Selma Diamond

Selma Diamond (August 5, 1920 – May 13, 1985) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actress, and radio and television writer, known for her high-range, raspy voice and her portrayal of Selma Hacker on the first two seasons of the NBC television comedy series Night Court. Diamond was also the main inspiration for the character of Sally Rogers on the series The Dick Van Dyke Show. Early life Diamond was born on August 5, 1920, in London, Ontario, Canada, to a tailor and his wife. Diamond's grandmother was a suffragette. When Diamond was a young girl, they moved to Brooklyn, New York. Diamond attended high school in Brooklyn and graduated from New York University. Career Diamond published cartoons and humor essays in The New Yorker. Later, she moved to the West Coast and hired an agent. She worked in radio and, eventually, television. Her first radio writing credit was in 1943 on Blue Ribbon Town with Groucho Marx. That initial credit turned into a 65-week tenure with Marx's show and a longer friendship with him. She also wrote for the Camel Caravan with Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore, The Drene Show with Rudy Vallee, Duffy's Tavern, and The Kenny Baker Show.