TLDR: Charlotte Rae was born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She originated Mammy Yokum in the original Broadway production of Li’l Abner in 1956 and was roommates with Cloris Leachman at Northwestern University.
She played Edna Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes and then on the spinoff The Facts of Life for seven seasons. She turned down a multi-million dollar contract extension to leave the show in 1986.
She died of bone cancer on August 5, 2018, in Los Angeles, at age 92.
Charlotte Rae’s mother, Esther Lubotsky, grew up as a close childhood friend of Golda Meir, who would later become the Prime Minister of Israel. That detail appears in the first chapter of Rae’s 2015 memoir and sets an unlikely tone for the rest of the book: the life of a Milwaukee tire merchant’s daughter who turned out to be more consequential than almost anyone around her expected.
Milwaukee, Northwestern and a Roommate Named Cloris Leachman
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky was born on April 22, 1926, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the middle of three daughters. Her family lived above her father’s retail tire store for the first ten years of her life.
A radio broadcaster advised her early on that “Lubotsky” would not serve her professionally and she shortened it to Charlotte Rae, the name she carried for the rest of her career.
She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied dramatic arts and met Cloris Leachman. After leaving Northwestern without completing her degree, the two relocated to New York City and briefly lived as roommates while navigating the theatrical industry.
The friendship lasted the rest of Rae’s life. Leachman eventually replaced her on The Facts of Life in 1986, taking over as the maternal figure of the Eastland School when Rae decided to leave.
In New York she found early work performing satirical sketches in Greenwich Village cabaret clubs, which caught the attention of Broadway producers. In 1952 she made her Broadway debut in Three Wishes for Jamie.
In 1956 she originated the role of Mammy Yokum in the original Broadway production of Li’l Abner, a physically demanding comedic performance that established her as a premier character actress. She received two Tony Award nominations across her stage career.
Twenty Years of Television Before Mrs. Garrett
Rae spent two decades building a prolific television career before her breakthrough role. From 1961 to 1963 she played Sylvia Schnauser on the NBC sitcom Car 54, Where Are You?, her first major recurring television role.
In 1971 she joined Sesame Street as Molly the Mail Lady, a cheerful postal carrier who taught young viewers about letters and phonics. She appeared in Norman Lear’s 1975 sitcom Hot l Baltimore and made guest appearances on All in the Family, Good Times, and Phyllis.
By the late 1970s she was one of the industry’s most recognizable character actresses, which is what brought her to Diff’rent Strokes.
From Diff’rent Strokes to the Spinoff She Proposed Herself
Rae was cast as Edna Garrett, the Drummond family housekeeper, when Diff’rent Strokes premiered in the fall of 1978 alongside Conrad Bain, Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato.
During the first season she proposed a concept to NBC executives for a spinoff centered around Mrs. Garrett working at a girls boarding school. The network approved it.
The spinoff was introduced through a first-season finale of Diff’rent Strokes that served as a backdoor pilot, and The Facts of Life premiered on NBC on August 24, 1979.
Before leaving for the spinoff she negotiated a safety clause: if The Facts of Life failed to find an audience, she could return to her role on Diff’rent Strokes. The first season of The Facts of Life nearly triggered that clause.
The initial format featured an excessively large ensemble cast of young girls and the ratings were disappointing. For the second season the producers reduced the cast to four primary girls and the show found its footing.
It climbed the Nielsen charts and became a cornerstone of NBC’s Thursday night lineup for the rest of the decade.
Turning Down Millions to Leave
By 1986, after seven seasons, Rae felt that Mrs. Garrett’s narrative purpose had run its course. The girls had matured, graduated from high school, and moved into young adulthood.
They were increasingly relying on each other rather than on their housemother, leaving the character with fewer opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the story.
There was also a health factor. She had undergone surgery to implant a pacemaker during her time on the show. The experience prompted her to think carefully about what she was spending her time on.
When NBC offered her a multi-million dollar contract extension to commit to two more seasons, she turned it down. Her health, personal fulfillment, and the natural conclusion of her character’s arc mattered more to her than the money.
