Kaye Dowd Bald

Kaye Dowd Bald, 96—Hollywood Starlet, TV Actress, and Wife of Renowned Comic Artist Ken Bald

Kaye Dowd Bald, Hollywood starlet and television actress, passed away peacefully on April 18, 2020, in Mt. Arlington, NJ. She was 96 years old.

The daughter of WWI veteran Joseph Dowd and his French bride Jeanne Aimé, Kaye Dowd was born Catherine Marie Dowd in Brooklyn, New York on April 11, 1924. Talented and beautiful, she embarked on her show business career as part of the vocal ensemble The Vocatones. After being discovered by Ed Wynn, famed director and producer of many Broadway shows, Kaye quickly moved on to Broadway and touring with Wynn and other performing groups. Kaye also had singing engagements at numerous nightclubs, most notably the Tropicana and the Riobamba with Frank Sinatra.

She was eventually scouted by Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures, who brought her to Hollywood where she appeared in numerous movies and starred in the musical An Angel Comes to Brooklyn (1945).

Kaye was introduced to the love of her life, the renowned comic artist and illustrator Kenneth Bald, by her brother and fellow artist Victor Dowd. They married on October 30, 1943, just prior to Ken’s deployment in the Marines. Their enduring marriage lasted 75 years, ending only with the passing of her beloved husband on March 17, 2019.

Continuing her acting/modeling career while raising her five children, Kaye was represented by various agencies including Funny Face, where she worked for several decades acting, singing, and modeling in countless commercials, print ads, and movies. In the early days of television, she became a regular face of live commercials. Her career lasted well into the 1990s for clients such as Campbell’s singing the Give Me the Campbell Life jingle, Excedrin, General Mills, Fab detergent, Playtex, Buc-Wheats singing Feelin’ Like a Million Bucks, and many more. She continued to appear in films until the early 1990s.

Like her husband, Kaye was larger than life. She will forever be remembered by her five children as fantastically beautiful, glamourous, and fiercely loving.

Kaye is survived by her five children, Karen Kondisko, Kenneth Bald III, Chris Averkiou, Victoria Dollon, and Valerie Scott, and their eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial visitation and service will be held at a later date.

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