Donna Theodore

Donna Glory Theodore (July 25, 1941 – June 16, 2024) was an American actress and singer who began her professional career at the age of twelve and went on to build a wide-ranging career across nightclubs, Broadway, television, and concert stages. A native of Pleasanton, California, where she attended Amador Valley High School, Theodore became a headliner at prominent nightclubs during the 1960s, performing at venues including the Copacabana, the Fontainebleau Hotel, the Fairmont Hotel, and El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Theodore's Broadway career spanned from 1975 to 1985 and included credits in Shenandoah and Zorba. Her performance in the 1975 musical Shenandoah earned her both a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination, and she became the first recipient of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, a category that had not previously existed prior to the 1974–1975 awards season. Away from Broadway, she appeared Off-Broadway in the 1977 Hudson Guild Theater production of Dance On A Country Grave, playing the role of Eustacia Vye. Her stage success extended to concert performances at major venues, including Carnegie Hall.

Theodore maintained a substantial television presence throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing regularly on talk and variety programs such as The Dick Cavett Show, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. She made more than 50 guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Her television work also included creating the role of Kitty Merritt on the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow, appearing in the television movie Face of Fear, and guest roles on series including B.J. and the Bear, Family, Medical Center, Lanigan's Rabbi, and Rosetti and Ryan.

In 2010, Theodore toured concert stages across the United States with a tribute show titled A Date with Judy—the Garland Years. She also authored a book, The Message is in the Music, published in 2008 by Infinity Publishing. In her later years, Theodore lived in Palm Desert, California, with her husband Don Martin, with whom she presented a spiritual and motivational program called Performing Artists Living Spiritually. She died on June 16, 2024, in Palm Desert at the age of 82, survived by her husband, her brother, and extended family.