Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942– October 25, 2013) was an American actress and comedian, primarily known for her roles on sitcoms. She is best known for her role as receptionist Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and as the voice of elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel on the animated series The Simpsons, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1992. The character was retired after her death but sporadically appears through archive recording.
Wallace was known for her tall frame, red hair, and distinctive laugh. She had a career spanning five decades on TV, film, and stage. She was a frequent guest on The Merv Griffin Show, which led to her receiving a personal request to appear on The Bob Newhart Show in a role created especially for her. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, she became a cancer activist, and remained so until her death in 2013.
Early life
Wallace was born in the small, rural town of Creston, Iowa, on November 1, 1942, the eldest of three children of Arthur "Poke" Wallace and Joann Wallace. Her father owned and operated Wallace Sundries, a general merchandise store, where Marcia, her sister Sharon, and brother Jim would often help. While Wallace attended Creston High School, a teacher encouraged her to consider a career in acting after she did well in a school play. Following her 1960 graduation from high school, Wallace attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, which had offered her a full scholarship. She was a member of the Delta Nu chapter of Delta Zeta sorority. Wallace was named the "Delta Zeta 2010 Woman of the Year" at their 2010 Biennial National Convention. At Parsons, she majored in English and Theater, graduating in 1964, and performing in several campus productions, including Brigadoon and The Music Man.
Career
On the day she graduated from college at Parsons, Wallace moved from Iowa to New York with $148 in her pocket. To make ends meet, she typed scripts, performed in summer stock local theatre, did commercials, and worked as a substitute English teacher in The Bronx in the late 1960s. After performing for a year in a Greenwich Village nightclub, Wallace and four fellow entertainer friends formed an improvisational group called The Fourth Wall. In 1968, Wallace appeared for a year off-Broadway with the group. Afterwards, she made several other appearances in improvisational shows, appeared in a nude production of Dark of the Moon at the avant-gardeMercer Arts Center (now The Kitchen) in Greenwich Village.
Wallace was a semiregular on The Merv Griffin Show, appearing over 75 times. When the show moved its production from New York to Los Angeles, Wallace moved with it at Merv Griffin's request. One of these appearances in March 1972 led to a phone call from TV producer Grant Tinker, who offered Wallace a supporting role on the new MTM Enterprises television production The Bob Newhart Show on the recommendation of William S. Paley, the CEO of CBS. The role of Carol Kester, the sarcastic and eccentric office receptionist to Dr. Robert Hartley, Bob Newhart's central character, was written specifically for her.
Wallace played Darrin Stephens' secretary in a 1971 episode of Bewitched; appeared twice on The Brady Bunch (once as Marcia's teacher in "Getting Davy Jones" and once as a wig salesperson in "Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?"); played school principal Mrs. Lyman in two episodes of ALF; and as Mrs. Carruthers in four episodes of Full House. Wallace also had guest appearances on Charles in Charge; Murder, She Wrote; Magnum, P.I.; Columbo; and A Different World. On one of the last episodes of Taxi, she portrayed herself, chosen as the ideal date of Rev. Jim Ignatowski. In 1994, Wallace and Bob Newhart reprised their roles from The Bob Newhart Show on an episode of Murphy Brown. In the 2000s, Wallace played Maggie Hawley on That's My Bush!, and, in 2009, appeared on The Young and the Restless, playing Annie Wilkes, an inefficient assistant kidnapper.
Wallace married hotelier Dennis Hawley on May 18, 1986, in a Buddhist ceremony. The couple adopted an infant son, Michael Wallace "Mikey" Hawley. Dennis Hawley died from pancreatic cancer in June 1992.
Wallace was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, after which she became an activist and lecturer on the subject. In 2007, Wallace was awarded the Gilda Radner Courage Award by the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York for helping educate Americans about the importance of early cancer detection and inspiring others through her 20 years as a breast cancer survivor.
Wallace's autobiography, titled Don't Look Back, We're Not Going That Way, was published in 2004. Besides describing her film and TV career, the book importantly recounts the early detection of her breast cancer, the early loss of her husband Dennis, her nervous breakdown, her single motherhood, and other personal experiences such as a private history of bulimia. She credited the title of the book to her father, who used the phrase often during her childhood.
Wallace died from pneumonia and sepsis on October 25, 2013, at age 70. Breast cancer was also listed as a significant condition on her death certificate. Wallace was cremated following a private funeral service.
Staff on The Simpsons had reportedly been aware of her ill health. ShowrunnerAl Jean said, "I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace." Jean said that producers planned to retire her "irreplaceable" character Edna Krabappel. Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson, tweeted, "Heaven is now a much funnier place b/c of you, Marcia." Bob Newhart commented on his Facebook fan page, "Marcia's death came as quite a shock, she left us too early. She was a talented actress and dear friend".
The Simpsons episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" was shown on November 3, 2013, and dedicated to her, with the chalkboard gag showing Bart having written a single line "We'll really miss you Mrs. K", while looking sad. Wallace had recorded lines for several upcoming episodes, and her final episode, "The Man Who Grew Too Much", aired on March 9, 2014.
In February 2021, it was announced that archival recordings of Marcia Wallace's voice that she provided as Edna Krabappel would be making a final appearance on The Simpsons. The character is mentioned in a chalkboard gag and shown in flashback scenes in the show's 696th episode, entitled "Diary Queen". In an interview with Variety regarding the announcement, Al Jean remarked, "We never got the chance to give sort of a proper goodbye to her in the show, and this is a small attempt to do that."
