About Imogene Coca
Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 - June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and pursued a career in music and dance through decades of stage musical revues, cabaret, and summer stock before beginning a celebrated television comedy career in her 40s. She was one of network television's first comics, starring in the early ABC series Buzzy Wuzzy and playing opposite Caesar on The Admiral Broadway Revue and then on Your Show of Shows from 1950 to 1954. She was nominated for five Emmy Awards for Your Show of Shows, winning Best Actress in 1951, and received a Peabody Award in 1953. Coca was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century and appeared in films such as National Lampoon's Vacation as Aunt Edna. Born in Philadelphia, she possessed a rubbery face capable of broad expressions and worked well into her 80s.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Imogene Coca?
Imogene Coca was an American comic actress from Philadelphia, best known for playing opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows.
Did Imogene Coca win an Emmy?
She was nominated for five Emmy Awards for Your Show of Shows and won Best Actress in 1951, and she received a Peabody Award in 1953.
How did Imogene Coca start her career?
She began in vaudeville as a child acrobat, studied ballet and spent decades in musical revues, cabaret and summer stock before her television comedy career took off in her 40s.
What early TV shows was Imogene Coca in?
One of the first comics on network television, she starred in the ABC series Buzzy Wuzzy and worked with Caesar on The Admiral Broadway Revue before Your Show of Shows ran from 1950 to 1954.
Who did Imogene Coca play in National Lampoon's Vacation?
She played Aunt Edna in National Lampoon's Vacation, and in 1978 she earned a Tony Award nomination for On the Twentieth Century.
