Viola Harris

{{Infobox person

| name= Viola Harris

| image= Viola-Harris.jpg

| caption= Viola Harris during filming of The Secret Friend

| birth_date= {{birth date|1920|07|05}}

| birth_place= Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

| death_date= {{death date and age|2017|08|23|1920|07|05}}

| death_place= New York City, U.S.

| occupation= Actress

| years_active= 1953–2017

| spouse= Robert H. Harris (19??-1981; his death)

| children= 1

}}

Viola Harris (née Sainer; July 5, 1920 – August 23, 2017) was an American actress known for roles in television, theater, and film from the 1950s to the 2010s.

Career

Harris appeared in a number of films including Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry in 1997, Choke in 2008, The Other Guys in 2010, and Sex and the City 2 in 2010.

In 2010, she starred in the short film, The Secret Friend, directed by Flavio Alves. Harris received positive reviews for her role in the film. Phil Hall of Film Threat, who gave the film a positive score for example, argued that Harris "truly deserves to be in the center of the spotlight."{{cite web|url=http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/29297|title=The Secret Friend|first=Phil|last=Hall|date=January 12, 2011|publisher=Film Threat|access-date=June 12, 2011}}

On stage, Harris worked in summer stock theatre for a number of years.{{cite news |title=It's Eddie Bracken At The Playhouse |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37506597/press_and_sunbulletin/ |access-date=October 20, 2019 |work=Press and Sun-Bulletin |date=July 15, 1956 |location=New York, Binghamton |page=12-C|via = Newspapers.com}} She also was a standby for the Broadway production of Zelda (1969).{{cite web |title=Viola Harris |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/viola-harris-107033 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League |access-date=October 20, 2019}}

Family

She was married to actor Robert H. Harris until his death in 1981 at 70.{{cite journal|last1=Lentz|first1=Harris III|title=Viola Harris, 91|journal=Classic Images|date=October 2017|issue=508|page=53}} They have one son, Steven Lee.

Death

Harris died August 23, 2017, in New York City at age 97. She was interred at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, New Jersey.{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=viola-harris&pid=186486406&fhid=2088 |title=Viola Harris: Obituary |date=August 26, 2017 |website=New York Times |access-date=August 26, 2017}} Her funeral was held at the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel in New York, New York, where she was a member.{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=viola-harris&pid=186486406&fhid=2088|title=VIOLA HARRIS Obituary - New York, NY | New York Times|website=Legacy.com }}

Filmography

Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
class="wikitable"
1958	High School Hellcats	Linda Martin
1958	The Lost Missile
1962	Don't Knock the Twist	Helen - the Fashion Editor	Uncredited
1965	The Slender Thread	Telephone Supervisor
1968	Funny Girl	First Nighter	Uncredited
1975	Whiffs	Miss Zonen
1977	Fire Sale	Helen
1978	Good Guys Wear Black	Airline Ticket Agent
1989	That's Adequate	Carlotta Duprez
1997	Deconstructing Harry	Elsie
1998	Sour Grapes	Selma Maxwell
2002	Crooks	Mrs. Tobleroni
2004	The Amazing Floydini	Ida
2007	Noise	Elderly Woman
2008	Choke	Eva Muller
2010	Sex and the City 2	Gloria Blatch
2010	The Other Guys	Mama Ramos
2016	My Dead Boyfriend	Ms. Schulz