Conchata Ferrell

Actor

• Born: March 28, 1943
• Birthplace: Charleston, West Virginia

Contribution: Conchata Ferrell is an Emmy-nominated American actress best known for her role as Berta on the comedy series Two and a Half Men (2003–15).

Background

Conchata Galen Ferrell was born on March 28, 1943, in Charleston, West Virginia, to Luther and Mescal Ferrell. In 1961, she entered West Virginia University (WVU) to study political science. At WVU, she enrolled in some acting classes, which got her interested in pursuing the craft as a profession. Ferrell left college in 1964 without earning a degree.

In 1967, after taking several years off, Ferrell enrolled at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. She took several drama classes at Marshall, graduating in 1968 with a degree in social studies in education. Soon after completing her schooling, she moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a professional actor.

Career

In New York, Ferrell studied acting at the Circle Repertory Company, though it took her several years to land any significant roles in the city’s theater industry. Her first major role was as the prostitute April Green in a 1972 Off-Broadway production of Lanford Wilson’s Hot l Baltimore (1972).

The play was well received and helped establish Ferrell as a stage actor. In 1973, she appeared in an Off-Broadway production of The Sea Horse (1974), winning an Obie Award for her performance. Ferrell broke into television the following year with a guest appearance on the Bea Arthur sitcom Maude (1972). In 1975, she reprised her role of April Green for the television sitcom Hot l Baltimore, based on Wilson’s play. The show lasted only thirteen episodes before being discontinued due to low ratings.

The cancellation did not deter Ferrell, whose career was on the rise. In 1976 she played a supporting role in the highly successful film Network (1976). Following this, she returned to television with appearances in late-1970s episodes of The Rockford Files (1977), Blansky’s Beauties (1977), Good Times (1977), and The Love Boat (1979).

In 1979, Ferrell landed a recurring role on the sitcom B.J. and the Bear (1979–81). She was cast in two episodes of the popular soap opera Knots Landing in 1980. She appeared on numerous television shows throughout the 1980s, including Quincy, M.E. (1982), St. Elsewhere (1983), Night Court (1987), and Who’s the Boss? (1988).

In 1984, Ferrell was cast in a main role as head nurse Joan Thor on the short-lived sitcom E/R (1984–85), appearing in twenty-two episodes over the show’s first and only season. In 1988, she played a supporting role in the popular Mystic Pizza. From 1988 to 1992, Ferrell appeared in fifteen episodes of the legal drama L.A. Law. In 1992, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.

Ferrell continued to work in popular films into the mid-1990s, such as Edward Scissorhands (1990), True Romance (1993), Heaven & Earth (1993), and Freeway (1996). The late 1990s and early 2000s brought Ferrell mostly episodic television work on such programs as Walker, Texas Ranger (1996), Teen Angel (1996–1998), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998), and Friends (1999).

After playing a supporting role in the popular 2000 film Erin Brockovich and logging several more television roles over the next few years, Ferrell was cast in the part for which she would become the most famous: Berta the maid on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. The show starred Charlie Sheen (who later left the show) and Jon Cryer as brothers Charlie and Alan who share a beachfront house in Malibu, California, with Alan’s son Jake. Ferrell’s Berta is the brothers’ grumpy and sarcastic housemaid and friend.

Two and a Half Men was immensely popular and remained so for the rest of the decade and into the 2010s. Ferrell was especially lauded by critics for her work on the show and in 2005 and 2007 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series.

In 2012, Ferrell lent her voice to a character in Tim Burton’s animated film Frankenweenie. She continued to play Berta on Two and a Half Men during the show’s twelfth season in 2014. CBS announced that the show would end after its twelfth season, with the finale in February 2015.

Ferrell took on a number of roles after Two and a Half Men concluded in 2015. She appeared in the Christmas movie Krampus (2015), the television movie Postal Jerks (2015), and The Axe Murders of Villisca (2016). She guest-starred on Grace & Frankie in 2016 and in The Ranch in 2017. In 2018 she had roles in the feature film Deported and in the television movie A Very Nutty Christmas.

Impact

Ferrell has made a successful living as a comedic character actor. During her more than forty-year career, she has become known for playing darkly sarcastic women, able to deliver witty, perfectly timed insults without cracking a smile. This talent has made her a valuable comedic asset on a long list of successful television shows and films.

Personal Life

Ferrell is married to Arnold Anderson. They have a grown daughter, Samantha.

Principal Works

Film

Mystic Pizza, 1988

Edward Scissorhands, 1990

True Romance, 1993

Heaven & Earth, 1993

Erin Brockovich, 2000

Mr. Deeds, 2002

Frankenweenie, 2012

Television

B.J. and the Bear, 1979–81

E/R, 1984–85

L.A. Law, 1991–1992

A Peaceable Kingdom, 1989

Teen Angel, 1997–1998

Two and a Half Men, 2003–15

Stage

Hot l Baltimore, 1972

The Sea Horse, 1973

Love, Loss and What I Wore, 2010

Bibliography

CBS. “Conchata Ferrell.” CBS. CBS Interactive, 2013. Web. 18 July 2013.

Comedy Central. “Conchata Ferrell.” Comedy Central. Comedy Central, 2012. Web. 18 July 2013.

New York Times “Conchata Ferrell.” New York Times. New York Times Co., 2013. Web. 18 July 2013.

Ng, David. “Nancy Travis, Conchata Ferrell to Join ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’ at Geffen Playhouse.” Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company, 3 June 2010. Web. 18 July 2013.

Seaton, Carter. “Conchata Ferrell.” Huntington Quarterly. Huntington Quarterly, 2013. Web. 18 July 2013.