QandAs: Buzz

Whatever happened to Mrs. Garrett from Facts of Life?

Answer:
Charlotte Rae,

best loved for her portrayal of Edna Garrett on TV's Diffrent Strokes and The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1986, is still active at 81 and enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren. She occasionally returns to the medium for which she received an Emmy nomination (1982).

Rae's most recent TV appearance came in a 2005 episode of "The King of Queens." She also participated in The Facts of Life reunion show in 2001, reprising her role as the irreverent, wise Edna Garrett.

Born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky on April 22, 1926, she was the middle of three daughters in a middle-clas family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and went on to become a stage actress in the 1950s.

She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her supporting role in the 1975 drama Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. Charlotte Rae married composer John Strauss. The couple had two sons before divorcing in 1976.