Ellen Albertini Dow (1913 – 2015)
Ellen Albertini Dow who was best remembered for playing the Rapping Granny in Adam Sandler’s “The Wedding Singer” has died. She was 101 years old. Her other film work included “Patch Adams”, “Road Trip”, “Ready to Rumble”, “My Blue Heaven”, “Sister Act 1 and 2” and “Wedding Crashers” where she played the foul-mouthed grandmother who outed her grandson and Eleanor Roosevelt both during the dinner scene.
Her comedy work included several TV appearances on episodes of “Newhart”, “Murphy Brown”, “Designing Women”, “The Golden Girls”, “Wings”, “The Wonder Years”, “The Nanny”, “Arli$$”, “Will & Grace”, “Family Guy”, “Shameless” and as recently as 2 years ago, “New Girl”. Plus, there was her memorable moment on “Seinfeld” as J. Peterman’s “Momma” who keeps repeating George’s secret password “Bosco” on her death bed.
Her career included decades of teaching drama in Los Angeles and according to Rolling Stone, working with dancer Martha Graham and French mime Marcel Marceu. She retired from teaching the same year she got her first film role in 1985 at the age of 72.
Ellen Albertini Dow as a The Wedding Singer’s Rapping Granny
Stealing the dinner scene in “Wedding Crashers”
Her memorable “Seinfeld” moment
