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Kitty Carlisle biography

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Actress, singer, television personality and arts advocate Kitty Carlisle is best known for her long run as a panelist on the television show To Tell The Truth.

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The couple had two children, Catherine and Christopher.

Working together on the comedy Anniversary Waltz in 1954, Carlisle had one of the lead role while her husband served as its director. Two years later, she left the stage for television. With her perfectly styled hair, red lipstick, and pearls, Carlisle provided a touch of New York glamour to the quiz show To Tell the Truth as one of its panelists. In each episode,

a panel of famous people had to identify the correct person from the impersonators. Other panelists included Polly Bergen, Ralph Bellamy, and Tom Poston. During the show’s run, Carlisle suffered a great personal loss when her husband died in 1961. Despite her loss, she continued working on the show and stayed with it until it was cancelled by CBS in 1967. Around this time, she made her debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in Die Fledermaus.

Legacy and Philanthropy

Outside of her work as an entertainer and television personality, Carlisle became a champion for the arts. She served on the New York State Council of the Arts as vice chairperson from 1971 to 1977 and then became the chairperson—a post she held for two decades.

In the later part of her career, Carlisle made a few film appearances, including Woody Allen’s Radio Days (1987) and the identity drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) starring Will Smith. She also maintained a busy schedule of cabaret and theatrical performances. While in her nineties, Carlisle toured with her one-woman show, My Life on the Wicked Stage. And in celebration of her 69th birthday, she played a number of dates in 2006, giving her final performance that November.

Carlisle died of heart failure on April 17, 2007, in New York City. At her memorial service, friends from all walks of life turned out to honor one of Manhattan’s grandest ladies, including Barbara Walters and Michael Bloomberg.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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