E.J. Peaker, ‘Hello, Dolly!’ Actress, Dies at 82

E.J. Peaker, the effervescent actress and singer who brought her bright-eyed charm to the 1969 film adaptation of Hello, Dolly! and the 1960s television musical That’s Life, has died at the age of 82. Her passing was confirmed by family representatives on Monday, July 27, 2026. No cause of death was immediately released.

Peaker’s career was rooted in the golden age of Broadway-style musicals, a transition period when Hollywood still regularly poured Technicolor budgets into lavish song-and-dance spectacles. She is best remembered for her role in Hello, Dolly!, the blockbuster adaptation of the Jerry Herman musical starring Barbra Streisand. In the film, Peaker played Minnie Fay, one of the two shopgirls at Mrs. Molloy’s hat shop who befriend the title character. While the movie was built around Streisand’s colossal presence, Peaker held her own alongside a cast that included Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, and Louis Armstrong. Her performance was a showcase of the "triple threat" versatility that defined mid-century musical performers - she sang, danced, and delivered sharp comic timing.

Before Hello, Dolly!, Peaker had already made an impression on television audiences. She was a regular on the musical variety series That’s Life, which aired from 1968 to 1969. The show, hosted by Robert Morse, was an ambitious hybrid of sketch comedy, Broadway standards, and pop music. Peaker appeared in multiple episodes, often performing duets and production numbers that let her crystalline soprano fill the television screen. That series placed her in front of a national audience and cemented her reputation as a dependable, charismatic musical performer.

From Broadway to the Hollywood Backlot

Born Elsie Jean Peaker in 1944 in Greenville, South Carolina, she began her performing career early, studying dance and voice before moving to New York City. Her first major break came in 1964 when she was cast as a replacement in the Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. She later appeared in the Off-Broadway revue The Mad Show and earned a Theatre World Award for her work in the 1966 musical A Joyful Noise. That stage credentials made her a natural choice when producer Ernest Lehman began casting Hello, Dolly!.

Peaker’s film career, while not extensive, included appearances in the 1971 drama The Grandmother, as well as guest spots on television series such as Bewitched, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Kojak. She also worked extensively in regional theater and toured in productions of musicals including Mame, No, No, Nanette, and The Sound of Music. In the 1990s, she moved into the world of voice acting, lending her vocal talents to the direct-to-video animated film The Little Engine That Could.

A Lasting Footprint in Musical Theater

While Peaker never achieved the household-name status of some of her Hello, Dolly! co-stars, she remained beloved by musical-theater enthusiasts and film buffs alike. Critics often noted her professional warmth and the way she could elevate a supporting role with precision and sparkle. In later interviews, she spoke with fondness about the camaraderie on the set of Hello, Dolly!, describing weeks of rehearsals and the then-novel process of filming such wide-open musical numbers.

Her death marks the loss of another living link to the final years of the big Hollywood musical. As the genre faded in the 1970s, Peaker adapted, keeping her career alive through stage work and vocal coaching. She taught master classes in musical theater and continued to perform in concert settings until her retirement in the early 2000s.

Tributes from colleagues and fans began appearing on social media shortly after the announcement. One fellow Hello, Dolly! ensemble member, speaking on condition of privacy, recalled Peaker as “the kind of artist who made everyone around her better - she could hit a note and a laugh at the same time.”

E.J. Peaker is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, a daughter, and several grandchildren. Her family has requested that any donations in her memory be made to the Actors Fund of America, an organization she supported throughout her life. A private memorial service is planned for later this month in Los Angeles.

Source: Hollywood Reporter