Mary Jo Catlett

Mary Jo Catlett (born September 2, 1938) is an American actress and comedian. She is a main cast member on the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, providing the voice of Mrs. Puff. She is also known for originating the role of Ernestina in the 1964 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! and for playing Pearl Gallagher, the third housekeeper on Diff'rent Strokes.

Catlett was born in Denver, Colorado, where she performed in a variety of plays and eventually directed a company of Pirates of Penzance. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she performed in Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals, often taking lighthearted, humorous roles. Since the late 1960s, Catlett has appeared in television shows such as M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, and General Hospital. Catlett received Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards in 1978 and 1980, a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the Ovation Awards in 1995, and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1990.

In 1998, Catlett joined the main cast of the then-upcoming Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants as the voice of Mrs. Puff, the title character's driving school teacher, who has become her longest-running and most well-known role. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg had seen Catlett perform on stage and sought her out for the part. She quickly accepted and has since voiced Mrs. Puff in every season of the cartoon, in addition to the SpongeBob feature films and video games. In 2001, she received an Annie Award nomination for her voice-over work as Mrs. Puff.

Early life Catlett was born in Denver, Colorado, on September 2, 1938, the daughter of Cornelia M. (née Callaghan) and Robert J. Catlett. She has a sister, Patricia Marie, who is a nun with the Dominican Order. Catlett is a Catholic.

In 1974, Catlett originated the role of Mrs. Tiffany in Fashion: or, Life in New York. Her performance was well-received; The New York Times theater critic Clive Barnes called Catlett and co-star Henrietta Valor "exceptional ... both particular delights," and Jerry Tallmer of the New York Post said that the play's casting was "top-notch, with particular praise from this quarter for Mary Jo Catlett." Catlett would reprise her role in the 1994 revival of Fashion.

Catlett described herself as a character actress. In a 1988 interview with the Orlando Sentinel, she said, "It has been a plus to be a character actress. There are plenty of them out there but far fewer than ingenues and leading ladies, who perhaps eventually become character actresses. But I always was a character actress. I always was round and funny."

In 1987, Catlett directed a production of Dan Goggin's Nunsense after meeting with Goggin and discussing the character of Sister Mary Regina.

She has also appeared/lent her voice in shows such as Modern Family, American Dad!, Kim Possible, Days of Our Lives, 2 Broke Girls, That's So Raven, Rugrats, Glee and The Grim Adventures of Bill and Mandy.

Catlett has also appeared in multiple films. She played Rosemary Ackerman in John Waters' dark comedy Serial Mom (1994), and later turned up in comedies such as The Benchwarmers and Let's Be Cops.

SpongeBob SquarePants In 1998, Catlett was cast as the voice of Mrs. Puff, one of the main characters of Nickelodeon's then-upcoming animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. She is one of the show's nine main cast members and has performed in every season, as well as in the theatrical SpongeBob films and video games. Mrs. Puff has become her longest-running and most well-known role. Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the cartoon, specifically sought out Catlett to voice Mrs. Puff. He had seen her perform on stage and had a strong vision for Mrs. Puff as a character. Catlett quickly accepted and attended early practice sessions with the rest of the voice cast. Her first official recording as Mrs. Puff took place on August 24, 1998; she recorded dialogue with Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star in a single booth at Nickelodeon Animation Studio for the episode "Boating School".

In 2001, Catlett was nominated for an Annie Award for her voice-over work as Mrs. Puff, placing in the category "Best Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Production." Kenny was also nominated at the same ceremony, making Catlett and Kenny the first two SpongeBob cast members to be nominated for an award. In 2013 she along with the rest of the cast were nominated for a behind the voice actor's award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational.

Catlett voiced Mrs. Puff in 2004's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and the subsequent SpongeBob film sequels. She also voiced the character in the spin-off series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show.

