Brett Somers

Brett married Jack Klugman in 1953 and went by the name Brett Somers Klugman at one point. The couple had two children, David Klugman and Adam Klugman. Somers appeared on several episodes of The Odd Couple (1970), playing the ex-wife of her real-life husband Klugman's character. The couple separated in 1974 and divorcing in 1977.

In 1957, she played a "wisecracking broad" in the Broadway play "Maybe Tuesday", which ironically opened on a Wednesday and closed before Tuesday... a fact she joked about in her circa-2002 cabaret show. Other future TV stars in the cast of "Maybe Tuesday" were Alice Ghostley (later Esmeralda on Bewitched (1964)) and Louis Edmonds (Roger Collins on Dark Shadows (1966) and Langley Wallingford on All My Children (1970)). "Maybe Tuesday" is described extensively in Craig Hamrick's 2003 book "Big Lou", the biography of Louis Edmonds. The author, a longtime fan of Somers, presented her with a copy of the book at one of her cabaret shows in New York City.

Made her Broadway debut in the short-lived play "Maybe Tuesday" in 1958, which lasted only five performances. She also appeared in "Happy Ending" with Paul Winfield, "The Seven Year Itch" with Art Carney and Lee Remick, and in "The Country Girl" with husband Klugman.

" The Match Game (in its original version) ran on NBC's daytime lineup from 1962-1969.

She appeared on several episodes of The Odd Couple (1970) playing the ex-wife (Blanche) of Klugman's character Oscar Madison. The estranged couple also made countless television appearances together. For many years, they were sought after guests on the 1970s game and talk show circuit, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), The Mike Douglas Show (1961), He Said, She Said (1969) and, of course, Match Game (1973).

In 1973, Brett became a popular panelist on the television game show, "The Match Game.

The show returned in 1973 with a significantly changed format on CBS (also in daytime). "The Match Game" became a major success, with an expanded panel, larger cash payouts, and emphasis on humor and innuendo. Brett sat in the back row next to Charles Nelson Reilly. The repertoire between the two was quite amusing.

Although she and Jack Klugman filed for divorce in 1977, they were still married at the time of her death in 2007.

"An Evening with Brett Somers" opened in New York City to rave reviews in 2003. At age seventy-nine, Brett found herself back in the limelight and won Backstage's prestigious Bistro Award. She was diagnosed with cancer not long after. It went into remission for a time after surgery and chemotherapy, but returned inoperable in 2007.

In 2005, Jack and Brett reunited on stage in "Danger, People at Large", three short comedies by Frederick Stroppel at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The special evening marked the first time in about three decades that Klugman and Somers had performed together.