Though English born, Carole Shelley has spent almost her entire award-winning career in the theatre in America becoming one of Broadway's mainstays and a true pioneer of the American Theatre. Now a naturalized US citizen, Shelley stays busy on all fronts in the entertainment industry in films, television and of course the live stage. Her Broadway credits include: The Odd Couple - her Broadway debut - playing the hilarious Gwendolyn Pigeon, the intended blind date for the hapless Felix - a role she reprised for the film The Odd Couple and in the later television series, The Miser, Stepping Out (Tony nomination), The Elephant Man (Tony Award, Best Actress), Hay Fever, The Norman Conquests (LADCC Award), Absurd Person Singular (Tony nomination) and Loot.

Her National tours include: Broadway Bound, The Royal Family and Noises Off. Off-Broadway: The Film Society, London Suite, The Destiny of Me, Richard II (NYSF), Later Life (Drama Desk nomination), Cabaret Verboten, What the Butler Saw, Little Murders, Twelve Dreams (Obie award), Tartuffe.

Returning to London, she replaced Dame Maggie Smith (who had come to America to Star in the Broadway Run of the play) in Lettice and Lovage in the West End. Always interested in remaining busy she has never turned down a good opportunity for work and she has acquitted herself admirably by stepping into such long running hits as: Cabaret, Show Boat, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Noises Off.

Her Many Films Include: Quiz Show, The Road to Wellville, Jungle 2 Jungle, The Super, The Odd Couple and she has provided some delightful vocal characterizations for many Disney animated features: Hercules, _Aristocats, The (1970)_ , The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Robin Hood
Naturalized U.S. citizen. Won Broadway's 1979 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for "The Elephant Man" in a tie with Constance Cummings for "Wings." Miss Shelley was present to receive her award and dedicated it to the memory of her recently departed mother whom she called "Charlie." She was also nominated for Tony Awards on two other occasions: in 1975 as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Absurd Person Singular," and in 1987 as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for "Stepping Out." Replaced Elaine Stritch in the Broadway run of "Show Boat" Replaced Dana Ivey in The Last Night of Ballyhoo The only actress to play the role of Neil Simon's Gwendolyn Pigeon in The Odd Couple on Broadway, in The Odd Couple film, and The Odd Couple television series. In 1979 she originated the role of Mrs. Kendall in The Elephant Man, winning a Tony Award for best actress. In 2002, Kate Burton played Mrs. Kendall in the first revival of the play on Broadway, garnering a Tony nomination (one of two nominations she received that year, the other for Hedda Gabler). These two distinguished actresses have worked on film and in television but in New York they are revered as two of the greatest actresses working on stage today. In 1995 these two ladies shared the same dressing room at the Union Square Theater, where they played mother and daughter in Neil Simon's London Suite.