Cecily April Adams American actress, teacher and theater director Date of Birth: 06.02.1958 Country: USA

1. Biography of Cecily Adams
2. Difficult Childhood
3. Education and Pursuit of Acting
4. Theater and Television Career
5. Success and Illness

Biography of Cecily Adams

Cecily April Adams (February 6, 1958 – March 3, 2004) was an American actress, teacher, and theater director. She was born in Queens, New York, a few months after the divorce of her parents, nightclub singer Adelaide Adams and "Get Smart" star Don Adams.

Difficult Childhood

Cecily had a difficult childhood. At a young age, she had to live in a Catholic boarding school. Most of her childhood was spent in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was the fourth of four children to her mother, while her father was experiencing success in his career. Her mother often went on trips, leaving Cecily in the care of friends or distant relatives. Cecily lived in Costa Rica for a while with one of the family's friends. Additionally, she spent a year in Italy while her mother attended medical school. Later on, she spent summers with her father and stepmother, dancer Dorothy Bracken, in Beverly Hills.

Education and Pursuit of Acting

Cecily attended school in Beverly Hills with the children of stars such as Robert Cummings and Shirley Jones. Among her classmates was Nicholas Cage. She pursued higher education at the University of California, Irvine, where she specialized in theater. She attended the university alongside future comedian Jon Lovitz and future television star Nancy Miatt. After college, Adams worked as a waitress and a clown while trying to break into the film and television industry.

Theater and Television Career

Adams successfully joined the prestigious theater company "Theatre West" with the help of her Aunt Alice Borden and Uncle Dick Yarmy. She worked as an actress and director in the company until the end of her life. Despite the lack of support from her father, she managed to succeed on television. She initially had small roles but eventually landed more significant positions. She also had the opportunity to intern in the personnel department, which led to her becoming a talent scout.

Success and Illness

Cecily Adams worked tirelessly to balance her careers as an actress and a talent scout. She did not use her position to secure roles for herself. She is most widely known for her role as Ishka in the series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." At the age of forty-five, Adams, who had never smoked in her life, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, she was unable to overcome the illness and passed away in 2004.