Her departure was amicable. In the Season 8 premiere she filmed a send-off in which Mrs. Garrett married her suitor and left for East Africa to join the Peace Corps. Cloris Leachman joined the cast as Mrs. Garrett’s sister Beverly Ann, carrying the maternal role through the final two seasons.
The Son Named Andrew and the Character Named Andy
Rae married composer John Leonard Strauss on November 4, 1951. They had two sons, Larry and Andrew. The marriage ended in divorce in December 1976, shortly before her breakthrough on Diff’rent Strokes.
Her memoir, published in 2015, disclosed that her ex-husband had come out to her as bisexual, a revelation that explained aspects of the marriage she had long struggled to understand.
Her eldest son Andrew was diagnosed with severe autism at a time when there was very little clinical understanding of or public support for the condition. He required specialized care throughout his life.
In 1999, Andrew died suddenly of a heart attack at age 44. Rae described it as the most painful experience of her life. The producers of The Facts of Life had previously named a recurring adolescent character Andy Moffett after her son, a gesture she deeply appreciated.
Her surviving son Larry Strauss became an educator and author in California and co-wrote her 2015 memoir, The Facts of My Life, published by BearManor Media. The book covered her struggles with alcoholism, her son’s autism, her ex-husband’s disclosure, and her decades in the entertainment industry.
Two Cancers and a Decision About How to Spend the Time Left
Rae successfully beat a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in her later years, which she attributed to early detection. In April 2017, at age 91, she publicly disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bone cancer.
Consistent with her characteristic pragmatism, she decided against chemotherapy treatments she felt would compromise her quality of life, choosing instead to spend her remaining time as she chose.
Charlotte Rae died on August 5, 2018, at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by her family. She was 92 years old.
Her co-stars from The Facts of Life issued statements reflecting on forty years of friendship. Mindy Cohn remembered her as her champion, teacher, and an enduring example of tenacity and perseverance.
For more on the show where she first played Mrs. Garrett, see the Diff’rent Strokes cast hub.
Why did Charlotte Rae leave The Facts of Life?
Charlotte Rae left The Facts of Life after the seventh season in 1986 because she felt her character Mrs. Garrett’s narrative purpose had run its course. As the girls matured they relied less on their housemother, leaving the character with fewer meaningful storylines. She had also undergone pacemaker surgery during the show’s run, which prompted her to prioritize her health and personal fulfillment. When NBC offered her a multi-million dollar contract extension for two more seasons, she turned it down. Her friend from Northwestern University, Cloris Leachman, joined the cast as Mrs. Garrett’s sister to fill the maternal role.
How did Charlotte Rae die?
Charlotte Rae died of bone cancer on August 5, 2018, at her home in Los Angeles, California. She was 92 years old. She had publicly disclosed the bone cancer diagnosis in April 2017 and chose not to undergo chemotherapy, deciding to spend her remaining time on her own terms. She had previously beaten a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer earlier in her life. She was survived by her son Larry Strauss.
What did Charlotte Rae do before Diff’rent Strokes?
Charlotte Rae spent more than two decades building a television and stage career before Diff’rent Strokes. She originated the role of Mammy Yokum in the original Broadway production of Li’l Abner in 1956 and received two Tony Award nominations during her stage career. On television she played Sylvia Schnauser on Car 54 Where Are You from 1961 to 1963 and Molly the Mail Lady on Sesame Street in 1971. She was roommates with Cloris Leachman at Northwestern University and the two remained close friends for the rest of Rae’s life.
What happened to Charlotte Rae’s son?
Charlotte Rae’s eldest son Andrew was diagnosed with severe autism and required specialized care throughout his life. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1999 at age 44. Rae described it as the most painful experience of her life. The producers of The Facts of Life had previously named a recurring character Andy Moffett after Andrew as a tribute. Rae’s surviving son Larry Strauss became an educator and author and co-wrote her 2015 memoir The Facts of My Life.
