Charita Bauer

Bauer at right in 1943, celebrating the fifth anniversary of The Aldrich Family with Mary Rolfe, Ann Lincoln, Mary Shipp and creator Clifford Goldsmith. Bauer formerly played Mary Aldrich on the program. Charita Bauer (December 20, 1923 – February 28, 1985) was an American soap opera radio and television actress.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, on December 20, 1923, she began her career at the age of eight as a model for clothing ads. Her talents included singing, playing the piano, and speaking three languages. She was the only child actress in The Women on Broadway in 1936. By 1942, Bauer's maturity was evident as a newspaper reported, "Charita Bauer ... gets her first 'grown-up' role in a Broadway play in William Roos' Life of Reilly, which opens on Apr. 29." In 1944, she played in Good Morning, Corporal, on Broadway, with a reviewer commenting, "she's grown up and in this play has the role of a young woman ..."

Radio Bauer first appeared on radio on WPAP in New York City as a child. Mary Aldrich in The Aldrich Family (a role she also played on the television version of the program ) and Judy Todhunter in David Harum. Bauer also played in Second Husband, The Parker Family, and Orphans of Divorce.

On November 11, 1944, Bauer made her 2,000th radio broadcast when she appeared on Grand Central Station.

Guiding Light She played headstrong and opinionated Bertha "Bert" Miller Bauer on the long-running soap The Guiding Light on radio from 1950 to 1956 and on TV from 1952 to 1985.

Bauer died February 28, 1985, at age 62 after a long illness. She was survived by her father, her son, and her grandson.