Vicki Lewis
Encyclopedia
Vicki Lewis is an American
film, stage, television and voice actress best known for her role as Beth in the NBC
sitcom NewsRadio
.
, the daughter of Marlene, a nursing administrator, and Jim Lewis, an air traffic supervisor. She has a sister, Denise. Lewis graduated from Anderson High School in Cincinnati in 1979. She attended the University of Cincinnati
where she studied musical theatre. She received her diploma from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
and moved to New York
. She proceeded to work in various on and off Broadway
shows.
Lewis was in a long-term relationship with Nick Nolte
. The two met during the filming of I'll Do Anything
. She is now married to sound engineer Philip G. Allen.
, MouseHunt, Godzilla
, Pushing Tin
, 2007's California Dreaming
with NewsRadio
co-star Dave Foley
, and 2010's Den Brother
.
On television, Lewis starred for 5 seasons on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio
, followed by Three Sisters
and the WB animated comedy Mission Hill
. She made guest appearances on Seinfeld
(in the episodes "The Secretary
" and "The Race") and Murphy Brown
. In a recurring role on Home Improvement, she played Maureen Binford, producer of the show-within-a-show Tool Time. Also in a recurring role, on How I Met Your Mother
, she played Lilly's Doctor, Dr. Sonja.
She appeared on Caroline in the City
, The Norm Show
, Grace Under Fire, Phenom
and The 5 Mrs. Buchanans. Lewis starred in the made-for-TV film adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie for ABC opposite Jason Alexander
. Most recently, she made guest appearances on Surviving Suburbia
, ABC's Grey's Anatomy
, Disney Channel's Sonny with a Chance
as Ms. Bitterman, the social worker on The Middle (TV series)
, and FX's Dirt
.
Aside from Mission Hill, her voice acting career includes characters in Justice League Heroes
, Rugrats
, King of the Hill
, Hercules: The Animated Series
, An Extremely Goofy Movie
, Phineas and Ferb
, and Justice League: The New Frontier. Most recently, she voiced Eve in the 2010 film Alpha and Omega
.
On stage, Lewis has appeared in City of Angels
and My One and Only
in Los Angeles, and has performed as a soloist with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall
. Her Broadway credits include Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
, Snoopy!!! The Musical
, Damn Yankees
, Chicago
and The Crucible
. She also appeared with Peter Gallagher
and Patti LuPone
in Pal Joey at the New York City Center
. Lewis won the 2007 Ovation Award
for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa
's Hotel C'est L'amour.
Lewis was part of the one-night celebrity-performed staging of Howard Ashman
's unproduced musical "Dreamstuff". The musical was re-imagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet and Dennis Green
and performed one night only at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre as part of the Bruno Kirby
celebrity reading series, directed by Ugly Betty
actor Michael Urie
. Lewis co-starred alongside Eden Espinosa
, Fred Willard
, David Blue
and Luke Macfarlane
.
Lewis' debut solo album "East of Midnight" was released in May 2010. The eclectic rock album has songs penned by Lewis as well as three cover songs. Lewis says this about the writing of the album: "The words and music of these songs unfolded before me like a foreboding window into a chapter of my life that would prove to be dauntingly destructive and spiritually bereft. Locked in my office in Malibu, California I wrote what would become a self-fulfilling prophecy - it would also prove to be the making of me."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film, stage, television and voice actress best known for her role as Beth in the 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 NewsRadio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
.
Personal life
Lewis was born and raised in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, the daughter of Marlene, a nursing administrator, and Jim Lewis, an air traffic supervisor. She has a sister, Denise. Lewis graduated from Anderson High School in Cincinnati in 1979. She attended the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
where she studied musical theatre. She received her diploma from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She proceeded to work in various on and off 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...
shows.
Lewis was in a long-term relationship with Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
. The two met during the filming of I'll Do Anything
I'll Do Anything
I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American dramedy film written and directed by James L. Brooks. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.-Synopsis:...
. She is now married to sound engineer Philip G. Allen.
Career
Lewis' film appearances include roles in Finding NemoFinding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
, MouseHunt, Godzilla
Godzilla (1998 film)
Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
, Pushing Tin
Pushing Tin
Pushing Tin is a 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Mike Newell. It centers on a cocky air traffic controller who quarrels over proving "who's more of a man" with fellow employee Bell...
, 2007's California Dreaming
California Dreaming (2007 film)
California Dreaming is a 2007 film written and directed by Linda Voorhees starring Lea Thompson, Dave Foley and Patricia Richardson...
with NewsRadio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
co-star Dave Foley
Dave Foley
David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
, and 2010's Den Brother
Den Brother
Den Brother is a 2010 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Hutch Dano and G. Hannelius. The film premiered on August 13, 2010 on Disney Channel...
.
On television, Lewis starred for 5 seasons on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
, followed by Three Sisters
Three Sisters (TV Series)
Three Sisters was an American television sitcom that aired on NBC for two seasons from January 9, 2001, to February 5, 2002.-Cast:* Katherine LaNasa as Bess Bernstein-Flynn Keats* David Alan Basche as Steven Keats* Vicki Lewis as Nora Bernstein-Flynn...
and the WB animated comedy Mission Hill
Mission Hill
Mission Hill is an American animated television series that first aired on The WB in 1999. Although 18 episodes were planned, only 13 episodes were produced. The show was put on hiatus by the WB Network after two episodes due to poor ratings. It returned to the WB in the summer of 2000 but was...
