Daughter of Toni Doherty.
Directed and starred in local theater productions and was active in a non-profit group that fed the homeless.
Her father won second prize in the famous "I can't stand Jack Benny" contest. The $1500 prize money paid for all the expenses attendant to Chara's birth, in addition to 6 months rent on the family's apartment. After becoming an actress, she got a role on an episode of "The Jack Benny Program" (1950). When she reported for rehearsal, she brought with her a Photostat copy her father had made of his prize-winning check. "I think Mr. Benny looked sort of nostalgic when he saw it", she said.
Mother of photographer Trevor Black.