Karla DeVito
DeVito in May 2015
Born (1953-05-29) May 29, 1953
Mokena, Illinois, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active1973–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1982)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
LabelsEpic
WebsiteKarlaJayneDeVito.com

Karla DeVito (born May 29, 1953) is an American singer and actress.[1][2][3]

Early life and education

DeVito was born in Mokena, Illinois. She attended Willow Crest Grade School in Mokena and Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox. She attended Loyola University Chicago and majored in theater. During her freshman year, she joined the Chicago cast of Godspell.[3] In 1971–72, Karla studied with Jo Forsberg at the Second City Company in Chicago and was part of the Second City Children's Theatre group with Bill Murray. In 1973, she was in the cast of the musical Hair.

Career

DeVito started her career in 1972, joining the national company of Godspell. A few years later, she became the lead singer of the band Orchestra Luna, and through that joined the cast of Jim Steinman's show Neverland,[4] which had a run as a workshop production at the Kennedy Center in 1977.[5]

Two months later, DeVito went on tour with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman with their album Bat Out of Hell. She is seen singing with Meat Loaf in the video clip of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Bat Out of Hell", synced to the original vocal by Ellen Foley. After completing this tour, she returned to theatre in an off-broadway version of Cole Porter's Jubilee and LaMama's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.[4] She then moved on to playing the lead role in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway[3] where she met future husband, Robby Benson.[6]

She performed on Jim Steinman's only solo album, Bad for Good, on the track "Dance in My Pants" and its subsequent music video.

In 1981, DeVito released her debut solo album, Is This a Cool World or What? and the track Bloody Bess was intended to be a rock musical about a female pirate in the 17th century.[3][4]

DeVito also contributed background vocals for some groups such as Blue Öyster Cult and the band Sorrows. As a solo performer, she opened shows for Hall & Oates and Rick Springfield in the 1980s.

DeVito's second album, Wake 'Em Up in Tokyo was released by A&M in 1986. Her song, "We Are Not Alone", was featured in the motion picture The Breakfast Club (1985). In 1989, DeVito performed in South Carolina and returned in 1990 as part of "An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber". In 1990, DeVito co-starred in the film Modern Love and sang on two of the songs for the soundtrack. In 1993 DeVito co-starred in 90s cartoon series Bonkers as the voice of Officer Miranda Wright. In 2002, DeVito sang the part of Elizabeth for the CD recording of Graham Russell's rock opera The Heart of the Rose which had a limited release on CD. In 2016, she contributed vocals to Meat Loaf's Braver Than We Are.

Personal life

DeVito married actor, director, singer, and teacher Robby Benson on July 11, 1982.[7] The couple have two children, a son and a daughter.[8]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Is This a Cool World or What? (1981)
  • Wake 'Em Up In Tokyo (1986)

Guest appearances

  • "Dance In My Pants" with Jim Steinman (from Bad for Good) (1981)
  • "I'm Just Happy to Be Here" with Ellen Foley (from Fighting Words) (2021)

Soundtrack appearances

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Two of a Kind Barbara Television film
1990 Modern Love Billie
1996 O. Henry's Christmas Della Television film
2015 Straight Outta Tompkins Jane

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992–1993 The Legend of Prince Valiant Lady Megan, Elizabeth, Princess Sadisa Voice, 3 episodes
1993 Family Album Mrs. DeVito Episode: "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall All You Gotta Do Is Call..."
1993 Bonkers Officer Miranda Wright Voice, 20 episodes
1995 Phantom 2040 Athena Voice, episode: "A Boy and His Dog"
1996 Road Rovers Woman Soldier Voice, episode: "A Storm from the Pacific"[9]
1996 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Mary Episode: "A Girl and Her Cat"
1997 The New Batman Adventures Cassidy Voice, episode: "Torch Song"[9]
1997 Fired Up Woman Episode: "Truth and Consequences"

References

  1. ↑ "Karla DeVito". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15.
  2. ↑ Holden, Stephen (January 4, 1982). "ROCK: CLUB SPOTLIGHTS KARLA DEVITO". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bennetts, Leslie (August 21, 1981). "SOARING FROM HARD ROCK TO 'PENZANCE' STARDOM". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 3 "NEW FACES TO WATCH" (PDF). Cash Box: 8. September 12, 1981.
  5. ↑ "Neverland - Kennedy Center - Cast And Credits". jimsteinman.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  6. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (March 23, 2004). "THEATER IN REVIEW; Words Can Never Harm Him, But Cardiac Arrest Can". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Mackay, Kathy (October 11, 1982). "Gilbert and Sullivan's Most Improbable Pair? Robby Benson and Rocker Karla DeVito". People.
  8. ↑ Roston, Tom (October 12, 2008). "The odd career twist of a former screen heartthrob". The Los Angeles Times.
  9. 1 2 "Karla DeVito (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 28, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
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