Actress Carol Arthur, of ‘Blazing Saddles' and widow of Dom DeLuise, dies at 85

Carol Arthur, an actress who appeared in four Mel Brooks movies, including “Blazing Saddles" and was the widow of comedian Dom DeLuise, has died at 85.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Arthur died Sunday after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She had lived at a retirement home for show business professionals in Los Angeles since 2015, her family said.

Arthur played the schoolmarm in “Blazing Saddles” and also had roles in “Silent Movie,” “Robin Hood: Men In Tights” and “Dracula: Dead and Loving It,” each directed by Mel Brooks.

“She was my lifelong friend, and she will be missed,” Brooks said in a statement.

She also played “Safety Sadie” in a series of public service announcements which aired in the 1970s and 1980s.

She also appeared “Hot Stuff” and “Boys Will Be Boys,” both directed by Dom DeLuise, her husband. The two met in 1963 and married in 1965 and remained so until his death in 2009. She appeared in several of DeLuise’s other films and TV shows.

Born Carol Arata in Hackensack in 1935, she attended the Feagin School of Dramatic Radio and Arts and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan before joining several touring productions before making her Broadway debut in 1963. She later starred opposite Dick Van Dyke in a production of “The Music Man” during its 1980 run at the New York City Center. In 1981, she appeared in “Woman of the Year” with Lauren Bacall at the Palace Theatre.

Arthur is survived by her brother George, her three sons (Peter, David, and Michael, each actors) and their families.

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