Kathleen Freeman Professional Battle Axe

You may not know her name but you certainly know her face. She is Kathleen Freeman. A character actress who appeared in scores of films and TV Ms Freeman worked steadily in Hollywood for decades. Her forte was comedy usually playing a nurse, maid or overbearing nosy neighbor. Jerry Lewis loved her and used Ms. Freeman in eleven of his films. When Kathleen Freeman wasn't acting in TV shows and movies she taught acting in her studio in Studio City.
Born in Chicago in 1919 to vaudevillian parents. She made her first stage appearance at the age of two dancing in her parents act. After briefly studying music at UCLA Ms Freeman became a full time actress in 1946. Besides her roles in the Jerry Lewis films she had many other film roles including "Singing in the Rain", "Myra Breckinridge", "The Fly" and "The Blues Brothers" where she played Sister Mary Stigmata aka The Penguin. Ms Freeman was a friend of Lucille Ball who cast her five times in various roles on her television series.
Freeman always the face you knew but the name you didn't was once approached by a fan, who said to her, "I do not know who you are or what you did, but you were wonderful!" Freeman roared with laughter and hoped someday to use that line as a title of her memoires. In 1999 Ms Freeman performed a one woman show at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood titled "Are you Somebody?"
She was always the consummate actress, a pro. Her last performance was in the Broadway production of "The Full Monty". Ms Freeman died of lung cancer at the age of 82. She was survived by her long time companion Helen Ramsey.