Person biography:
Kaye Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to Italian parents Lena (Nacarato) and Vincenzo/Vincent James Balotta. She began performing at a young age, impressing her parents with her talents by the time she was five years old.
Growing up, Kaye was a class clown in high school, compiling a number of star impressions that would later become part of her act. She made her professional debut in the USO stage production of "Stage Door Canteen" in 1941, and soon began touring with Spike Jones and His Orchestra as their featured vocalist and flute/tuba player.
After two years with Spike Jones, Kaye moved to New York and made her Broadway debut in the revue "Three to Make Ready" in 1946. She went on to perform in various musicals, including "Once in a Lifetime," "Touch and Go" in London, "Annie Get Your Gun," and "Top Banana."
Kaye built a strong reputation as a song-and-comedy performer on the nightclub circuit, playing at top venues such as The Bon Soir, Persian Room, and Blue Angel in New York, The Hungry i in San Francisco, and Mr. Kelly's in Chicago.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Kaye appeared on nearly every major talk and variety show, including those hosted by Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Perry Como, Red Skelton, Carol Burnett, Merv Griffin, and Mike Douglas.
Kaye also had successful TV roles, including her iconic performance as the ugly stepsister Portia in the 1957 production of "Cinderella" and as one of the Mothers-In-Law in the popular sitcom of the same name in 1967.
On stage, Kaye starred in a number of successful Broadway productions, including "The Golden Apple" in 1954, "Wonderful Town" in 1958, "Carnival" in 1961, and "Cole Porter Revisited" in 1965. She also played notable roles in "Gypsy" and "Hello, Dolly!"
Kaye continued to perform well into her later years, starring in productions such as "Nunsense," "The Pirates of Penzance," "High Spirits," "Funny Girl," and "The Full Monty." She also performed with the Palm Spring Follies show and did a one-woman cabaret show, belting out classic songs and retracing her burlesque-styled comedy roots.
A survivor of breast cancer, Kaye passed away on January 21, 2019, at the age of 93, in her Rancho Mirage, California home.
