Christine Baranski
Encyclopedia
Christine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award
winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill
, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife. Prior to her appearances in film and television, Baranksi rose to prominence as an aspiring Broadway actress, having won two Tony Awards.
, the daughter of Virginia (née
Mazurowski) and Lucien Baranski, who edited a Polish
-language newspaper. She is of Polish
descent and her grandparents were actors in the Polish theater. Baranski attended Villa Maria Academy
, after which she studied at Juilliard. She has been married to actor Matthew Cowles
since 1983, they live in New Preston, Connecticut
. They have two daughters.
debut in Coming Attractions at Playwrights Horizons
in 1980, and has appeared in several Off Broadway productions at the Manhattan Theatre Club
, starting with Sally and Marsha
in 1982.
Baranski made her Broadway
debut in Hide & Seek in 1980. For her next Broadway performance, in Tom Stoppard
's The Real Thing
, she won the 1984 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play. Other Broadway credits include: Hurlyburly
, The House of Blue Leaves
, Rumors
, Regrets Only, Nick & Nora
, and the Encores!
concert staging of Follies
.
At the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
, Baranski starred as Mrs. Lovett
in Sweeney Todd
in 2002 (for which she won the 2003 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical) and as the titular Mame in 2006.
In her first Broadway production since 1991, she was featured as the maid "Berthe" in the 2008 revival of Boeing Boeing. The show garnered two Tony Awards, one for Best Revival of a Play and the other for Best Actor (Mark Rylance
). The original cast was Bradley Whitford
(Bernard), Kathryn Hahn
(Gloria), Christine Baranski (Berthe), Gina Gershon
(Gabriella), and Mary McCormack
(Gretchen). The show closed on January 4, 2009.
She also appeared in a one night only concert benefit performance of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music
for Roundabout Theatre Company
as Countess Charlotte Malcolm on January 12, 2009. The cast included Vanessa Redgrave
, Natasha Richardson
, Victor Garber
, and Marc Kudisch
, among others.
She has won both the Tony
and Drama Desk Award
s twice.
, Mary Sunshine in the musical Chicago
, Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Connie Chasseur in The Ref
and as Tanya in the musical Mamma Mia!
's hard-drinking friend Maryanne Thorpe in the CBS
sitcom
Cybill
, which ran from 1995 until 1998, during which time she hosted Saturday Night Live
and won an Emmy Award
as best supporting actress in a comedy series along with three other nominations.
In 1999 Baranski received an Emmy nomination for a guest starring role as an intimidating radio psychiatrist on an episode of the NBC series
Frasier
. She had an uncredited role in the series Now and Again
as the voice of Roger's overbearing wife Ruth, who was never seen by viewers.
She later appeared in the 2000–2001 sitcom Welcome to New York
and, with John Laroquette, in the 2003–2004 NBC
sitcom Happy Family. She co-starred with Bernadette Peters
in a pilot for an ABC
sitcom, Adopted, in 2005, which was not picked up. She also played Faith Clancy, the mother of Jim Clancy in Ghost Whisperer
.
She portrayed a librarian named Sonja Umdahl in the episode "Dick and the Single Girl" of the series 3rd Rock from the Sun
.
She guest starred in The Big Bang Theory
as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, a bespectacled and unemotional expert in psychiatry and neuroscience who is the mother of one of the protagonists, Leonard Hofstadter. She appeared in the second season episode entitled "The Maternal Capacitance", for which she received an Emmy nomination. Due to the popularity of her first appearance, Baranski returned in the third season for the Christmas episode, "The Maternal Congruence" receiving another Emmy nomination.
Since 2009, she has played the role of Diane Lockhart, a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm on The Good Wife. She was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for an Emmy in 2010.
Besides her work on The Good Wife and the aforementioned guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory, in 2009 Baranski appeared on Ugly Betty
as Victoria Hartley, the haughty mother of Betty
's new boyfriend, and guest starred in episode 4.02 of Psych
.
