Barely three months after her husband Jonathan Krane died, legendary actress, Sally Kellerman also lost her 27-year-old daughter Hannah. Despite these sad events, she continued to keep to her commitments.
Sally Kellerman took the industry by storm during her debut on the television screens in the 1950s. Her unique and distinctively weird misfit presence made her an attractive performer.
Her most prominent role came in 1970 when the actress starred in the movie "M.A.S.H," which earned her multiple award nominations. Due to her strong acting and singing skills, Kellerman was a mainstay in Hollywood with movie credits including "Saint Joan," "Reform School Girl, "The Third Day," and "Boston Strangler."
She also starred in the movie "Natasha," "Younger and Younger" alongside her "M.A.S.H" co-star Donald Sutherland, and in Robert Altman's "Ready To Wear" where she played a fashion magazine editor.
She focused more on her singing career in later years and was a deep-voiced blues and jazz artist. Kellerman performed as a solo act in Los Angeles and New York clubs.
She also has two musician albums to her name, including "Roll with The Feelin'" and jazz and blues fused album titled "Sally." In addition, her seductively throaty voice allowed her to be a voice-over artist for commercials, feature films, and television.
A picture of Sally Kellerman from 16th March, 1973. | Source: Getty Images
EARLY LIFE & CAREER
Sally Kellerman was born in Long Beach, California, on June 2, 1937. While in fifth grade, her family moved to Granada Hills in San Fernando before moving again to the Park La Brea complex in Los Angeles, where she attended Hollywood High School.
Kellerman was an average student in high school, but she starred in a school production of the drama "Meet Me in St. Louis."
After high school, she attended Los Angeles City College and took acting classes. Afterward, she appeared in "Look Back In Anger" stage production alongside Robert Blake, Dean Stockwell, and Jack Nicholson.
Sally Kellerman arrives for the premiere of "The Judge" in 2014. | Source: Getty Images
In 1957 she made her on-screen debut in the movie "Reform School Girl" before following that up with different television appearances all through the 1960s.
She rose to prominence in 1970 due to her performance in the hit movie "M.A.S.H," which earned Kellerman nominations for a Golden Globe, Oscars, and a Kansas City Film Critics Circle award, all in the category for Best Supporting Actress.
Sally Kellerman arrives at the Los Angeles LGBT Center 46th Anniversary Gala Vanguard Awards in 2015. | Source: Getty Images
HER HUSBAND OF 36 YEARS UNTIL HIS DEATH
On December 19, 1970, Kellerman married writer Richard Edelstein, but their relationship was short-lived, and just two years later, the pair went their separate ways.
The actress filed for divorce from Edelstein, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason. The pair also did not have children together.
In August 1978, Kellerman met a 26-year-old Jonathan Krane and was instantly attracted to him because of how sexy he looked. The feeling was mutual because Krane was also attracted to her.
In December of the same year, the actress was leaving to work on a movie for a month and, after saying goodbye to her group, asked Krane not to get married even though the two had never spent time alone together.
After Kellerman returned from filming, she was invited to a New Year's party at Susan Spivak's residence, and when she learned Keane would be there, she donned her favorite high-heeled wooden Candies and green jumpsuit.
The actress had also learned that Krane was an international tax lawyer who played an essential part in developing the Wilshere Boulevard Corridor.
At the party, she met Krane in Spivak's kitchen, and even though it was filled with people and the pair did not have any privacy, they stayed with one another till the party ended.
The next day Kellerman underwent a dental operation that left her face swollen, and afterward, Spivak, in the company of Krane, called to know how she was feeling.
Later that night, Krane showed up at her doorstep drunk and proceeded to say he liked her looking like she did because it made her less threatening.
After he left, the pair broke things off with other people they were involved with and started dating exclusively. In 1980 the couple turned the relationship up a notch when they tied the knot in a private ceremony at the Malibu home of actress Jennifer Jones. Afterward, they left for a week-long honeymoon.
