Magda Harout

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Magda Harout
Publicity Photo of Magda Harout
Born(1926-04-22)April 22, 1926
DiedSeptember 9, 2021(2021-09-09) (aged 95)
OccupationActress
Years active1959–2013 (film and television)

Magda L. Kardashian (née Harout, April 22, 1926 – September 9, 2021) was an American film, television and stage actress.

Life and career

Harout was born in Los Angeles, California on April 22, 1926, to Armenian-born stage actor Yeghishe Harout, and his wife Gohar.[1] Her father was also the proprietor of the Ivar Theatre, which opened on the Hollywood Boulevard in 1951.[2] During the 1940s, Harout was a pageant queen, and in 1943 she sold war bonds to support U.S. troops during World War II.[3] On May 29, 1947, she married Robert Thomas Kardashian (1920–1998), an Army Air Forces veteran, at the First Congregation Church in Los Angeles. They later honeymooned in Hawaii.[4]

Her stage credits included Nine Armenians (1997) by Leslie Ayvazia[5] and The Kiss at City Hall (2000).[6] She received a number of awards for her appearances on stage,[7] including from LA Weekly, Drama-Logue and the LA Drama Critics Circle.[8]

In 1999, Harout played the role of Aunt Alma in the independent comedy film A Wake in Providence. Producer and writer Vincent Pagano cast Harout promptly after meeting her, stating that "Magda opened her mouth, and we immediately fell in love with her voice.".[9]

Harout spoke Russian, Armenian and French, and dyed her hair lighter in order not to be typecast in stereotypical ethnic roles. She also appeared in a number of television commercials.[7] Harout died in Woodland Hills, California on September 9, 2021, at the age of 95.[1][10]

Partial filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Crime & Punishment, USA
1963 The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze Hand Maiden uncredited
1972 Another Nice Mess Duchess of Zanzig
1974 Hangup Proprietor
1989 Transylvania Twist Peasant Woman
1990 Hollywood Boulevard II Selma
1991 9 1/2 Ninjas! Gladys Vogue
1993 My Life Aunt Sonia
1993 King B: A Life in the Movies Virginia King
1996 The Elevator Russian Maid 1
1999 A Wake in Providence Aunt Alma
2013 Baggage Claim Weisha

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1963 General Hospital Therese
Dr. Kildare Magda Kovar
1985 MacGyver Woman
1988 The Golden Girls Woman
1989 Quantum Leap Mrs. Miriam Davitz
1990 Newhart Smitty
Days of Our Lives Madame Blavatsky
1991 Seinfeld Stella
1995 Saved by the Bell: The New Class Dean Eagleton
1993–1997 The Nanny Sarah / Madam Moleska
2002 Without a Trace Connie
2003 Six Feet Under Anahid's Mother
2004 Everybody Loves Raymond Cousin Bella
2008 Raising the Bar Mrs. Martha Delman
2010 Fringe Nana Staller

References

  1. ^ a b "Magda L. Harout obituary". Forever Missed. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  2. ^ "Historic Los Angeles theater's shows have a plot once again". The Manhattan Mercury. 1991-03-13. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  3. ^ "Foreign-born Citizens Prove Loyalty by Bonds". Los Angeles Times. 1943-05-18. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  4. ^ "Voyage Planned by Kardashians". Los Angeles Times. 1947-05-30. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  5. ^ "'Armenians' Is Generic Despite Trappings". Los Angeles Times. 1997-07-25. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  6. ^ "The Kiss at City Hall". Variety. 2000-01-17. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  7. ^ a b "Leon Katz and Magda Harout". Joan Quinn Profiles. 2000-05-28. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  8. ^ Bofshever, Michael (2006). Your Face Looks Familiar... How to Get Ahead as a Working Actor. ABC-CLIO, llc. p. 135. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  9. ^ "A Wake in Providence, Production Notes". Indican Pictures. 1999. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  10. ^ "Special 2022". SAG-AFTRA. p. 89. Retrieved 28 February 2022.

External links