Though widely reported to have worked as a child actress under the name "Chris Charney," Baranski denies ever having appeared on The Brady Bunch
.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill
Cybill
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show...
, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife. Prior to her appearances in film and television, Baranksi rose to prominence as an aspiring Broadway actress, having won two Tony Awards.
Personal life
Baranski was born in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, the daughter of Virginia (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Mazurowski) and Lucien Baranski, who edited a Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
-language newspaper. She is of Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
descent and her grandparents were actors in the Polish theater. Baranski attended Villa Maria Academy
Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex
Villa Maria Motherhouse Complex, or Felician Sisters Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent Chapel and Convent, is a historic Roman Catholic convent and school complex located at Cheektowaga in Erie County, New York. It was constructed in 1927, and is a three part Gothic Revival building that was built...
, after which she studied at Juilliard. She has been married to actor Matthew Cowles
Matthew Cowles
-Personal life:The son of actor and theatre producer Chandler Cowles, he was born in New York City.Since 1983 he has been married to actress Christine Baranski with whom he has two daughters, Isabel and Lily...
since 1983, they live in New Preston, Connecticut
New Preston, Connecticut
New Preston is a rural village in the northwestern corner of the town of Washington in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The village is also at the center of New Preston CDP, a census-designated place , whose population was 1,110 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United...
. They have two daughters.
Stage
Baranski made her Off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
debut in Coming Attractions at Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
in 1980, and has appeared in several Off Broadway productions at the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
, starting with Sally and Marsha
Sally and Marsha
Sally and Marsha is a comedy-drama, written by Sybille Pearson and directed by Lynne Meadow. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1982.-Productions:Pearson was a graduate student at City College, and the play was read there by Jill Eikenberry and Pamela Reed in May 1980...
in 1982.
Baranski made her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in Hide & Seek in 1980. For her next Broadway performance, in Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
's The Real Thing
The Real Thing (play)
The Real Thing is a play by Tom Stoppard, first performed in 1982. It examines the nature of honesty, and its use of a play within a play is one of many levels on which the author teases the audience with the difference between semblance and reality....
, she won the 1984 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play. Other Broadway credits include: Hurlyburly
Hurlyburly
Hurlyburly is a dark comedy play by David Rabe, first staged in 1984.-Plot:More than three hours long, Hurlyburly focuses on the intersecting lives of several low- to mid-level Hollywood players in the 1980s. Fueled by massive amounts of drugs, they attempt to find some meaning in their isolated,...
, The House of Blue Leaves
The House of Blue Leaves
The House of Blue Leaves is a play by American playwright John Guare, first staged in 1966 by Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut....
, Rumors
Rumors
Rumors is a farcical play by Neil Simon.At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their hosts' tenth anniversary. When they arrive, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host - the deputy...
, Regrets Only, Nick & Nora
Nick & Nora
Nick & Nora is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and music by Charles Strouse.The plot involves witty and urbane high society couple Nick and Nora Charles, characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man, which inspired six films, a radio...
, and the Encores!
Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City...
concert staging of Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
.
At the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Baranski starred as Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett
Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story Sweeney Todd. She is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhemina and Claudetta are other names she has been given. First appearing in the penny dreadful serial The String of...
in Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
in 2002 (for which she won the 2003 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical) and as the titular Mame in 2006.
In her first Broadway production since 1991, she was featured as the maid "Berthe" in the 2008 revival of Boeing Boeing. The show garnered two Tony Awards, one for Best Revival of a Play and the other for Best Actor (Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
). The original cast was Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
(Bernard), Kathryn Hahn
Kathryn Hahn
Kathryn Hahn is an American actress best known for her role as Lily Lebowski on the television series Crossing Jordan.-Personal life:...
(Gloria), Christine Baranski (Berthe), Gina Gershon
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
(Gabriella), and Mary McCormack
Mary McCormack
Mary Catherine McCormack is an American actress. Best known for her work in television, she has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series Murder One , as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in The West Wing and as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight .Her film roles include Private...