As of 2017, voicing Mrs. Puff is Catlett's only regular television role; Catlett described herself as "basically retired" in 2013, since she is good friends with the other SpongeBob cast members, making the SpongeBob recording booth an easy environment that requires less preparation than in-person performances. The About Group's Nancy Basille noted in 2016 that Catlett's "rich, low tones as teacher Mrs. Puff recall other roles she has had," citing Diff'rent Strokes and M*A*S*H as programs on which she had used a similar voice.

Philanthropy Catlett has performed novelty songs at many charity fundraisers and musical benefits, especially for organizations related to AIDS and Broadway-oriented organizations. Making multiple appearances at the annual Help Is on the Way concert series, which supports an organization that helps children that are affected by AIDS. She stated that she was motivated to raise awareness after the death of her close friend Robert Hoppe, who died of complications from AIDS in 1989. 2020 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run 2024 Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

Plankton: The Movie The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

Television Year Title Role Notes 1975 The Bob Newhart Show Mrs. Engleheart The Waltons Elvira Roswell Kojak Verna 1976 How to Break Up a Happy Divorce Soprano 1976–1978 M*A*S*H Becky/Nurse Walsh 3 episodes 1977 Flush Bertha 1 episode Starsky and Hutch Fifi (Hutch's maid) 1978 Fantasy Island Hooligan Hanreddy/Carlotta Smith 3 episodes 1979 The Dukes of Hazzard Cousin Alice 1 episode 1981 Gimme a Break! Betty Foul Play Stella Finkle 1981–1989 The Smurfs Additional voices Various episodes 1982–1986 Diff'rent Strokes Pearl Gallagher Main cast, seasons 5–8 1986 ALF Mary Jo1 episode 1987 Murder, She Wrote Mrs. Metcalf 1989–1990 General Hospital Mary Finnegan 2 episodes 1989 Night Court Cynthia Dobby 1993 Bonkers Helga Voice; 1 episode 1994 Saved by the Bell: The New Class Mrs. Bluntley 1996 Quack Pack The Claw's mother Voice 1 episode 1999 Rugrats Doreen 1 episode 1999–present SpongeBob SquarePants Mrs. Puff Voice; main cast 2004 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Witch Voice; 1 episode Lloyd in Space Mrs. Horton 2004–2005 That's So Raven Mrs. Applebaum 4 episodes 2007 State of Mind Mrs. DelVecchio 1 episode Kim Possible Aunt June Voice; 1 episode American Dad! Store Owner 2009 Days of Our Lives Bev 1 episode Cold Case Betty Joe Henders '09 2010 Glee Mrs. Carlisle 2011 2 Broke Girls Elaine 2012 Shake It Up Elderly Woman Desperate Housewives Debi Brown 2013 The Mentalist Ruth Mr. Box Office Gertrude Episode: "Fifty Shades of Gray Hair" Modern Family Edith Episode: "Goodnight Gracie" Rizzoli & Isles Bunny 1 episode 2014 Instant Mom Mrs. Sharp 2015 The McCarthys Mrs. Murphy 2016 The Odd Couple Elderly Woman Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ Ethel Simmons 2017 Trial & Error Brianne Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer Aunt Agnes Voice; episode: "Billy/Willie" Great News Marie 1 episode 2018 The Kids Are Alright Mrs. Strausser 2019 Better Things Rosie 2020–2021 Good Girls Dorothy 2 episodes 2021–2024 Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years Mrs. Puff Voice The Patrick Star Show Voice; 3 episodes

Video games

Theatre YearTitleRoleNotes 1964–1970 Hello, Dolly! Ernestina Broadway, tour 1969 Canterbury Tales Housewife, Village Girl and Parishioner 1972 Different Times Hazel Hughes and child BroadwayLysistrata Deltazeta 1974 Fashion Mrs. Tiffany, Evelyn 1989 The Pajama Game Mabel Broadway 1991 Lend Me a Tenor Julia 1982 Play Me a Country Song Penny Broadway (one performance) 1994 Beauty and the Beast Madame de la Grande Bouche Los Angeles 1998 The Music Man Eulalie Shinn 2011 The Wedding Singer Rosie