Brett Somers

Brett Somers began life in New Brunswick as Audrey Johnston, but it is difficult to think of her as a “Canadian” actor. The family moved to the United States when she was just a child and Audrey grew up in Portland, Maine. She ran away from home at 17 ending up in New York`s Greenwich Village. Within a few days of arriving she read Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” and Audrey promptly changed her first name to “Brett” after the novel’s lead character. She then combined it with her mother’s maiden name and re-invented herself as Brett Somers – a stage name that would remain with her throughout her life and career. One of her most memorable televison roles was as Oscar Madison’s ex-wife Blanche on the long running classic television show The Odd Couple. The role of Madison was played by her husband, Jack Klugman. A few years after landing the role, Klugman and Somers separated but were never divorced. She died of cancer at her home in Westport, Connecticut at the age of 83.