Character actress Ellen Albertini Dow, best known as the feisty old lady and rapping grandmother who performed "Rapper's Delight" in the 1988 Adam Sandler movie, "The Wedding Singer" has died at the age of 101.

Dow, born in Pennsylvania in 1913, was a director of stage productions and a comedian who worked with famous mimes in Paris such as Jacques LeCog and Marcel Marceau.   When she moved to California, she taught drama at Pierce College and Los Angeles City College and, along with husband, Eugene Dow, they founded the theater program.

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Dow retired from teaching in 1985 and began her on-screen acting career at around the age of 70.  She appeared in numerous television shows such as "The Golden Girls,"  "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Will & Grace," "Just Shoot Me," "My Name is Earl," and "Seinfeld," and a few more. She also made appearances on film that include "Sister Act," "Wedding Crashers" and "Patch Adams," and "New Girl" in 2013 --- one of her latest guesting roles.

It was her rap performance, "Rapper's Delight" in the Adam Sandler comedy, "The Wedding Singer's," that she became famous.  It that was included in the soundtrack that had reached double platinum and was included in the Billboard Top 5.

Before her Hollywood career, Dow, grew up and lived in Mt. Carmel.  Her house still stands until today. The signboard for her father's car dealership business named after the family, "Albertini" can still be found on West 3rd Street.  Kevin Jones, the former mayor of Mount Carmel said that they are proud of Dow who had represented the ethics of the coal region until her old age and that through the years she had always been proud of the community she came from.

Dow had frequently visited Mt. Carmel and in June 2008, she was presented with a key to Mount Carmel.  Whenever she was in town, she always ate at Mattucci's Restaurant where she would have her picture taken with the local fans. Eylse Prezlomski, the waitress at Mattucci's Restaurant was proud to say that according to her father, Dow used to play with her grandmother when they children.

TagsEllen Albertini Dow, Dow, The Wedding Singer, Rapper's Delight, 101 years old, Mt. Carmel