. She made guest appearances on Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
(in the episodes "The Secretary
The Secretary
"The Secretary" is the 95th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 9th episode for the sixth season, and was the first to use Castle Rock Entertainment's new logo after its acquisition from Turner...
" and "The Race") and Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
. In a recurring role on Home Improvement, she played Maureen Binford, producer of the show-within-a-show Tool Time. Also in a recurring role, on How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, she played Lilly's Doctor, Dr. Sonja.
She appeared on Caroline in the City
Caroline in the City
Caroline in the City is an American situation comedy that ran from September 21, 1995 to April 26, 1999 on the NBC television network. It starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. The series premiered in the two-hour Thursday night block led by Friends.-Premise:Caroline Duffy is a...
, The Norm Show
The Norm Show
The Norm Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1999 through 2001 on the ABC television network.-Synopsis:...
, Grace Under Fire, Phenom
Phenom (TV series)
Phenom is an American sitcom about a tennis wunderkind that aired on ABC from September 14, 1993 to May 10, 1994. The series stars Angela Goethals, Judith Light, and William Devane.-Synopsis:...
and The 5 Mrs. Buchanans. Lewis starred in the made-for-TV film adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie for ABC opposite Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
. Most recently, she made guest appearances on Surviving Suburbia
Surviving Suburbia
Surviving Suburbia is an American sitcom starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson that premiered on April 6, 2009 at 9:30PM Eastern/8:30PM Central on ABC. Surviving Suburbia aired its final episode at 8:30PM Eastern/7:30PM Central on August 7, 2009...
, ABC's Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
, Disney Channel's Sonny with a Chance
Sonny With a Chance
Sonny with a Chance is an American children's sitcom which aired on Disney Channel, created by Steve Marmel, that follows the experiences of teenager Sonny Munroe, portrayed by Demi Lovato, who becomes the newest accepted cast member of her favorite live comedy show, So Random!.The series debuted...
as Ms. Bitterman, the social worker on The Middle (TV series)
The Middle (TV series)
The Middle is an American situation comedy television series that premiered on ABC on September 30, 2009. The show features Frances "Frankie" Heck , a working-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck who resides in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three...
, and FX's Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
.
Aside from Mission Hill, her voice acting career includes characters in Justice League Heroes
Justice League Heroes
Justice League Heroes is a console video game for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable systems. It is based on DC Comics' premiere superhero team, the Justice League of America. It was developed by Snowblind Studios and published and distributed by Warner Bros...
, Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
, King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, Hercules: The Animated Series
Hercules: The Animated Series
Hercules is an animated series based on the 1997 film of the same name and the Greek myth. The series follows teenage Hercules training as a hero as well as trying to adjust to life. With his free-spirited friend Icarus, his future-seeing friend Cassandra and his teacher Philoctetes , he battles...
, An Extremely Goofy Movie
An Extremely Goofy Movie
An Extremely Goofy Movie is a 2000 American direct-to-video animated film made by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Douglas McCarthy, it is the sequel to A Goofy Movie, featuring the return of characters from the television series Goof Troop...
, Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
, and Justice League: The New Frontier. Most recently, she voiced Eve in the 2010 film Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega
The term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" , an appellation of Jesus in the Book of Revelation ....
.
On stage, Lewis has appeared in City of Angels
City of Angels (musical)
City of Angels is a musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical weaves together two plots, the "real" world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay, and the "reel" world of the fictional film.-Productions:City of Angels...
and My One and Only
My One and Only
My One and Only is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer and music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin.Written to incorporate classic Gershwin tunes from Funny Face and other popular shows into one evening of entertainment, the plot, set in 1927 America, revolves around Capt...
in Los Angeles, and has performed as a soloist with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. Her Broadway credits include Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? is a book published in 1975 by author John R. Powers. It was subsequently adapted into a Broadway musical and a screenplay.Film In Development=...
, Snoopy!!! The Musical
Snoopy!!! The Musical
Snoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown focuses more on the life of...
, Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
and The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
. She also appeared with Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
and Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
in Pal Joey at the New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
. Lewis won the 2007 Ovation Award
Ovation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
's Hotel C'est L'amour.
Lewis was part of the one-night celebrity-performed staging of Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman
Howard Elliott Ashman was an American playwright and lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974...
's unproduced musical "Dreamstuff". The musical was re-imagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet and Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
and performed one night only at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre as part of the Bruno Kirby
Bruno Kirby
Bruno Kirby was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II and Donnie Brasco.-Early life:Kirby was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. in New York City,...
celebrity reading series, directed by 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...
actor Michael Urie
Michael Urie
Michael Lorenzo Urie is an American actor, television producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
. Lewis co-starred alongside Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa
Eden Erica Espinosa is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked....
, Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
, David Blue
David Blue (actor)
David Blue is an American actor, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Cliff St. Paul on Ugly Betty and Eli Wallace on the Syfy series Stargate Universe.-Early life:...
and Luke Macfarlane
Luke MacFarlane
Thomas Luke Macfarlane , better known as Luke Macfarlane, is a Canadian actor and musician.-Early life:Macfarlane was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Thomas , was the Director of Student Health Services at the University of Western Ontario, and his mother, Penny, is a mental health...
.
Lewis' debut solo album "East of Midnight" was released in May 2010. The eclectic rock album has songs penned by Lewis as well as three cover songs. Lewis says this about the writing of the album: "The words and music of these songs unfolded before me like a foreboding window into a chapter of my life that would prove to be dauntingly destructive and spiritually bereft. Locked in my office in Malibu, California I wrote what would become a self-fulfilling prophecy - it would also prove to be the making of me."