(Gretchen). The show closed on January 4, 2009.
She also appeared in a one night only concert benefit performance of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
for Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
as Countess Charlotte Malcolm on January 12, 2009. The cast included Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
, Natasha Richardson
Natasha Richardson
Natasha Jane Richardson was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, she was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson...
, Victor Garber
Victor Garber
Victor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is...
, and Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
, among others.
She has won both the Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
s twice.
Film
Baranski has also starred in various roles in films and television. In film, some of her best known roles are as Katherine Archer in The BirdcageThe Birdcage
The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, and stars Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski. The script was written by Elaine May...
, Mary Sunshine in the musical Chicago
Chicago (2002 film)
Chicago is a 2002 musical film adapted from the satirical stage musical of the same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz-age Chicago....
, Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Connie Chasseur in The Ref
The Ref
The Ref is a 1994 American black comedy film directed by Ted Demme and starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, and Kevin Spacey.-Plot:...
and as Tanya in the musical Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! (film)
Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...
Television work
Baranski was featured as Cybill ShepherdCybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
's hard-drinking friend Maryanne Thorpe in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Cybill
Cybill
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show...
, which ran from 1995 until 1998, during which time she hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
as best supporting actress in a comedy series along with three other nominations.
In 1999 Baranski received an Emmy nomination for a guest starring role as an intimidating radio psychiatrist on an episode of the NBC series
Must See TV
"Must See TV" is an advertising slogan used by the NBC television network to brand its prime time blocks of sitcoms during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured such popular sitcoms as The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, A Different...
Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
. She had an uncredited role in the series Now and Again
Now and Again
Now and Again is an American television series that aired in the US from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the perfect human body for use in espionage, but not being able to yet perfect the brain...
as the voice of Roger's overbearing wife Ruth, who was never seen by viewers.
She later appeared in the 2000–2001 sitcom Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York
Welcome to New York was a television sitcom that aired on CBS. The show starred Jim Gaffigan, who played a weatherman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who then moved to New York and worked as a meteorologist for fictional morning news show called "AM New York"...
and, with John Laroquette, in the 2003–2004 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Happy Family. She co-starred with Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
in a pilot for an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom, Adopted, in 2005, which was not picked up. She also played Faith Clancy, the mother of Jim Clancy in Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
.
She portrayed a librarian named Sonja Umdahl in the episode "Dick and the Single Girl" of the series 3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
.
She guest starred in The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, a bespectacled and unemotional expert in psychiatry and neuroscience who is the mother of one of the protagonists, Leonard Hofstadter. She appeared in the second season episode entitled "The Maternal Capacitance", for which she received an Emmy nomination. Due to the popularity of her first appearance, Baranski returned in the third season for the Christmas episode, "The Maternal Congruence" receiving another Emmy nomination.
Since 2009, she has played the role of Diane Lockhart, a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm on The Good Wife. She was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for an Emmy in 2010.
Besides her work on The Good Wife and the aforementioned guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory, in 2009 Baranski appeared on Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
as Victoria Hartley, the haughty mother of Betty
Betty Suarez
Beatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...
's new boyfriend, and guest starred in episode 4.02 of Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
.
Though widely reported to have worked as a child actress under the name "Chris Charney," Baranski denies ever having appeared on The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
.
