Rhonda Bates (born 1949) is an American former actress and comedian, best known for her comic character work on 1970s television and for her striking height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m). She starred in the 1978 NBC mini-series Rollergirls and played the recurring character Evelyn Thadburn on the sitcom CPO Sharkey.
Early life and education
Bates grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and graduated from Reitz High School in 1966.[1][2] She studied health and physical education at the University of Evansville before earning a master’s degree in theatre from the University of Arkansas.[2] Prior to pursuing acting, she returned to Evansville to teach health and physical education at Cynthia Heights Elementary School.[1]
Career
Bates entered show business through stand-up comedy, performing regularly at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Her act garnered the attention of a television producer, leading to her being cast in a Don Rickles TV special.[2]
In 1975, she was hired as a featured performer on the short-lived ABC variety sketch show Keep on Truckin’ alongside Didi Conn, Fred Travalena, and Wayland Flowers.
From 1976 to 1978, Bates appeared as semi-regular character Evelyn Thadburn, the towering love interest of Seaman Pruitt (Peter Isacksen), on the Don Rickles-led NBC sitcom CPO Sharkey.[1] This role helped establish her onscreen persona as a tall, deadpan comic foil.
In 1977, Bates co-starred as “Arkansas,” an awkward but good-natured Las Vegas showgirl, on the Happy Days spin-off Blansky’s Beauties. She also played roller derby skater “Mongo Sue Lampert” on the short-lived NBC drama The Roller Girls (1978). Her guest appearances included a notable Love Boat episode in which she played one of the stepsisters in a comedic “Cinderella”-themed storyline.
Her film work includes the Gabe Kaplan basketball comedy Fast Break (1979), in which she played Enid, and the 1980 comedy Roadie, co-starring Meat Loaf and Art Carney.
During the early 1980s, Bates also appeared frequently on game shows and television specials, and served as a co-host on the reality-magazine series Speak Up, America, sharing hosting duties with former child evangelist and actor Marjoe Gortner.
Bates continued to make guest appearances on television until 1988, after which she retired from acting around the age of 40. She later relocated to Texas.
