Rita Gardner

Rita Gardner (Schier; October 23, 1934 – September 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer. She made her stage debut Off-Broadway in Jerry Herman's musical review Nightcap (1958) before her breakout turn as Luisa in the original cast of The Fantasticks in 1960. Gardner had a successful career in off-Broadway productions, including The Cradle Will Rock (1964), To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (1969), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1972), Steel Magnolias (1987), Wings (1993), and The Foreigner (2004). She also appeared on Broadway in A Family Affair (1962), Pal Joey (1963), and Ben Franklin in Paris (1964), among others. Gardner's Broadway career later saw her as a standby or understudy in various productions.