On this day (September 23), actress Mary Kay Place was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Winning a 1977 Primetime Emmy Award for playing the wanna-be country music star and best friend to the titular character in the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, her acting resume also includes Being John Malkovich; Girl, Interrupted, All in the Family; and M*A*S*H.
In addition to her on-screen work, Place has also recorded three country albums, scoring top 10 hits with “Baby Boy” (1976) and the Willie Nelson duet “Something to Brag About” (1977).
Today, we’re taking a look at Place’s life and career in honor of her 78th birthday.
How Mary Kay Place Worked Her Way Up the Hollywood Ladder
After graduating from the University of Tulsa in the late 1960s, Mary Kay Place moved to Hollywood to chase her dreams of performing.
Upon her arrival, she landed a job on set for The Tim Conway Comedy Hour as a production assistant to both Conway and the show’s producer, Norman Lear.
This proved to be a foot in the door, earning both onscreen appearances and writing credits in Lear’s seminal CBS sitcom, All in the Family.
Her role on the show also gave Place an opportunity to showcase her singing skills, performing “If Communism Comes Knocking on Your Door, Don’t Answer It” alongside actress Patty Weaver.
Her Musical Career
After appearing in and writing for another immensely popular cultural staple — this time M*A*S*H — Mary Kay Place’s breakthrough came when Lear cast her as aspiring country singer Loretta Haggers on his satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Although airing just two seasons from 1976 to 1977, the show developed a strong cult following, and Place’s role as Loretta won her a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Capitalizing on her character’s popularity, Place recorded the 1976 album Tonite! At the Capri Lounge Loretta Haggers as her Mary Hartman character.
She even penned two tracks herself: “Vitamin L” and “Baby Boy”, both of which she had performed on the show. The latter made a splash on the U.S. country chart, reaching number three.
Meanwhile, the Tonite! album peaked at number six and landed Place a Grammy nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Tonite! featured cameos from other A-list performers, including Dolly Parton on “All I Can Do”, which Parton also wrote.
Since then, Place has released just two more albums, Aimin’ to Please (1977) and 2011’s Almost Grown. The former included the top 10 Willie Nelson duet “Something to Brag About”, which the two singers covered on Saturday Night Live.
Where is She Now?
Since the late 1970s, Mary Kay Place has continued a robust career in the entertainment industry.
She starred as the lawyer Meg in 1983’s The Big Chill, with other film roles including Girl, Interrupted (1999) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002).
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Behind the camera, Place has also written for The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Phyllis; and M*A*S*H; directed episodes of shows like Friends; and voiced various roles on King of the Hill.
Featured image by Tom Hill/WireImage
The post Born 78 Years Ago Today in Oklahoma, the Emmy-Winning Actress Who Scored a Top 10 Country Hit appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Erinn Callahan