Kay Medford (September 14, 1919 – April 10, 1980) was an American character actress and comedian.

Life and career

She was born Margaret Kathleen Regan in 1919 in New York City to James and Mary Regan, first-generation Irish-American parents. She was orphaned in her teens. She adopted the name "Kay Medford" professionally, and began her career after graduating from high school and working as a nightclub waitress.

She was the original "Mama" in Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, garnering excellent reviews, but lost the film role to Maureen Stapleton. Medford appeared in the Warner Bros. rock and roll film, Jamboree (1957). She made her Broadway debut in 1951 in the musical Paint Your Wagon.

She was cast in Carousel, before she appeared onstage in Funny Girl as the mother of Fanny Brice (played by Barbra Streisand); for this performance she was nominated for a 1964 Tony Award for Featured Actress (Musical), and when she repeated the role in the 1968 film adaptation, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her many film credits included roles in A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Rat Race (1960), BUtterfield 8 (1960), Girl of the Night (1960), Ensign Pulver(1964), A Fine Madness (1966), The Busy Body (1967), Angel in My Pocket (1969), Twinky (1969), But I Don't Want to Get Married! (1970), Fire Sale (1977), and Windows (1980).

Medford was cast in guest-starring roles on various television series, including Decoy, To Rome With Love, The Partridge Family, Barney Miller, and The Dean Martin Show. She co-starred in the 1968-1969 ABC series That's Life.

Death

Kay Medford never married. She died from cervical cancer in New York City in 1980, aged 60.

Partial filmography

• Swing Shift Maisie (1943) as Ann Wilson
• Meet the People (1944) as Mrs. Smith (uncredited)
• An American Romance (1944) as Farmer's wife, Yulka (uncredited)
• Mrs. Parkington (1944) as Minnie (uncredited)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) as Girl (uncredited)
• Adventure (1945) as Red (uncredited)
• Tap Roots (1948) as Caller (uncredited)
• The Undercover Man (1949) as Gladys La Verne
• Guilty Bystander (1950) as Angel
• La bisarca (1950) as Anna Paperiska
• Mr. Walkie Talkie (1952) as Marge
• Singing in the Dark (1956) as Luli
• A Face in the Crowd (1957) as First Mrs. Rhodes
• Jamboree (1957) as Grace Show
• The Rat Race (1960) as Landlady Mrs. 'Soda' Gallo
• BUtterfield 8 (1960) as Happy
• Girl of the Night (1960) as Rowena Claiborne
• Two Tickets to Paris (1962) as Aggie
• Ensign Pulver (1964) as Head Nurse
• A Fine Madness (1966) as Mrs. Fish
• The Busy Body (1967) as Ma Norton
• Funny Girl (1968) as Rose Brice
• Angel in My Pocket (1969) as Mother-in-law Rancine
• Lola (1970) as Scott's mother, Mrs. Wardman
• Fire Sale (1977) as Ruth Fikas
• Windows (1980) as Ida Marx