| Magda Harout | |
| Birth Date: | 22 April 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1959–2013 (film and television) |
Magda L. Kardashian (Harout, April 22, 1926 – September 9, 2021) was an American film, television and stage actress.
Harout was born in Los Angeles, California on April 22, 1926, to Armenian-born stage actor Yeghishe Harout, and his wife Gohar.[1] Her father was also the proprietor of the Ivar Theatre, which opened on the Hollywood Boulevard in 1951.[2] During the 1940s, Harout was a pageant queen, and in 1943 she sold war bonds to support U.S. troops during World War II.[3] On May 29, 1947, she married Robert Thomas Kardashian (1920–1998), an Army Air Forces veteran, at the First Congregation Church in Los Angeles. They later honeymooned in Hawaii.[4]
Her stage credits included Nine Armenians (1997) by Leslie Ayvazia[5] and The Kiss at City Hall (2000).[6] She received a number of awards for her appearances on stage,[7] including from LA Weekly, Drama-Logue and the LA Drama Critics Circle.[8]
In 1999, Harout played the role of Aunt Alma in the independent comedy film A Wake in Providence. Producer and writer Vincent Pagano cast Harout promptly after meeting her, stating that "Magda opened her mouth, and we immediately fell in love with her voice.".[9]
Harout spoke Russian, Armenian and French, and dyed her hair lighter in order not to be typecast in stereotypical ethnic roles. She also appeared in a number of television commercials.[7] Harout died in Woodland Hills, California on September 9, 2021, at the age of 95.[1] [10]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Crime & Punishment, USA | |||
| 1963 | The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze | Hand Maiden | uncredited | |
| 1972 | Another Nice Mess | Duchess of Zanzig | ||
| 1974 | Hangup | Proprietor | ||
| 1989 | Transylvania Twist | Peasant Woman | ||
| 1990 | Hollywood Boulevard II | Selma | ||
| 1991 | 9 1/2 Ninjas! | Gladys Vogue | ||
| 1993 | My Life | Aunt Sonia | ||
| 1993 | King B: A Life in the Movies | Virginia King | ||
| 1996 | The Elevator | Russian Maid 1 | ||
| 1999 | A Wake in Providence | Aunt Alma | ||
| 2013 | Baggage Claim | Weisha |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | General Hospital | Therese | ||
| Dr. Kildare | Magda Kovar | |||
| 1985 | MacGyver | Woman | ||
| 1988 | The Golden Girls | Woman | ||
| 1989 | Quantum Leap | Mrs. Miriam Davitz | ||
| 1990 | Newhart | Smitty | ||
| Days of Our Lives | Madame Blavatsky | |||
| 1991 | Seinfeld | Stella | ||
| 1995 | Dean Eagleton | |||
| 1993–1997 | The Nanny | Sarah / Madam Moleska | ||
| 2002 | Without a Trace | Connie | ||
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Anahid's Mother | ||
| 2004 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Cousin Bella | ||
| 2008 | Raising the Bar | Mrs. Martha Delman | ||
| 2010 | Fringe | Nana Staller |