Filmography
| Year | Project | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Who's Minding the Mint? Who's Minding the Mint? Who's Minding the Mint? is a comedy movie from 1967 with elements of a caper film. Howard Morris directed a cast that included Jim Hutton, Dorothy Provine, Walter Brennan and Milton Berle. It was produced by Norman Maurer for Columbia Pictures.... |
Girl | Uncredited |
| 1980 | Playing for Time Playing For Time (film) Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz... |
Olga | TV movie |
| 1982 | Helena | TV movie | |
| 1982 | Soup for One | Blonde in Bar | |
| 1983 | Lovesick Lovesick Lovesick is a 1983 romantic comedy film. It was written and directed by Marshall Brickman. It stars Dudley Moore and Elizabeth McGovern and features Alec Guinness as the ghost of Sigmund Freud.-Plot:... |
Nymphomaniac | |
| 1982 | Another World Another World (TV series) Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J... |
Beverly Tucker | TV series, unknown episodes |
| 1984 | Crackers Crackers (1984 film) Crackers is a 1984 American film directed by Louis Malle. It was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.Written by Jeffrey Fiskin, the film is about a group of small-time out-of-luck thieves, led by the unemployed Weslake , who attempt to rob the neighborhood pawn shop owned by... |
Maxine | |
| 1984 | All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most... |
Jewel Maniscalo | TV series, unknown episodes |
| 1985 | Big Shots in America | TV movie | |
| 1985 | Victoria Baines | TV series, episode: "Mama's Boy" | |
| 1986 | Nine 1/2 Weeks | Thea | |
| 1986 | Legal Eagles Legal Eagles Legal Eagles is a 1986 romantic crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Ivan Reitman, and starring Robert Redford, Debra Winger, and Daryl Hannah.-Plot:... |
Carol Freeman | |
| 1987 | Bunny Flingus | TV movie | |
| 1987 | Harriet | ||
| 1988 | Polly | TV series, episode: "The Maid" | |
| 1990 | Reversal of Fortune Reversal of Fortune Reversal of Fortune is a 1990 film adapted from the 1985 book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case, written by law professor Alan Dershowitz... |
Andrea Reynolds, Claus' Girlfriend | |
| 1991 | Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,... |
Katherine Masucci Beigel | TV series, episodes: "The Torrents of Greed Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1992 | Screenplay | Blair Bennett | TV series, episode: "Buying a Landslide" |
| 1993 | Lucy | ||
| 1993 | Life with Mikey Life with Mikey Life with Mikey is a 1993 comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, Christina Vidal, Nathan Lane, Cyndi Lauper and David Krumholtz.... |
Carol | |
| 1993 | Addams Family Values Addams Family Values Addams Family Values is a 1993 sequel to the 1991 comedy The Addams Family. The film was written by Paul Rudnick and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and many cast members from the original returned for the sequel, including Raúl Juliá, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci... |
Becky Martin-Granger | |
| 1993 | To Dance with the White Dog To Dance with the White Dog To Dance with the White Dog is a 1990 novel by Georgia author Terry Kay, based on the experiences of his father.-Plot summary:Sam Peek happily resides in Hart County, Georgia as a pecan farmer and local celebrity featured in many gardening/horticultural magazines. He and his wife Cora are both in... |
Kate | TV movie |
| 1994 | Connie Chasseur | ||
| 1994 | Getting In Getting In Getting In is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Doug Liman starring Andrew McCarthy and Stephen Mailer.-Plot:Gabriel Higgs has failed to get into Johns Hopkins to study medicine. He's sixth on a list of backup candidates, and must persuade the five people ahead of him to drop out. Gabriel... |
Mrs. Margaret "Maggie" Higgs | |
| 1994 | Miss Strapford | ||
| 1994 | Law & Order Law & Order Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,... |
Rose Siegal | TV series, episode: "Nurture" |
| 1995–1998 | Cybill Cybill Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show... |
Maryanne Thorpe | TV series, 87 episodes |
| 1995 | New Jersey Drive New Jersey Drive New Jersey Drive is a 1995 film about black youths in Newark, New Jersey, the official "car theft capital of the world". Their favorite pastime is that of everybody in their neighborhood: stealing cars and joyriding. The trouble starts when they steal a police car and the cops launch a violent... |
Prosecutor | |
| 1995 | Jeffrey Jeffrey (film) Jeffrey is a 1995 American gay romantic comedy directed by Christopher Ashley. It is based on a play by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay.Starring Steven Weber as Jeffrey and Michael T... |
Ann Marwood Bartle | |
| 1996 | Katherine Archer | ||
| 1997 | 3rd Rock From The Sun 3rd Rock from the Sun 3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet... |
