festivalgirl
09-18-2007, 04:19 AM
Brett Somers, ‘Match Game’ Wit, Dies at 83
WESTPORT, Conn., Sept. 17 (AP) — Brett Somers, the actress and comedian who amused game show fans with her quips on “Match Game,” one of the most popular quiz shows of the 1970s, died on Saturday at her home here. She was 83.
The cause was stomach and colon cancer, her son Adam Klugman said.
On “Match Game,” with Gene Rayburn as host, contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities, who offered racy quips and putdowns. Shows from its 1973-79 run, featuring regulars like Ms. Somers, Richard Dawson and Charles Nelson Reilly, are still seen on cable TV’s GSN (formerly Game Show Network.)
Ms. Somers married Jack Klugman, the future star of the television shows “Quincy” and “The Odd Couple,” in 1953. They separated in 1974, but never divorced. She appeared on several episodes of “The Odd Couple,” playing the ex-wife of Mr. Klugman’s character.
Audrey Johnston was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and grew up in Portland, Maine. She ran away from home at 17 and headed for Greenwich Village. She changed her first name to Brett after the lead female character in the Ernest Hemingway novel “The Sun Also Rises.” Somers was her mother’s maiden name.
In addition to Adam Klugman, Ms. Somers is survived by another son, David, and a daughter, Leslie.
WESTPORT, Conn., Sept. 17 (AP) — Brett Somers, the actress and comedian who amused game show fans with her quips on “Match Game,” one of the most popular quiz shows of the 1970s, died on Saturday at her home here. She was 83.
The cause was stomach and colon cancer, her son Adam Klugman said.
On “Match Game,” with Gene Rayburn as host, contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities, who offered racy quips and putdowns. Shows from its 1973-79 run, featuring regulars like Ms. Somers, Richard Dawson and Charles Nelson Reilly, are still seen on cable TV’s GSN (formerly Game Show Network.)
Ms. Somers married Jack Klugman, the future star of the television shows “Quincy” and “The Odd Couple,” in 1953. They separated in 1974, but never divorced. She appeared on several episodes of “The Odd Couple,” playing the ex-wife of Mr. Klugman’s character.
Audrey Johnston was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and grew up in Portland, Maine. She ran away from home at 17 and headed for Greenwich Village. She changed her first name to Brett after the lead female character in the Ernest Hemingway novel “The Sun Also Rises.” Somers was her mother’s maiden name.
In addition to Adam Klugman, Ms. Somers is survived by another son, David, and a daughter, Leslie.