Imogene Coca

Birth Name:

Imogene Fernandez de Coca

Birth Place:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack

An animal rights activist, she founded the Imogene Coca Charitable Foundation
In 1954, she received a Peabody Award for her work in broadcasting
Received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy at the 1988 American Comedy Awards
A professional singer by the age of 11, she started perfoming in New York nightclubs at the age of 15
When the heating failed in a theatre in which she was performing a revue, she got her big break when her director asked her to improvise a miming act in order to keep the audience occupied
Was widely recognized for her collaborations with Sid Caesar
Is credited with inspiring Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg and Tracey Ullman to enter comedy

Fast Facts