Debralee Scott
| Debralee Scott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
April 2, 1953 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died |
April 5, 2005 (aged 52) Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1971–2000 |
Debralee Scott (April 2, 1953 – April 5, 2005) was an American actress best known for her roles on the sitcoms Welcome Back Kotter, Angie, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Forever Fernwood. Scott was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and later lived in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where she was a cheerleader.[1]
Film and TV roles
At age 22, she found fame on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman playing Mary's sister Cathy Shumway. She appeared on the first season of the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter as Rosalie "Hotsi" Totsi, guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville in 1976 and played Angie's younger sister Marie Falco in the Donna Pescow situation comedy Angie.
One notable episode of Welcome Back Kotter, which featured Scott's character of Rosalee "Hotsi" Totsi, dealt with her nickname and the impact it had on her life. According Internet Movie Database, the episode entitled "whodunit?" deals with Hotsi Totsi announcing she is pregnant after many of the boys had been bragging about how far they had gotten with her on dates. Mr. Kotter sets out to discover which Sweathog is the father and get the father to take responsibility. At the end, it turns out Totsi lied about being pregnant to draw attention to the fact that the boys had been lying about her and thereby giving her the reputation as an easy woman. The episode aired for the first time on September 30, 1975 with a parental advisory due to the mature content.[2]
Among her feature film credits were the 1973 feature film American Graffiti, the 1974 film Earthquake, and the 1984 film Police Academy. She played the corpse of a dead girl, Ann Mary Deacon, killed by "Scorpio" (Andy Robinson) in the 1971 Clint Eastwood film Dirty Harry.[3]
Scott was a fixture on the game show circuit in the late '70s and early '80s, frequently serving as a celebrity guest on shows like Match Game, The $20,000 Pyramid, Riddlers and Password Plus. She continued to act, appearing in two Police Academy movies, including the first, but she later retired from acting and became an agent for a company in New York City called Empowered Artists. In 2000, Scott appeared on a panel with her former Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman castmates at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills.
Death
On September 11, 2001, Scott's fiancé, John Dennis Levi, a New York police officer,[4] was killed in the terrorist attack on New York City.
In 2005 Scott moved to Florida to live with her sister. Shortly after her arrival, Scott collapsed into a coma. She soon recovered and was released from the hospital on her birthday. Three days later, on April 5, 2005, she took a nap and apparently died in her sleep. Scott's body was cremated.[5] Her fiance's mother stated that Scott had a drinking problem since 9/11 that led to her developing cirrhosis, which led to her death. Her sister Jerri said, "She never did get over Dennis' death."[6]
Filmography
Television
- Sons and Daughters (1974) - Evie Martinson / Evie Mortenson
- Movin' On (1975) - Amy Smith
- The Secrets of Isis (1975) (1 episode) - Jenny Nelson
- Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–78) - Rosalie 'Hotsy' Totsy
- Match Game (1975–81) - Herself
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976-1977) - Cathy Shumway
- The $20,000 Pyramid (1976-1980) - Herself
- Forever Fernwood (1977-1978) - Cathy Shumway
- Shoot for the Stars (1977) - Herself
- The Love Boat (1978) - Jane Cole
- Angie (1979-1980) - Marie Falco
- Family Feud (1979) - Herself
- Password Plus (1979-1981) - Herself / Herself - Celebrity Contestant
- The Donna Summer Special (1980) - Bad Girl
- The Merv Griffin Show
Movies
- The Candidate (1972) - Girl in Opening Credits (uncredited)
- American Graffiti (1973) - Falfa's Girl
- Our Time (1974) - Ann Alden
- The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974) - Sister
- Earthquake (1974, TV edit) - Kathie (TV version) (uncredited)
- The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) - Suzy
- Just Tell Me You Love Me (1978) - Rebecca
- Hot T-Shirts (1980) - Towngirl Dancer
- Pandemonium (1982) - Sandy
- Police Academy (1984) - Mrs. Fackler
- Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986) - Cadet Fackler
- Misplaced (1989) - School Teacher (final film role)
References
- ↑ Bittan, Dave (November 30, 1984). "Debralee Scott". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
- ↑ Whodunit? (1975) Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979 Accessed online September 26, 2016
- ↑ Debralee Scott Filmography (including TV work) Accessed September 26, 2016 via Internet
- ↑ pages 336 & 337 from the book Portraits: 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from The New York Times published Macmillan, August 1, 2003 accessed online September 11, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press. "DEBRALEE SCOTT, 52", The Boston Globe, April 10, 2005; accessed December 28, 2007. "Scott died April 5 at her home in Amelia Island of natural causes, said her sister, Jeri Scott, a talent manager in Beverly Hills."
- ↑ Debralee Scott Drank Herself To Death Following 9/11, contactmusic.com, April 22, 2005; accessed November 19, 2013.