Pamela Blair, a Broadway actor best known for her roles in "A Chorus Line" and the soap opera "All My Children," died at 73 on Sunday at her home in Phoenix after a lengthy illness, according to Deadline.
Born on December 5, 1949, in Bennington, Vermont, Blair studied drama under "Cleopatra" actor Herbert Berghof at the HB Studio in New York City, according to People.
She got her start on Broadway appearing in 1968's "Promises, Promises" before landing the only female role in 1974's "Of Mice and Men," as Curley's wife.
Blair went on to take the role of Valerie "Val" Clarke in "A Chorus Line," a character partly inspired by her own experiences. Blair helped develop the character during workshops of the show, as mentioned in a tweet from the account of late composer Marvin Hamlisch, associated with "A Chorus Line."
"Our thoughts are with her loved ones and fans," the tweet read, noting that Blair had been a part of "A Chorus Line" since its 1974 workshop.
After her success on the popular show, in 1978 Blair originated the role of "Amber/Angel" in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." She further appeared in Broadway productions like "King of Hearts," "The Nerd," and "A Few Good Men."
Blair also enjoyed a successful career in film and TV. Notably, she played Mrs. Goodman and Maida Andrews in "All My Children," and portrayed Elizabeth Shank Ryan in "Ryan's Hope," as well as Sabrina's mom in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Rita Mae Bristow in "Loving," and Karen on "The Cosby Show."
In her final screen credits, she starred in the 2003 movie "21 Grams" and the 2009 miniseries "Maneater" as Cinnamon Mason.
"I am very sad to say my Sagittarian sister Pam Blair has gone to play with her ["A Chorus Line"] Colleagues among the clouds,” wrote Blair's "A Chorus Line" co-star Baayork Lee on Facebook.
"What a colorful character she was as depicted in the Val monologue in the show,” Lee recalled of Blair's nightly performance.
"She brought the house down every night as well as a woman standing at the edge of the orchestra shouting, 'Wash your mouth out,'" Lee continued. "You are free now Pammie so dance, dance, dance among the stars."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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