Florence Halop

Elsewhere (1982), Night Court (1984) and George Burns Comedy Week (1985). She was married to George Gruskin.

The daughter of Benjamin and Lucille (Halop) Cohen and sister of actor Billy Halop (with whom she appeared in at least one "Bowery Boys" film), Florence Halop worked on radio from the age of four. She later found television to be her preferred medium, drawing laughs alone with her short stature, feisty demeanor and unmistakable rasp. She also continued her career on radio. On television, she appeared on episodes of Days Of Wine & Roses - Cliff Robertson & Piper Laurie, "Playhouse 90" Original TV Version (1956), Cavalcade of Stars (1949), The Jimmy Durante Show (1954), and, years later, Alice (1976) and Barney Miller (1975) (making numerous appearances in both 1970s series). She also was frequently seen in television commercials. At one point, she briefly worked as a Beverly Hills real estate agent. Late in life, in 1985, she replaced Selma Diamond as the deadpan bailiff on Night Court (1984). Diamond, a lifelong chain smoker, had died of lung cancer. In a grisly coincidence, Halop, also a heavy smoker, died less than a year later, also of cancer (breast and lung), after only one season on the show.

Florence Halop was born on January 23, 1923 in Queens, New York, USA as Florence Cohen. She was an actress, known for St.