Sonja Umdahl | TV series, episode: "Dick and the Single Girl" |
| 1998 | Thelma | ||
| 1998 | Bulworth Bulworth Bulworth is a 1998 American film co-written, co-produced and directed by the film's star, Warren Beatty. It was loosely based on the life of Beatty's friend, Tennessee political figure John Jay Hooker. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah... |
Constance Bulworth | |
| 1999 | Cruel Intentions Cruel Intentions Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York... |
Bunny Caldwell | |
| 1999 | Bowfinger Bowfinger Bowfinger is a 1999 comedy cult film directed by Frank Oz. It depicts a down-and-out filmmaker in Hollywood attempting to make a film on a small budget with a star who does not know that he is in the film... |
Carol | |
| 1999 | Now and Again Now and Again Now and Again is an American television series that aired in the US from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the perfect human body for use in espionage, but not being able to yet perfect the brain... |
Ruth Bender | Episode: "Origins" (voice, uncredited) |
| 1999 | Frasier Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars... |
Dr. Nora Fairchild | TV series, episode: "Dr. Nora" |
| 2000–2001 | Welcome to New York Welcome to New York Welcome to New York was a television sitcom that aired on CBS. The show starred Jim Gaffigan, who played a weatherman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who then moved to New York and worked as a meteorologist for fictional morning news show called "AM New York"... |
Marsha Bickner | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Martha May Whovier | |
| 2001 | Citizen Baines | Glenn Ferguson Baines Welch | TV series, episode: "Three Days in November" |
| 2002 | The Guru | Shantal | |
| 2002 | Chicago Chicago (2002 film) Chicago is a 2002 musical film adapted from the satirical stage musical of the same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz-age Chicago.... |
Mary Sunshine | |
| 2002 | Speed Racer X Speed Racer X Speed Racer X, known in Japan as , is a remake of the original 1967 series produced by Tatsunoko Productions, the same studio that did the original... |
Trixie Fontaine | voice |
| 2002 | Presidio Med Presidio Med Presidio Med is an American Television series which aired 2002–2003, centering around a San Francisco hospital. It was created by John Wells and Lydia Woodward, who also created ER.-Series premise:... |
Dr. Terry Howland | TV series, episodes: "Pick Your Battles", "Best of Enemies" |
| 2003 | Eloise at the Plaza | Prunella Stickler | |
| 2003 | Marci X Marci X Marci X is a 2003 romantic comedy film, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Paul Rudnick. It stars Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controversial rapper Dr S, played by Damon Wayans.The film also featured... |
Mary Ellen Spinkle | |
| 2003 | Eloise at Christmastime | Prunella Stickler | |
| 2003–2004 | Happy Family | Annie Brennan | TV series, 22 episodes |
| 2004 | Spellbound | TV | |
| 2004 | Welcome to Mooseport Welcome to Mooseport Welcome to Mooseport is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Ray Romano and Gene Hackman in his final film before retiring from acting... |
Charlotte Cole | |
| 2005 | Scooby Doo in Where's My Mummy? | Amelia Von Butch | voice, straight-to-video |
| 2005 | Recipe for a Perfect Christmas | Lee Bellmont | TV movie |
| 2005 | Adopted | Judy Rabinowitz | TV movie |
| 2005 | In The Game In the Game In the Game was a proposed sitcom that was to have been produced for ABC by Touchstone Television and was to star Jennifer Love Hewitt as an up-and-coming sports producer and single mom who unwillingly becomes an on-camera reporter. ABC first ordered six episodes, for mid-season 2005... |
TV pilot | |
| 2005 | Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts... |
Faith Clancy | TV series, episodes: "Voices", "The Crossing" |
| 2006 | Inseparable | Barbara | TV movie |
| 2006 | Falling for Grace Falling for Grace Falling for Grace is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Asian-American Fay Ann Lee, who also co-wrote the film with Karen Rousso, and stars alongside Gale Harold. It debuted at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival... |
Bree | |
| 2006 | Relative Strangers Relative Strangers -Plot:Thirty-four year old psychologist, Richard Clayton parents reveal to him that he was adopted. He then sets out to find out who his biological parents are, but disaster ensues when it turns out that his parents, Frank and Agnes Menure , are crude, lower class carnies... |
Arleen Clayton | |
| 2006 | Bonneville Bonneville (film) Bonneville is a 2006 American dramedy film directed by Christopher N. Rowley. The screenplay by Daniel D. Davis is based on a story by Davis and Rowley.-Plot:... |
Francine | |
| 2006 | American Dad! American Dad! American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television... |
