Carol Mayo Jenkins
Carol Mayo Jenkins | |
|---|---|
Jenkins in 1977 | |
| Born | November 24, 1938 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Known for | Fame |
Carol Mayo Jenkins was born November 24, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennessee, US.[1] She is an American actress who is most famous for playing Elizabeth Sherwood, a liberal and stern but fair-minded English teacher at New York City's High School for the Performing Arts on T.V. series Fame.[2][3][4] She left the show at the end of its fifth season in 1986 but made a return for the series finale a year later.
She also appeared in the television shows Aaron's Way, Matlock, and Max Headroom.[5]
Education
Her parents enrolled her in acting lessons at the Bijou Theatre where she was taught by Irene Hayes Hodges. They pulled her from acting lessons because they didn’t feel she was learning anything and later enrolled in acting lessons taught by Mrs. Emily Faust. Faust’s other students included Mary Costa and Patricia Neal.[6]
She was enrolled at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London for three years. While in London, she co-founded Drama Centre London which is “considered one of the leading theatre schools in England”.[7]
Career
She toured throughout The United States, Russia, and Lithuania in Edward Albee's play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as Martha where she was cast by the playwright.[7]
She taught acting at the University of Tennessee,[8] from 2001 until her retirement in September, 2023.[9] She appeared frequently on the Clarence Brown Theatre stage [10] with her most recent performance being in the productions of Murder on the Orient Express as Princess Natalya Dragomiroff in 2023. [11]
Work
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Happy Endings | Jan Wilkerson | [12] |
| 1990 | Hollywood Heartbreak | Lottie | [13] |
| 1992 | Seduction: Three Tales From the Inner Sanctum | [13] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Another World | Vera Finley | [5] | |
| 1982-1987 | Fame | Elizabeth Sherwood | [13] | |
| 1987 | Max Headroom | Valerie Towne | 1 Episode | [5] |
| 1988 | Aaron's Way | Mrs. Seward | 1 Episode | [13][5] |
| 1990 | Dragnet | 1 Episode | [14] | |
| 1991 | Matlock | Dr. Doris Massler | 1 Episode | [15] |
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Three Sisters | Natalya Ivanovna | [1] |
| 1972 | There's One in Every Marriage | Hotel Guest | [1] |
| 1976 | Kings | Jocasta | [1] |
| 1978 | First Monday in October | Miss Birnbaum | [1] |
| 1980 | The Suicide | Margarita Ivanovna | [1] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Carol Mayo Jenkins". IBDB Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Carol Mayo Jenkins will be honored today for her work with UT theater". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Mallon, Maggie (August 10, 2009). "The real cost of Fame". Express.co.uk. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ "Carol Mayo Jenkins - The Daily Beacon Interview 2014 - Fame Episode Guide". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Carol Mayo Jenkins". TV.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "Kids From Fame Media - Fame TV Series - Carol Mayo Jenkins National Examiner 2009". sites.google.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ a b "Jenkins, Carol Mayo". Department of Theatre. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "UT Faculty and Staff Step Up, Discover Innovative Ways to Support Students". University of Tennessee, Knoxville. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Moxley, Cynthia (September 28, 2023). "Carol Mayo Jenkins retires at UT; 'We need more people like Carol,' says friend and acting colleague". Blue Streak. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Carol Mayo Jenkins triumphs in 'The Madwoman of Chaillot'". Knox TN Today. April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ "Murder on the Orient Express playbill".
- ^ "Carol Mayo Jenkins". BFI. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Carol Mayo Jenkins". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ Bail, Charles (August 26, 1990), "Death of a Prom Queen", Dragnet, Jeff Osterhage, Bernard White, Ellie Cornell, retrieved September 13, 2025
- ^ "Matlock - Season 5 Episode 18". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
External links