Actress
Her mother, June Bethel, was a seamstress.
Best-known in later years for her prolific television work, she played Lou Grants spunky girlfriend on "Mary Tyler Moore" and was Kramers mom on "Seinfeld" , who was the first to announce his first name to fans: "Cosmo". She also earned Emmy nominations for appearances on "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "Archie Bunkers Place" .
Used as a bargaining chip by Fox against an unreliable Marilyn Monroe , she was found to have Monroes exact weight and measurements at the time. She later played MMs unbalanced mother in Marilyn: The Untold Story .
Married four times, she had two daughters: Dawn Jeanette Bessire (B. 1949) and Erica Eve Sommer (B. 1959), from different marriages.
As a young woman she sanded floors and parked cars to pay for her ballet lessons.
Born in Los Angeles and trained in dance, one of her early jobs was as a chorine at the Greek Theatre.
Appeared in such stage musicals as "Can-Can," "Irma La Douce" and "Bye Bye Birdie.".
Was discovered in a Santa Monica night club by a famous choreographer who enticed her to New York for a role in a Broadway musical, which in turn began her stage career.
Began taking dance lessons at the age of six. Moreover, at age 13 she lied about her age so she could become a chorus girl.
Had ambitions of becoming a ballerina. During World War II, at the age of ten, danced in several USO shows. From her late teens, danced in nightclubs in Santa Monica. Eventually spotted by a talent scout, she ended up on Broadway doing a lively routine in the musical "Hazel Flagg" , consequently winning a Theatre World Award. This directly led to her being cast for the film Living It Up .
When she was pictured on the cover of the March 21, 1955, issue of "Life" magazine, the headline read, " Sheree North Takes Over From Marilyn Monroe.".
She took over for Shirley Knight in a Los Angeles production of "Dutchman," which coincided with the 1965 Watts riots. The production was controversial and was blamed by conservatives for inciting unrest. It was picketed, ads were blocked from the newspapers and Norths car was set on fire. Despite that, the production ran for a year.
North was married to Emmy Award-winning film title designer Phill Norman. Norman had been her companion from 1981 and married from 2003, until her death in 2005.
Stepmother of Jessica Youd from her marriage to Phill Norman. Grandmother of four.
