Sandra Dorsey obit

ACTRESS, INSTRUCTOR SANDRA DORSEY DIES AT 83 AFTER BATTLE WITH CANCER

 

She was not on the list.

Longtime acting instructor, actress and businesswoman Sandra Dorsey died on the morning of Sept. 26 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 83.

Dorsey’s niece, Annilisa O’Toole, confirmed the news of her aunt’s death in a heartfelt Facebook post.

“Sandra was one-of-a-kind,” she wrote. “She was an entertainer, an actress, a bomb-shell in her day! She was a Broadway Star, a theatrical sensation, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a devout Christian, a loving Mother, an extremely proud and engaged grandmother, a friend, the life-of-the-party, and to me, the most wonderful Aunt in the world!”

“She embraced me like a daughter, and we traveled the world together,” the post continued. “It is with tremendous sadness to share the news of my dearest ‘Aunt San’… Sandra Dorsey, passing away this morning. She was diagnosed only 4 weeks ago with Pancreatic Cancer, and past peacefully.”

In recent years, Dorsey was best known for her roles in popular comedies like DUMB AND DUMBER TO and THE THREE STOOGES.

“I am heartbroken but know she left not just unforgettable footprints in the lives of all who knew her – but a Legacy of lessons, memories and love- to all of her students, her colleagues, friends and especially our family,” O’Toole’s post concluded.

With over four decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Dorsey appeared on Broadway, became a beloved acting instructor and acted in movies and TV shows, including THE DUKES OF HAZARD and Disney’s 1994 flick, GORDY.

Through their Broadway connection, Movieguide® founder and publisher Dr. Ted Baehr shared a longtime friendship with Dorsey.

According to Dr. Beahr, they would often discuss God and faith, which helped Dorsey become a devout Christian.

While her conversion to the faith did not happen all at once, her commitment to God grew over the years.

Just two weeks before her death, Dorsey shared that she wholeheartedly trusted God with the outcome of her battle with cancer.

“Slowly but surely, she started coming to Christ,” Dr. Baehr recalled. “She started getting just more and more on fire, and she tried to make all of the Movieguide® awards. She was on our board of reference. She was a good friend. She went through a lot of trials and tribulations…but she was trying to get her grandchildren to go to church. I talked to her two weeks ago. She said she wasn’t afraid. She knew Jesus.”

“It’s just nice to see another wonderful person from the entertainment industry moving into that place where they know where they’re going,” he continued. “Where they know that Jesus loves them. Sandra knew she was going to heaven.”

“The most important thing is that Sandra helped a lot of people to become great actors, and in the process of helping a lot of people, she probably influenced a lot of people to come to Christ too,” he added.

Dorsey began her acting career in 1976 when she appeared in the horror film Grizzly. She then appeared in her second film They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way in 1978 and the following year she starred alongside Sally Field and Beau Bridges in the classic film Norma Rae. Dorsey's husband Joe Dorsey also made appearances in each of these films. Dorsey is best known for her role in the horror movie Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, alongside Pamela Springsteen and Michael J. Pollard. In the film, she played the role of camp owner Lily Miranda. She and her on-screen husband (Pollard) Herman's character names were after The Munsters characters Herman and Lily Munster, and the other characters in the film were named after The Brady Bunch. Her death scene, where she was decapitated by a lawnmower, is perhaps the best death scene in the film.[4][5] This was Dorsey's second time working with director Michael A. Simpson, as the first was in 1986 with Impure Thoughts. In 1995, Dorsey played the role of Maxine in the Disney movie Gordy, which was her final feature film to date.

 

Filmography

Film

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1976    Grizzly            Sally Walker

1978    They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Lady with Kids         

1979    Norma Rae      Jail Matron

1986    Impure Thoughts            Sister Othilda

1989            Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland            Lily Miranda          

1994    Gordy            Maxine

2007    Tonky             Aunt Dotty    Short film

2014    Dumb and Dumber To            Stuffy Woman           

Television

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1979    The Dukes of Hazzard            Deputy Hazel            Episode: "One Armed Bandits"

1980    The Georgia Peaches                        Television film

Angel City            1st Woman            Television film

1982    Maid in America            Construction Worker #3            Television film

1999    Passing Glory    Sister Gonzaga            Television film

2004            Frankenstein    Nancy Whistler            Television film