Clara Peller was born in Russia in 1902, as one of eight or nine children to Wolf Swerdlove and Yudis Tilkin. The family immigrated to the United States when she was a child and settled in Chicago. She grew up to marry William Peller, a local jeweler, in 1925 and had two children, Leslie and Marlene, before divorcing eight years later.
Peller worked as a manicurist for 35 years at a local beauty salon in Chicago. She later moved to a North Shore apartment to be closer to her daughter after retiring. Her life took an unexpected turn when she was hired as a temporary manicurist for a television commercial set in a Chicago barbershop.
The agency that produced the commercial was impressed by her distinctive foghorn voice and gruff demeanor, and signed her as an actress. Peller became an unlikely celebrity in the early 1980s with her appearances in a series of humorous TV commercials for Wendy's, in which she loudly grumbled the catchphrase "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" upon seeing an oversized hamburger bun with a small hamburger.
Peller capitalized on her newfound fame by making guest appearances as herself on "Saturday Night Live" and WrestleMania 2. She also appeared in several films, including "Moving Violations" and "The Stuff," and had a small role in the TV show "Amazing Stories."
Peller's iconic refrain was even recorded on a.45 single called "Where's the Beef?", written and recorded by Coyote McCloud. The phrase became a cultural phenomenon, with spin-off memorabilia items such as coffee mugs, beach towels, t-shirts, a board game, and even a Clara Peller doll.
However, Peller's time as a celebrity was short-lived, as she was fired by Wendy's for appearing in a TV commercial for Prego Pasta Plus spaghetti sauce. Peller died on August 11, 1987, at the age of 85, due to congestive heart failure and coronary atherosclerosis.