Homeless Woman | TV series, episode: "Failure Is Not a Factory-installed Option" (voice) |
| 2008 | Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! (film) Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson... |
Tanya Wilkinson | |
| 2009 | Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea... |
Victoria Hartley | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2009–present | Dr. Beverly Hofstadter | Recurring character, episodes: "The Maternal Congruence", "The Maternal Capacitance", "The Skank Reflex Analysis" | |
| 2009 | Psych Psych Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts... |
Alice Clayton | TV series, episode: "He Dead" |
| 2009–present | Diane Lockhart | TV series, 42 episodes | |
| 2010 | Kitty Hurley | ||
| 2011 | Who is Simon Miller? Who Is Simon Miller? Who Is Simon Miller? is a television film that premiered August 6, 2011 on NBC as part of the network's "Family Movie Night".-Plot:Simon Miller outwardly appears to be a geologist who must frequently take business trips, which has strained the relationship with his family, including his wife... |
Amanda | TV movie |
| 2011 | Ugly Americans (TV series) Ugly Americans (TV series) Ugly Americans is an American animated television series created by Devin Clark and developed by David M. Stern. The program focuses on the life of Mark Lilly, a social worker employed by the Department of Integration, in an alternate reality version of New York City inhabited by monsters and other... |
Grimes' mummy | TV series, episode 10, season 2 "Mummy Dearest" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Medium | Notes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Theatre | Won! | ||
| 1984 | Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play This is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. The award was first presented in 1947.-1940s:* 1947: Patricia Neal – Another Part of the Forest* 1949: Shirley Booth – Goodbye, My Fancy-1950s:... |
Theatre | Won | ||
| 1989 | Tony Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Rumors Rumors Rumors is a farcical play by Neil Simon.At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their hosts' tenth anniversary. When they arrive, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host - the deputy... |
Theatre | Won | |
| 1992 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Lips Together, Teeth Apart Lips Together, Teeth Apart Lips Together, Teeth Apart is a 1991 play by American playwright Terrence McNally.-Plot:A gay community in Fire Island provides an unlikely setting for two straight couples spending the Fourth of July weekend in a house inherited by Sally from her brother who died of AIDS. Through monologues... |
Theatre | Won | |
| 1995 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Cybill Cybill Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show... |
Television | Won | |
| 1996 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Won | |
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | shared with cast | Nominated |
| 1996 | Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Won | |
| 1997 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture | Film | shared with cast | Won | |
| 1997 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1998 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Cybill | Television | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Frasier Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars... |
Television | Episode: "Dr. Nora Fairchild" | Nominated |
| 2000 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series | Frasier | Television | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Film | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award | Best Cast | Chicago Chicago (2002 film) Chicago is a 2002 musical film adapted from the satirical stage musical of the same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz-age Chicago.... |
Film | Won | |
| 2003 | Phoenix Film Critics Society Award | Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast The Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast is an annual award given by the Phoenix Film Critics Society.-2000s:*2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring... |
Chicago | Film | shared with cast | Nominated |
| 2003 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture | Chicago | Film | shared with cast | Won |
| 2009 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Television | Episode: "The Maternal Capacitance" | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Television | Episode: "The Maternal Congruence" | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Television | Episode: "Bang" | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Television | shared with cast | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Television | Episode: "Silver Bullet" | Nominated | |