11 Facts About Sada Thompson

Sada Carolyn Thompson was an American stage, film, and television actress.

Sada Thompson was born Sada Carolyn Thompson in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1927 to Hugh Woodruff Thompson and his wife Corlyss.

Sada Thompson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, after which she worked steadily in regional theatre in such plays as The Seagull, Pygmalion, Our Town, Arms and the Man, and Blithe Spirit.

Sada Thompson received training at Pittsburgh Playhouse, where she appeared in numerous productions.

Sada Thompson made her Off-Broadway debut in a 1955 production of Under Milk Wood, and the following year she appeared on television in a Goodyear Television Playhouse production.

Sada Thompson made her Broadway debut in the 1959 musical Juno.

Sada Thompson was elected to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sada Thompson was cast as matriarch Kate Lawrence on Family.

Sada Thompson won the 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the role, which garnered three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.

Sada Thompson was nominated for the Emmy Award nine times, including a nomination for her portrayal of Carla's mother on Cheers.

Sada Thompson died on May 4,2011, in Danbury, Connecticut, of lung disease, aged 83.