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Terry Saunders 1923 - 2011

Terry Saunders of New York, New York County, NY was born on May 17, 1923, and died at age 87 years old on April 8, 2011 in New York.

Terry Saunders

New York, New York County, NY 10023

May 17, 1923

April 8, 2011

New York, New York, United States

Male

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Terry Saunders Terry Saunders (1923 - 2011)

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Terry Saunders' History: 1923 - 2011

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Introduction

Terry Saunders PERFORMER ROLES (7) Follies Playbill - May 1971 FOLLIES (1971) OPENED APR 4, 1971 AS CHRISTINE CRANE (REPLACEMENT) Milk and Honey Playbill - Dec 1961 MILK AND HONEY (1961) OPENED OCT 10, 1961 AS RUTH (REPLACEMENT) ARRIVED ON DEC 5, 1962 Music in the Air Playbill - Oct 1951 MUSIC IN THE AIR (1951) OPENED OCT 8, 1951 AS MARTHE (ORIGINAL) AS FRIEDA HATZFELD (UNDERSTUDY - ORIGINAL) The King and I Playbill - March 1951 THE KING AND I (1951) OPENED MAR 29, 1951 AS LADY THIANG (REPLACEMENT) Bloomer Girl Playbill - May 1945 BLOOMER GIRL (1944) OPENED OCT 5, 1944 AS DELIA (REPLACEMENT) The Time, the Place and the Girl Playbill - Oct 1942 THE TIME, THE PLACE AND THE GIRL (1942) OPENED OCT 21, 1942 AS ENSEMBLE (ORIGINAL)
05/17

1923

Birthday

May 17, 1923

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Religious Beliefs

Saunders had one child, a daughter Sheryl Hurst (born April 1959 - died May 2012) by her husband, actor James Hurst, who was younger than Saunders, who played cowboys in television westerns. The couple broke up when their daughter was about 4 years old. In her late 30s, Sheryl Hurst had been drawn to Congregation Rodeph Sholom, an Upper West Side synagogue, and she sang in its choir for years before formally converting to Judaism. Suffering from a facial deformity (explained below), Hurst was a familiar presence, but no one in the congregation knew her background. Neither of her parents was Jewish. As a teenager, Sheryl Hurst tried to kill herself, fell unconscious on a bathroom heater and badly burned her face. "A funny thing happened to me on the way to becoming Jewish", she wrote when she completed an adult bat mitzvah class in 2007. "I, an atheist, developed a strong belief and deep love for God", Sheryl commented. She had always lived with her mother and was devastated by her mother's death in April 2011. A year later, Sheryl had been looking forward to chanting at a special service, and when she did not show up, the synagogue kept trying to reach her. Finally, the cantor posted a note at her home on West 76th Street in Manhattan, appealing for information. Word came back that she had died the previous month (May 2012). She was interred on notorious Hart Island. "Everybody was just distraught", said Sally Kaplan, vice president of the congregation. "Somehow we had to bring Sheryl home." They enlisted Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, a rare nonprofit funeral home, to try to retrieve Ms. Hurst for burial in the synagogue's cemetery. The process was not an easy task and took nine months. Among many requirements was written permission from Hurst's long-estranged father, living in California. At first, he said he had not had a relationship with his daughter. But when they explained what they were doing, he wept, saying, "God bless you all." Her headstone bears not only her birth name but the Hebrew name she chose, Eliana, "because it means, 'God answered me'", and an inscription by the community that refused to leave her in the dark: "Forever in Our Hearts".
Professional Career

Terry Saunders Born May 17, 1923 Died April 8, 2011 in New York City, New York, USA Terry Saunders was born on May 17, 1923. She was an actress, known for The King and I (1956) and The Danny Thomas Show (1953). She was married to James Hurst. She died on April 8, 2011 in New York City, New York, USA. Spouse (1) James Hurst (19?? - 19??) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Terry Saunders Gender Female Died 2012 Performer External Links CREDITS Broadway Touring Special Events Follies (Apr 04, 1971 - Jul 01, 1972) Performer: Terry Saunders Christine Crane - Replacement MusicalDramaOriginal Milk and Honey (Oct 10, 1961 - Jan 26, 1963) Performer: Terry Saunders Ruth - Replacement (Dec 05, 1962 - ?) MusicalComedyOriginal Music in the Air (Oct 08, 1951 - Nov 24, 1951) Performer: Terry Saunders [Marthe] Understudy: Terry Saunders [Frieda Hatzfeld] MusicalComedyRevival The King and I (Mar 29, 1951 - Mar 20, 1954) Performer: Terry Saunders Lady Thiang - Replacement MusicalComedyDramaOriginal Bloomer Girl (Oct 05, 1944 - Apr 27, 1946) Performer: Terry Saunders Delia - Replacement MusicalComedyOriginal The Time, the Place and the Girl (Oct 21, 1942 - Oct 31, 1942) Performer: Terry Saunders [Ensemble] MusicalComedyRevival
04/8

2011

Death

April 8, 2011

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

New York, New York United States
Death location

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9 Memories, Stories & Photos about Terry

Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

03/27/2020

Terry Saunders

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

03/27/2020

Terry Saunders

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

03/27/2020

Jan Clayton told me that Terry Saunders was working with her in FOLLIES and she was very fond of Terry.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

03/27/2020

Terry Saunders?#4 This was posted by a man named BILL.
Posted: 6/12/12 at 10:41pm
I have a couple of fond memories of Terry Saunders. In 1968, she was playing Lady Thiang/Mother Abbess back-to-back in summer stock in my home town, and I introduced myself as a fan. I spoke to her of my excitement about my first trip to New York the following week- a college theatre tour. She was very gracious and sweet in sharing my excitement and my enthusiasm about musical theatre, and about Rodgers and Hammerstein in particular, and seemed quite pleased that I even knew who she was, let alone that I was a fan. We spent an entire night's dress rehearsal in conversation when she wasn't on stage.

I re-introduced myself in 1972 backstage at FOLLIES and she seemed pleased to meet me again. By the way, she shared that stage during "Who's That Woman?" with Jan Clayton- talk about being in R&H heaven! (Ms. Clayton was extremely sweet and gracious, as well.)

The last time I spoke to Ms. Saunders was in 1980 at a gathering in NYC after I had moved here. She seemed happy I had made it here and I was happy to have shared that particular arc of time with her. A lovely, lovely lady.

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