Definitely sounds like a bitter "fact of life" to swallow. Now 86 years old, Charlotte Rae is known and beloved by TV fans as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the widowed, maternal woman looking after Jo, Blair, Tootie and Natalie on classic 80s sitcom The Facts of the Life. But before she became a TV star, the actress dealt with some very serious real-life heartache.
As she writes in her memoir The Facts of My Life -- currently being shopped around to book publishers -- Rae's 25-year marriage to composer John Strauss ended in 1975 with a shocking confession: Shortly after the couple had moved to Los Angeles, Strauss told his wife that he was gay and had cheated on her.
"First came the shock of what he had done behind my back, then the sting of being deceived for years," Rae, who wed the Amadeus soundtrack composer in 1950 and bore him two sons, writes. "All I could feel was the betrayal and, worse than that, my shame."
The admission shattered Rae's self image, she admits. "John's secret confirmed my feelings of inferiority . . . That I was less than a woman . . . That I didn't deserve to be loved and valued." Strauss passed away in 2011 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
THEN: Rae first played Edna Garrett first on "Diff'rent Strokes" before taking the character to "Facts of Life." Mrs. G was tough and fair as the girls' surrogate mother figure.
NOW: After her run on 'Facts of Life,' Rae continued to pop up in guest spots on TV and in the movies. In 2009, she played the role of a woman who has an affair with Zohan in the Adam Sandler comedy "You Don't Mess with the Zohan." She was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that year when she had a voluntary screening due to the prevalence of the cancer in her family. Because of the early screening, she was successfully treated, and remains in remission.
Then: Lisa Whelchel, 16, played blonde rich girl, Blair Warner, dubbed Princess by her over-indulgent father. She was the pretty one on the show, often arguing with tomboy Jo. In the series finale, she saved Eastland from financial ruin and made it co-ed. Yay Blair!
Now:Lisa is a born-again Christian who recorded a Christian pop album in 1984. She has not appeared in many acting roles since her fame on the show (except the reunion movie). She spent years focusing on her three children, whom she home schooled. She competed in "Survivor: Philippines" making it to the final and won 100,000 for being voted "The Spirit Person of The Season".
Then: Joining the cast after the first season in 1980, Nancy McKeon, aged 14, played new girl and rough-around-the-edges tomboy, Jo Polniaczek. Jo was known for getting into mischief, as well as sparring with rich good girl, Blair Warner.
Now: No longer playing the tomboy with an attitude, McKeon has since appeared in several made-for-TV movies and the Lifetime police drama, "The Division." She is married with two children.
Then:Who wants to be a skinny pencil? I would rather be a happy Magic Marker! Mindy Cohn, at age 13, starred as overweight but confident writer, Natalie Green. Natalie had a sharp wit, and was often the centerpiece of episodes dealing with serious issues like sexual assault and premarital sex.
Now: Mindy Cohn has since provided the cartoon voice of Velma on a new "Scooby-Doo," and starred on "The Help," a short-lived series for the WB and "Secret Life of the American Teenager." She is also godmother to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts twin's Knox and Vivienne and lives in Beverly Hills, CA.
Then:We are in trou-ble! Oh that Tootie with her catch phrase! Kim Fields starred as Tootie Ramsey, all-around gossip girl. On the show, she was known for her braces and roller-skates, which producers originally used to make the shrimpy Fields taller on screen.
Now: After her "Facts of Life" fame, Kim lost the braces and starred in another hit sitcom on FOX, "Living Single." Now in her 40s, Fields has recorded numerous rap and R&B songs, as well as directing several episodes of "Kenan & Kel" for Nickelodeon.
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