Kellerman's beau Krane was once the president of Blake Edwards' production company, and he worked predominantly as a movie producer. His production credits include movies like "Trail of the Pink Panther" in 1982, "Curse of the Pink Panther" in 1983, and "The Man Who Loved Women" in 1983.
He also produced the action-packed John Woo movie "Face Off" in 1997 and the "Look Who's Talking" films, which starred John Travolta. Soon after their marriage, Kellerman learned her husband was cheating on her, which led her to check his pockets and examine his ticket stub frequently.
Even though she felt hellish, betrayed, humiliated, and devastated, the actress believed it was Karma because, before their marriage, she also had affairs with married men, but now she knows how their wives must have felt.
As a result of his indiscretions, the couple separated twice, but they ultimately got back together with time, even though some people believed Kellerman should have left him.
The actress decided to try again with Krane because she believed he loved her, and she wanted to give love a chance to grow between them.
The pair stayed together till August 2016, when Kellerman sadly announced Krane had died with a post on her Facebook page. The actress uploaded one picture of them together and another in which they appeared with their kids. Kellerman captioned it:
"So sorry to report the sudden passing on Monday of my beloved husband Jonathan D. Krane. Thankfully our twins Jack and Hannah are both with me. I am totally devastated."
She further explained that because she needs to continue to earn a living, she would be keeping her prior commitments by attending the 50th anniversary "Star Trek" convention in Las Vegas. Even though Kellerman was grieving her husband, she put on a brave front and with the resolve that she needed to go on without him.
SUDDEN DEATH OF HER TWIN DAUGHTER
Kellerman and Krane decided to adopt a child after talking to two adoption lawyers in their quest to become parents. Not feeling convinced, the actress called longtime friend Burt Reynolds and his wife Loni Anderson, who had adopted successfully.
Reynold and Anderson agreed to refer Kellerman, but when she did not get feedback for days, she spoke to her sister Diana who wished the actress would have twins. A short while after, Kellerman was contacted by a woman named Mary Hilton, who Reynolds and his wife had referred to the actress.
Hilton announced a baby was available but that she and Krane had to agree immediately. She gave the actress some background information about the kids, and afterward, Kellerman agreed.
Mary Hilton added that the baby might be twins, which excited Kellerman. A short while later, in New York, Krane and Kellerman visited to check the ultrasound and realized the kids were two boys.
They had picked out Jack and Joe as names, but that changed some weeks later when the twins turned out to be a boy and a girl. So Kellerman and Krane named them Jack and Hannah.
Sadly in October 2016, just months after she lost her husband, Kellerman announced she had lost her daughter Hannah aged 27, through a Facebook post.
The actress posted a picture of her and her late husband Krane together with Hannah and Jack while still kids. The actress posted the same photo on Mother's Day two years later to remember both Krane and Hannah.
REMEMBERING SALLY KELLERMAN
On February 24, 2022, it was announced that the "M.A.S.H" star Sally Kellerman had sadly died at the age of 84. The iconic singer died of dementia complications at an assisted-living facility in Woodland Hills, California. She was survived by her son Jack.
Tributes poured in shortly after her death was announced as fans all over mourned the legendary entertainer. On Twitter, a user, Mike Barnes, lauded the late actress for being wonderful and recalled when she explained fans would call her "Hot Lips" or recite a classical Dangerfield line from "Back to School."
Another user, actor Marc Maron, praised her for being radiant, beautiful, and fun to work with. He explained that playing his mother in the series "Marin" made his real mother flattered.
Meanwhile, Gennefer Gross praised the late actress for her performance in the movie "Back To School" even though Kellerman was 49 at the time. She explained that her voice, comedic timing, and ability to hold her own in a barracks full of army men were one of a kind.
An official handle called Trek Core also bade farewell to the actress who played Elizabeth Dehner in the movie "Where No Man Has Gone Before."
ncG1vNJzZmimlazAb63MqKSapZFjsLC5jmtvb3FpanqurdKhqmarkaG5unnKnqOlnaKirq95y6iqrWWYqsCjrc2dZJ2ZpZy1b7TTpqM%3D