Shirl Bernheim, 'TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE' Actress, Dead At 87

Shirl Bernheim, best known for originating the role of "Frieda" in Charles Busch's THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE, passed away on March 30. She was 87.

Bernheim, a Bronx native, was born on September 21, 1921. She made her Broadway debut in 1978 in Grease and returned to the Great White Way 22 years later in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. Berheim portrayed a foul-mouthed mother in Busch's play, which was based on the author's aunt. Bernheim remembered meeting the real-life inspiration for her character, noting "I met his Aunt Frieda, I don't remember if her name was really Frieda, but I met her-and she does use four-letter words very elegantly. She's a very pretty lady, but I don't know much about her life. I just try to be myself."

Bernheim appeared in the national tours of Grease as "Miss Lynch" and Cyrano de Bergerac, the off-Broadway production of The Old Lady's Guide to Survival and in productions at Syracuse Stage, the Walnut Street Theatre, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Berkshire Theatre Festival. She appeared in the films Dear Mr. Wonderful, Anna, Frankenhooker, I'm Not Rappaport, Sudden Manhattan, Commandments, Anima and Broadway Damage. Television credits include Law and Order, The Sopranos and The Guiding Light. She also appeared in a music video for Natalie Merchant's "Trouble Me."

The actress' nieces Amy and Karen Raphael and her friends Jayne Dutil and John Tillotson are planning a memorial in early May.