the Road” through “M. Evans & Co.” publication.
Elizabeth Ashley – Awards
Elizabeth won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for “Take Her, She’s Mine” in 1961. After that, she received a Tony Award nomination for ‘Best Actress’ for her role in “Barefoot in the Park” in 1963. She also appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine and was regarded as “Broadway’s brightest” for her role in “Barefoot in the Park”.
In 1964, she earned a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ from her debut film “The Carpetbaggers”. She earned an Emmy nomination for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series’ for her performance in the series ‘Evening Shade’ in 1961.
Net Worth 2023
Elizabeth Ashley has an estimated net worth of around $10 million as of 2023 according to online sources. The main source of her income is her profession as an actress in films, television, and theatre but her salary is not disclosed.
Relationship Status
Elizabeth Ashley married an American actor James Farentino in 1962 but separated after three years in 1965. She met James while creating her Broadway career and fell in love with him.
After that, she married another American actor George Peppard in 1966. The couple has a son named Christian Peppard but the couple divorced in 1972. She got married for the third time to James McCarthy in 1975.
Caption: Elizabeth Ashley with her son (Source: Broadway Shows)
However, she divorced him in 1981 after six years of marriage and went separate ways.
Rape Allegation
Elizabeth Ashley filed a case against three men who attack and rape her at a shuttered gas station located near Bakersfield, California. She revealed this incident after 16 years due to the encouragement of her long-time friend Mary Martin.
According to Elizabeth, the three drunk men robbed her and raped her at a shuttered gas station located amidst a lonely stretch of Interstate 5, near Bakersfield, California n 1977. Due to this incident, she was in trauma for a long time and spent hours in the bathroom, washing herself, and also stopped talking with other people.
She then sold her property and sent her son to live with his father to overcome herself for the incident. After that, she moved to St Barthelemy where she transformed into a new person.
Body Measurements
The beautiful actress has green eyes and blonde hair. She has a height of 5 feet 5 inches and has a thin physique and weighs around 55 kg. Moreover, she has a body measurement of 34-24-35 inches, wears a dress size of 5 US, and has a shoe size of 8 US.
Social Media
This actress has completely isolated herself from any kinds of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and many more. Moreover, she likes to hone her talent and stays away from social media platforms to keep her life personal and secret.
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