| Chelsea Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Lois Brown |
| Born: | December 6, 1942 |
| Birth Hometown: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Died: | March 27, 2017 |
| Place of death: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation: | Actress Comedian Dancer |
| Years active: | 1968–2003 |
| Known for: | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Number 96 and E Street |
Chelsea Brown (born Lois Brown, December 6, 1942 – March 27, 2017) was an American-born actress of television and film, comedian and dancer, who appeared as a regular performer in comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She had a successful career in her native land before emigrating to Australia, where she became well-known mostly for her roles in soap opera/serials including top-rating Number 96 and as Abby Rossiter Patchett on E Street.
Early career in the United States[]
Brown was born as Lois Brown in Chicago, Illinois to Mildred and Edward Brown. She appeared in a segment of a first-season episode of Love, American Style titled "Love and the Militant", with fellow Laugh-In alumnus Stu Gilliam. Other guest roles included appearances in Marcus Welby, M.D., Ironside, Matt Lincoln, The Flying Nun, Match Game (in 1974) and, in the UK, The Two Ronnies, singing The Carpenters song "Let Me Be the One". She also appeared in the films Sweet Charity (1969), Dial Hot Line (1970) and The Thing with Two Heads (1972).
Emigration and career in Australia[]
Brown met and became engaged to Australian property developer Kelvin Barry Hirst whilst holidaying in Acapulco, Mexico in 1973. Brown emigrated to Australia shortly after that, Hirst became her manager and they were married in 1977. They divorced in the early 1980s. Hirst features as the male vocal on Brown's record "Day Dreaming" (October 1975).
Brown became a familiar figure on Australian television, with appearances on Graham Kennedy's Blankety Blanks, Jimmy Hannan's Celebrity Squares plus ongoing roles in soap operas Number 96 (in 1977), and Network Ten's E Street (in 1990–1991) and various advertisements. She had a guest role in the Australian-filmed revival of Mission: Impossible (1988). Film roles in Australia included The Return of Captain Invincible (1983) and Welcome to Woop Woop (1997).
In the mid 1990s, she was married to fellow E Street actor Vic Rooney, who died in 2002, after which she returned to the United States.
Death[]
Brown died in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois, March 27, 2017 at the age of 74, from pneumonia.