The Hip Hop Granny From The Wedding Singer Has Died At 101

From Rolling Stone:

Prior to 30 years of on-screen work, Dow was an accomplished dancer, stage actress, comedian, mime and teacher. As a budding performer, she worked with Broadway luminaries like Uta Hagen and Michael Shurtleff and trained with famed mimes Marcel Marceau and Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Dow also worked the famous Borscht Belt circuit — resort theaters in upstate New York — where the likes of Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers and many more honed their craft.

Before becoming a sensation on screen, Dow taught theater at Los Angeles City College and Pierce College in California. Rolling Stone reports that the actress got her first film role the same year she retired. The rest was history. Dow is an inspiration to all of us who a) love grannies rapping and b) need the reminder that you can start a career after thirty and still be okay. Dow was in her 70s when she accepted her first film role.