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Estelle Harris (; April 22, 1928 – April 2, 2022) was an American actress and comedian, known for her exaggeratedly shrill voice. She was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza on . Her other roles included the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise, Muriel in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Mama Gunda in . During her career, Harris starred in various television commercials.


Early life and education
Harris was born Estelle Nussbaum in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of , New York on April 22, 1928, the younger of two daughters of Isaac ('Ira') and Anna Nussbaum, Polish-Jewish immigrants who owned a candy store and soda shop. For many years, her date of birth was mistakenly cited as April 4, 1928. The correct date was not revealed until after her death. In 1935, when Harris was seven years old, the family relocated to Tarentum, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Tarentum High School.


Career
Harris began her career in amateur productions and in dinner theater before moving on to regional theaters and summer stock productions across the country.

After her children were grown, she found success on , appearing in 25 national television commercials. In one commercial, she energetically sang the praises of Handi-Wrap II.

In 1977, Harris began her long format acting career in the film Looking Up about three generations of a working-class Jewish family in New York City. She became widely known for her supporting role as Estelle Costanza on . "She is the mother that everybody loves, even though she's a pain in the neck," Harris told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1998. Despite her iconic role, she was highly reclusive.

In , she appeared in the third-season episode "", which aired on October 20, 1996. She played a small role as Bridget in Out to Sea (1997).

In Toy Story 2 (1999), she provided the voice of Mrs. Potato Head and would continue to reprise the role for the franchise. In 2005, she lent her voice to Mama Gunda in . In The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Harris had a recurring role as Muriel. In 2007, she appeared in 's music video for the song "Online." Harris reprised her role of Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019), the latter of which was her final film role. She portrayed Bertha Kristal, the mother of founder , in CBGB (2013).

Her other voice work included Lula in Dave the Barbarian, Mama Lipsky in , Thelma in The Proud Family, Mrs. Turtle in Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse, Death's mother in , the Old Lady Bear in (2003), and Audrey in Home on the Range (2004). She also provided the voice of Marty's wife in the American Dad! episode "In Country...Club." She appeared in Promoted (2015) as Sylvia Silver.

She retired from acting in 2015, only briefly returning to reprise the role of Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 4 (2019), which was her final film role.


Personal life and death
In 1952, after moving back to New York, Harris met window treatment salesman Sy Harris at a dance. They married six months later. They had two sons, Eric (b. 1957) and Glen (b. 1962), and a daughter Taryn (b. 1964). Eric is a social worker, Glen is a music promoter who doubled as his mother's unofficial manager, and Taryn is a former Nassau County police officer retired on disability. Harris also had three grandsons and one great-grandson. Once her children started school, Harris pursued acting roles, first in amateur productions, then dinner theatre and commercials.

On September 20, 2001, the couple's car blew a tire and flipped twice, but they managed to escape serious injuries. Sy Harris died on January 11, 2021, predeceasing his wife by one year.

On April 2, 2022, Harris died of at her home in Palm Desert, California, at the age of 93.


Filmography

Film
The West Side WaltzEstelle
The Odd Couple IIPeaches
Aunt Pearl
Toy Story 2Mrs. Potato HeadVoice A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
Dancing in SeptemberSally
Playing Mona LisaAunt Velva
Teacher's PetJune Boogin
Movin' InArlene Taylor
Small Fry


Television
Mad About YouMother ThelmaEpisode: "Sofa's Choice"
AladdinAdditional voicesEpisode: "While the City Snoozes"
Timon & PumbaaTimon's MotherVoice, episode: "Mombasa-In-Law"
In the HouseMrs. ClausEpisode: "Christmas Story"
Lt. Kellaway's MotherVoice, episode: "The Mother of All Hoods"
The TickRuthVoice, episode: "The Tick vs. Dot and Neil's Wedding"
Old WomanEpisode: ""
Esther BrooksEpisode: "Back in the Day"
WomanEpisode: "From Boca, with Love"
HerculesPhil's MotherVoice, episode: "Hercules and the King for a Day"
The Wild ThornberrysIguana/TurtleVoice, episode: "Eliza-cology"
Old Lady/ReceptionistVoice, episode: "What Dreams May Come"
The Rosie O'Donnell ShowHerself
Sunset BeachMargaret Raynor3 episodes
Miss AgnesEpisode: "Scammed Straight"
72nd Academy AwardsMrs. Potato HeadVoice, television special
Mrs. Catherina DucksteinVoice, 5 episodes
The Kids from Room 402Aunt CookieVoice, episode: "Uncle Bonehead"
Death's MotherVoice, episode: "Death Lives"
Weakest LinkHerself1 episode
Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck
Regular JoeAunt MickieEpisode: "Boobysitting"
The Proud FamilyHelgaVoice, episode: "Thelma and Luis"
Test the NationHerself1 episode
As Told by GingerMyrnaVoice, episode: "The Wedding Frame"
Herself
Phil of the FutureOlder PimEpisode: "Maybe-Sitting"
ERDawn MarkovicEpisode: "Bloodline"
The Emperor's New SchoolIrma MudkaVoice, episode: "Mudka's Secret Recipe"
MadameTelevision film
Curb Your Enthusiasm / HerselfEpisode: "The Table Read"
The Bonnie Hunt ShowHerself1 episode
KTLA Morning News
Totally Tracked Down


Video game


Theatre


External links
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