Charlotte Rae, (born Charlotte Rae Lubotsky 22 April 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actress and singer best known today for her portrayal of Edna Garrett, a character she originated on the 1978–1986 sitcom Diff'rent Strokes and continued in her own spinoff, The Facts of Life, which ran from 1979 through 1988.
The second of three daughters, she attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, the same school as Cloris Leachman, the actress who replaced her for the last years of The Facts of Life's run.
A respected stage actress who appeared in early seasons of Sesame Street and in a number of films, Rae first gained widespread fame in the 1961–1963 sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? as the memorable Silvia Schnauser.
Until their divorce in 1976, she was married to composer John Strauss , with whom she has one son.
