---
name: "Carol Bruce"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/carol-bruce"
fi1m_id: "carol-bruce"
imdb_id: "nm0115433"
tmdb_id: 27262
wikidata_id: "Q5044274"
roles: []
born: "15 November 1919"
died: "9 October 2007"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-04T16:53:14.968565+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Carol Bruce

## Identity

Carol Bruce

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/carol-bruce
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** carol-bruce
- **IMDb ID:** nm0115433
- **TMDB ID:** 27262
- **Wikidata ID:** Q5044274
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Bruce, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5044274, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115433/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27262

Actor. Born 15 November 1919 in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA. Died 9 October 2007.

## Details

- **Born:** 15 November 1919, Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA
- **Died:** 9 October 2007
- **Also known as:** Shirley Levy
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Bruce, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5044274, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115433/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/27262

## Biography

Carol Bruce (born Shirley Levy) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a nightclub singer in the late 1930s and made her Broadway debut in the 1940 musical *Louisiana Purchase*. She later played the role of Julie in the 1946 Broadway revival of *Show Boat*.

Bruce appeared in several films in the early 1940s, including *This Woman Is Mine* (1941) and *Keep 'Em Flying* (1941). Decades later she had supporting roles in *American Gigolo* (1980) as Mrs. Sloan and *Planes, Trains and Automobiles* (1987). She is best known for her recurring television role as Lillian "Mama" Carlson on *WKRP in Cincinnati* (1978–1982).

She made guest appearances on series including *The Golden Girls*, *Doogie Howser, M.D.* and *Diagnosis: Murder*. Bruce died in 2007.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *American Gigolo* (1980), Fi1m 64, as Mrs. Sloan — [page](https://film.one/film/american-gigolo.md)

## Complete filmography (21)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists* (1996), as Old One (voice)
- *Profiler* (1996), series, as Petra Strauss
- *Party of Five* (1994), series, as Sarah's Grandmother — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/party-of-five.md)
- *Diagnosis: Murder* (1993), series, as Constance Lockwood
- *The New WKRP in Cincinnati* (1991), series, Actor
- *Doogie Howser, M.D.* (1989), series, as Beatrice Portmeyer
- *Planes, Trains and Automobiles* (1987), as Joy Page
- *Jake and the Fatman* (1987), series, Actor
- *Marblehead Manor* (1987), series, as Margaret Stonehill
- *The Twilight Zone* (1985), series, as (segment "Wong's Lost and Found Emporium")
- *The Golden Girls* (1985), series, as Lucille — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-golden-girls.md)
- *American Gigolo* (1980), as Mrs. Sloan — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/american-gigolo.md)
- *Knots Landing* (1979), series, as Mrs. Cunningham
- *WKRP in Cincinnati* (1978), series, as Lillian Carlson, Mama Carlson
- *Charlie's Angels* (1976), series, as Mrs. Pattison
- *The Girl Who Returned* (1969), as (voice)
- *Studio One* (1948), series, Actor
- *Behind the Eight Ball* (1942), as Joan Barry
- *Keep 'Em Flying* (1941), as Linda Joyce
- *This Woman Is Mine* (1941), as Julie Morgan
- *Koo Koo Korrespondance Skool* (1937), as Singer

## Gallery

- ![Carol Bruce in the Revue Along Fifth Avenue, Broadway - publicity still (cropped) (1949)](https://film.one/media/person/5539461/gallery-d447d65bbbd4.jpg) Carol Bruce in the Revue Along Fifth Avenue, Broadway - publicity still (cropped) (1949) — Eileen Darby, photographer (Graphic House, New York), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Carol_Bruce_Along_Fifth_Avenue.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Carol Bruce](https://film.one/media/person/5539461/gallery-84787a880d4a.jpg) Carol Bruce — Dell Publishing, 1946, sourced from https://archive.org/details/modernscreen3233unse Possible copyright status Library of Congress has determined that this item is not in copyright
Language English
Call number PN1993 .M334
Digitizing sponsor Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division

Book contributor Library of Congress, MBRS, Moving Image Section, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Carol_Bruce.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Carol Bruce](https://film.one/media/person/5539461/gallery-1845d28b866b.jpg) Carol Bruce — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/carol-bruce