Carole Cole (October 17, 1944 – May 19, 2009) was an American actress and music producer who later became CEO of King Cole Productions. The daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole and jazz singer Maria Cole, she was also the elder sister of singer Natalie Cole.
Early life
Cole was born in Medford, Massachusetts. She was adopted by Nat King Cole and Maria Cole, and raised alongside Natalie. Her biological mother, Carol Hawkins, was Maria Cole’s sister. Through her maternal line, Cole was the grandniece of educator Charlotte Hawkins Brown.
Career
Cole earned an associate degree from Cazenovia College before launching an acting career that included theater, television, and film. In 1964, she signed with Columbia Pictures’ New Talent program, joining a roster that included her friend and colleague Harrison Ford.
Her film credits included The Silencers (1966), The Mad Room (1969), Promise at Dawn (1970), and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). On television, she appeared in productions such as Positively Black (1975) and worked as a series costar on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son. She also became a series regular on Grady, a spin-off of Sanford and Son, playing Ellie, the daughter of Grady Wilson.
On stage, Cole performed in a range of productions, including Gore Vidal’s Weekend (1968), What If It Had Turned Up Heads (1972), and Pericles as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre (1974).
King Cole Productions
In 1991, Cole became CEO of King Cole Productions, taking on the stewardship of the Nat King Cole estate and overseeing licensing and releases. During her tenure she produced multiple projects drawn from the archive, including albums such as Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety Two, The World of Nat King Cole, and Transcriptions: Nat King Cole Trio. Over roughly two decades under her supervision, Nat King Cole’s catalog saw a steady flow of posthumous releases—nearly one album per year.
In 2009, shortly before her death, Cole released Re: Generations, a tribute project in which international artists offered their own interpretations of Nat King Cole’s work. Cole personally funded the album, which included contributions from performers such as The Roots, will.i.am, Cee Lo Green, Natalie Cole, Bebel Gilberto, and Brazilian Girls.
Personal life and death
The eldest of Nat King Cole’s children, Carole Cole had three children: Caroline Clarke, Sage Zailm Cole, and Harleigh Maxim Cole. Her eldest daughter, Caroline, was placed for adoption immediately after birth—against Cole’s wishes—but the two reunited in 2002 and later developed a close relationship.
Cole died on May 19, 2009, from lung cancer at age 64. At the time, her sister Natalie Cole was in another hospital undergoing kidney transplant surgery.
