Zamah Cunningham (November 29, 1892 – June 2, 1967) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She began her career appearing in uncredited bit parts for D. W. Griffith, making her film debut in his 1924 silent feature, America. She later had an extensive career on Broadway, making her stage debut there in 1933's Give Us This Day. Cunningham went on to appear in numerous stage plays over the following several decades, though she publicly commented that most of her plays were "flops."
In her later career, she appeared in several films, including Dream Girl (1948), Here Come the Girls (1953), and Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Beginning in 1956, she made several guest appearances as Angelina Manicotti, neighbor of the Kramdens on the sitcom The Honeymooners. Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan in June 1967, aged 74.
Life and career Cunningham was born in 1892 in Portland, Oregon. At age two, she relocated with her family to Carthage, Missouri. She began her career as a singer before relocating to New York City to study acting. After appearing in local stage productions, she was secured a working contract with D. W. Griffith, appearing in uncredited bit parts in his films. In 1924, she made her film debut in Germany, appearing in Griffith's America. She subsequently studied music in Paris, and was given opportunity to appear in productions at the Opera Comique. She later returned to the United States, where she joined the Chicago Playhouse and appeared in regional productions.
Cunningham made her Broadway debut in 1933's Give Us This Day. She went on to appear in over 20 Broadway productions over the following two decades, including On the Town (1944) and The Shadow of a Gunman (1958). Reflecting on her stage career in 1944, she commented: "In the past 20 years I've been in fifty plays—mostly flops."
Later film roles included Dream Girl (1948), Key to the City (1950), and Here Come the Girls (1953). She made her final film appearance in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965).
Cunningham spent her later life living at the Park Royal Hotel on 23 West 73rd Street in Manhattan's Upper West Side. In her early seventies, she suffered a stroke.
Death Cunningham died at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan on June 2, 1967. She was interred at Avilla Cemetery in Avilla, Missouri.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1924 America 1948 Dream Girl Mme. Kimmelhoff 1950 Key to the City Mrs. Butler 1950 Menasha the Magnificent Mrs. Davis Short 1953 Here Come the Girls Emily Snodgrass 1965 Baby the Rain Must Fall Mrs. T.V. Smith (final film role)
Television Year Title Role Notes 1952 The Ed Sullivan Show Bakery Customer Segment: "Pour Soul Ketch" 1953–1956 Studio One in Hollywood Mrs. Lagerloff / Aunt Madge / Lusadia 3 episodes 1953–1957 The Jackie Gleason Show Angelina Manciotti; Various 13 episodes 1956 The Honeymooners Angelina Manicotti 3 episodes 1959 Playhouse 90 Mrs. Gross Episode: "The Silver Whistle" 1961 General Electric Theater Eva Episode: " Sis Bowls 'Em Over"
Select stage credits Year Title Role Notes 1931 Apron Strings Chicago Playhouse 1931 The Vagabond King Katherine de Vaucelles Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1933 Give Us This Day Anne Strong Booth Theatre 1934 Gentlewoman Mrs. Stoneleigh Cort Theatre 1934 Are You Decent Peggy Witherspoon Ambassador Theatre; 49th Street Theatre 1935 Reprise Madame Vanderbilt Theatre 1935 Triumph Mrs. Giordana Fulton Theatre 1935 The Season Changes Rita Glenn Booth Theatre 1935 Ah, Wilderness! Mildred Miller Alvin Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1936 Hallowe'en Edith Vanderbilt Theatre 1936–1937 Around the Corner Sarah Clark 48th Street Theatre 1937 In Clover Electa Hornblower Vanderbilt Theatre 1937 Siege Mrs. Perez Longacre Theatre 1938 Roosty Mrs. Adams Lyceum Theatre 1938 Run Sheep Run Mrs. Hopple Windsor Theatre 1938 Young Couple Wanted Mrs. Daly Maxine Elliott's Theatre 1940 Medicine Show Mrs. Young New Yorker Theatre 1940 Horse Fever Mrs. Drum Mansfield Theatre 1941 Tanyard Street Mrs. McMorna Little Theatre 1941 The Trojan Women Marta Cort Theatre 1943 Feathers in a Gale Lucy Abner Music Box Theatre 1944 Robin Hood Dame Durden Adelphi Theatre 1944 On the Town Madame Maude P. Dilly Adelphi Theatre, 44th Street Theatre, Martin Beck Theatre 1948 Jenny Kissed Me Mrs. Deazy Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut 1957 The Glass Menagerie Playmakers Theatre, Long Branch, New Jersey 1958–1959 The Shadow of a Gunman Mrs. Henderson Bijou Theatre 1965 Minor Miracle Mrs. Fuller Henry Miller's Theatre
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