Featured in the May/June 2008 issue of Today's Woman.

Actress Marcia Wallace: A Force to be Reckoned With
From "The Bob Newhart Show" to Cancer Survivor

By Debbie L. Sklar

Most know actress Marcia Wallace as the lovelorn receptionist, Carol Kester, from the 1970’s sitcom, “The Bob Newhart Show,” who for 7 years won tons of fans as the brash, slightly ditzy co-worker and confidante always looking for that “special guy” to walk through the door.

But Wallace’s career goes much further than Newhart’s office. 

In Fact, Wallace has been the voice of Bart Simpson’s teacher, Mrs. Krabappel, on the popular animated show, “The Simpsons” for the past several years and more recently, she had a supporting role as Maggie the housekeeper on the short-lived, irreverent spoof, “That’s My Bush!” in 2001.

She’s also a breast cancer survivor and an advocate who lectures from Coast-to-Coast to women on this very topic.  Wallace will visit Orange County on May 9 and serve as the guest speaker at the Third Annual Faces of Courage Benefit Brunch hosted by the Woman’s Cancer Research Foundation at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach.

“I was diagnosed 22 years ago with Breast cancer when there wasn’t nearly as much information out there as there is now,” Wallace said during a recent interview.  “We didn’t have the Internet then and networking was a lot different.”

Wallace was actually asked by the WCRF to replace actress Fran Drescher at the event due to a scheduling conflict.  But, Wallace is used to stepping in on the fly.

For example, she has replaced Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for NBC News, Andrea Mitchell and even actress Rue McClanahan over the years.

“I obviously didn’t have a Kosovo conflict, like Andrea did,” she laughed.  “I’m not bothered that I am asked after the fact… I don’t go there, I am very realistic about it and I know that I give a darn good speech that is very uplifting, motivational and funny.  No matter who they think they are going to hear speaking, they may be disappointed at first, but they almost always enjoy me.”

That’s probably because everything falls into place when Wallace speaks; thanks to her particular talents she is able to speak from her heart.

“I seem to be able to do it well,” she said.  “I mostly speak to women at conferences of all sorts, sometimes they are health-oriented.”

Wallace said she can relate to breast cancer victims, as well as survivors, because she has been there.

When she was diagnosed, 25 percent of all American women had had a mammogram and that has changed—she said we are nowhere near 100 percent today.

“Many women get one and think that’s enough,” she said.  “You have to use the tools: you have to use the mammograms, do the breast self exams, do the clinical doctor exams and listen to your own body.  If you see changes in your body, follow up on it.  Most of the time it is a win-win situation and it will be nothing.  But if you are like that one in eight, like I was, you will have caught it early.”

Wallace explained that she had a small lump that hadn’t spread and later had removed.
“Even then, the protocol was to do a mastectomy even if it was a small lump.  Now, there is much less invasive surgery and we know that the lumpectomy is just as effective,” she said.
“Wallace was indeed told that she should have a mastectomy, but refused.

“I said no.  I was a good candidate for breast conservation,” she said.  “I was never sick and it never came back.”

“That’s about a 20 minute movie of the week,” she continued.  “But it is plenty exciting for the almost 2000,000 women and some men that are going to get this cancer.  In spite of all the strides, and invasive surgeries, nothing beats early detection.”

Wallace’s message is just that: Be your own advocate and take responsibility for your own breast health.

“The tricky part is that women tend to be the caregiver, so, they put themselves at the bottom of the list…” she said.

At the time she learned she had breast cancer, she had just become engaged to  her late husband, Dennis Hawley, who passed away in 1992 of pancreatic cancer.  She said preparing for their wedding is what kept her spirits high.

“My husband asked me to Marry him and three days later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said. “I was just too darn happy to be beaten down.  It is important to go full steam ahead, but you do need to acknowledge the direction where you are going.”

She also added that today, thanks to much more education and media awareness, women have a better chance.

“Bottom-line, and I can’t say it enough, is to be your advocate and know your body,” she said.

At 65, Wallace said she is healthy, and doesn’t smoke or drink except for the occasional glass of wine.  And with those Newhart days behind her, Wallace continues to do the voice-over work and travel the country lecturing about cancer.

“I really do love the speaking engagements and I get such joy in talking to women all over the country about their own cancer stories.  It warms my heart.”

In between everything else, Wallace did publish her own memoir, “Don’t Look Back, We’re Not Going That Way!” which gently and admirably laces her myriad of struggles with wit, humor and a positive outlook.