Annette Charles
{{short description|American actress, dancer, and educator (1948-2011)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Annette Charles
| image = Annette-charles_resize.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Annette Cardona
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1948|3|5}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|8|3|1948|3|5}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|dancer|educator}}
| years_active = 1968–2009
}}
Annette Charles (née Cardona; March 5, 1948 – August 3, 2011){{cite web|title='Grease' Actress Annette Charles Dies at 63 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grease-actress-annette-charles-dies-219431 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 4, 2011 |first=Mike |last=Barnes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203204202/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grease-actress-annette-charles-dies-219431 |archivedate=February 3, 2012 |url-status=live }} was an American actress, dancer, and educator best known for her role as Charlene "Cha-Cha" DiGregorio in the 1978 feature film Grease. She made several appearances on television as well.
Early life
Charles was born Annette Cardona in Los Angeles, California, of Mexican and Italian ancestry.{{cite news |last=Godoy |first=Maria |date=August 6, 2011 |title=Remembering Annette Charles, a.k.a. Cha Cha, 'The Best Dancer At St. Bernadette's' |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/08/06/139036754/remembering-annette-charles-a-k-a-cha-cha-the-best-dancer-at-st-bernadettes |work=Pop Culture Happy Hour: Pop Culture News and Analysis from NPR |access-date=December 29, 2020}}
Career
Charles became an actress, and was best known for her role as Charlene "Cha Cha" DiGregorio in the 1978 feature film Grease. She made several appearances on television as well.
Charles later earned a bachelor's degree from Antioch University Los Angeles in psychology and theater, and a master's degree in social work from New York University before becoming a speech communication professor in the Chicano Studies department at California State University, Northridge.{{cite web |url=http://www.csun.edu/humanities/coh-newsletter-fall-2011/verso-p8.html |title= In Memoriam: Annette Cardona |last=Morrison |first=Teresa |publisher=College of Humanities, California State University, Northridge |access-date=December 29, 2020}}{{cite web|title=Cha Cha from Grease dead at 63 |url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/grease-star-annette-charles-dead-at-63_article_51661 |work=Access Hollywood |date=August 4, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909010758/http://www.accesshollywood.com/grease-star-annette-charles-dead-at-63_article_51661 |archivedate=September 9, 2011 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=152024 |title=Annette Cardona |publisher=RateMyProfessors.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320085442/http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=152024 |archivedate=March 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 4, 2011 }}
Personal life and death
Charles died on August 3, 2011, in Los Angeles from lung cancer, aged 63.{{cite news |last1=Tata |first1=Samantha |title=Professor and "Grease" actress Annette Cardona dies |url=https://sundial.csun.edu/42563/news/professor-and-%E2%80%9Cgrease%E2%80%9D-actress-annette-cardona-dies/ |access-date=December 29, 2020 |work=Daily Sundial |date=August 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201229021935/https://sundial.csun.edu/42563/news/professor-and-%E2%80%9Cgrease%E2%80%9D-actress-annette-cardona-dies/ |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |url-status=live }} She initially was hospitalized for pneumonia.{{cite news |last=Chaney |first=Jen |date=August 4, 2011 |title=Annette Charles, Cha Cha from 'Grease,' has died |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/annette-charles-cha-cha-from-grease-has-died/2011/08/04/gIQAphA5uI_blog.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=December 29, 2020}}
Credits
| class='wikitable' | |||
| + Film | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Grease | Charlene "Cha-Cha" DiGregorio | |
| 1979 | In Search of Historic Jesus | Mary Magdalene | documentary |
| 1985 | Latino | Marlena | as Annette Cardona |
| 2009 | Transylmania | Administrator |
| class='wikitable'
|+ Television | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The High Chaparral | Jill | episode: "Follow Your Heart" |
| 1970 | The Flying Nun | Louisa | episode: "My Sister, the Doctor" as Annette Cardona |
| 1970 | Gunsmoke | Rita | episode: "The Noonday Devil" as Annette Cardona |
| 1972 | The Mod Squad | Cory | episode: "No More Oak Leaves for Ernie Holland" as Annette Cardona |
| 1972 | Bonanza | Carmen | episode: "The Customs of the Country" |
| 1972 | Banacek | Cecelia Gomez | episode: "No Sign of the Cross" as Annette Cardona |
| 1972-1974 | Emergency! | Mrs. Harrow / Wife | 2 episodes |
| 1974-1977 | Barnaby Jones | Angela / Lucy Stahl | 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman | Elora / Emerald | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis | Ginny Mendoza | episode: "The Death Scouts" as Annette Courset |
| 1978 | Centennial | Senora Alvarez | TV miniseries, episode: "Only the Rocks Live Forever" |
| 1979 | Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze | Billy | TV movie |
| 1980 | The Incredible Hulk | Rita Montoya | episode: "Falling Angels" |
| 1981 | Musical Comedy Tonight II | TV documentary | |
| 1987 | Magnum, P.I. | Maria Torres | episode: "On the Fly" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Annette}}
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:California State University, Northridge faculty
Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California
Category:New York University School of Social Work alumni
Category:21st-century American women
Category:American people of Italian descent