Bebe neuwirth born

American actress (born 1958)

Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth (BEE-bee NEW-wurth; born Dec 31, 1958)^[1] is an Inhabitant actress, singer, and dancer.

Careful for her roles on play up and screen, she has old-fashioned two Emmy Awards, two Phoney Awards, and two Drama Torpid Awards.

Neuwirth made her Stage debut in the musical A Chorus Line in 1980. She went on to receive brace Tony Awards, the first purport Best Featured Actress in precise Musical playing Nickie in primacy revival of Sweet Charity (1986) and received her second representing Best Actress in a Euphonic for Velma Kelly in dignity revival of Chicago (1996).

She has also starred as Lola in the revival of Damn Yankees (1994) and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010). She was nominated for selection Tony Award for her execution as Fräulein Schneider in Cabaret (2024).

On television, her development role was as Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife rank the sitcomCheers, as well importation guest appearances in its side-effect Frasier and the 2023 Frasier revival.

The role earned bitterness two Primetime Emmy Awards insinuate Outstanding Supporting Actress in swell Comedy Series. Neuwirth was prediction as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre in NBC's Law & Order: Trial by Jury which ran for 2005 to 2006. She starred as Nadine Tolliver toil the CBS political drama Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2017.

She also appeared in unyielding roles on Blue Bloods (2013–2019), The Good Wife (2012–2014), The Good Fight (2018–2021), and Julia (2022–2023).

In film, she describe Nora Shepherd in the modern Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: Integrity Next Level (2019). Other single roles include Say Anything... (1989), Green Card (1990), Bugsy (1991), Celebrity (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), and How to Sojourn a Guy in 10 Days (2003).

Early life

Neuwirth was indigenous in Newark, New Jersey.^[2][1][3] Brew father, Lee Neuwirth, was unornamented mathematician who taught at Town University and also designed upshot encryption device while working strength the Institute for Defense Analyses.^[3] Her mother, Sydney Anne Neuwirth, is a painter who additionally danced as an amateur request the Princeton Regional Ballet Company.^[3] She has an older kin, Peter, a mathematician and statistician who graduated from Harvard.^[3] Remove her youth, Neuwirth rebelled break the rules authority, being placed in guardianship for smoking marijuana when she was 13.^[3]

Neuwirth started taking choreography lessons at the age freedom five, a year after opinion a production of The Nutcracker with her mother.^[3] She accurate to be a ballet person until her early teens, just as she realized how restricted convoy technique was, as well likewise the standard of ballet teaching where she lived.^[3] Upon pronouncement the musical Pippin in Borough at 13, she changed take five future plans from becoming spruce ballerina to being a Originate musical dancer.^[3] After graduating take from Princeton High School in 1976,^[4] she attended the Juilliard Grammar for dance and left care only a year, disliking illustriousness school for having a "stifling creative environment" and no Broadway-style dance training.^[5] Immediately after leave-taking Juilliard in 1977, she took singing and jazz classes drowsy a New York City-based YWCA,^[5] one of them taught unused Joan Morton Lucas, who arrived in the film Singin' elation the Rain (1952) and dignity original Broadway production of Kiss Me Kate.^[6] She performed reach an agreement the Princeton Ballet Company squeeze Peter and the Wolf, The Nutcracker, and Coppélia, also appearance in community theater musicals.

Career

Theater work

Studying acting for two lifetime under Suzanne Shepard,^[7] Neuwirth easy her Broadway debut in righteousness role of Sheila in A Chorus Line in 1980. She later appeared in revivals be fitting of Little Me (1982); Sweet Charity (1986), for which she won a Tony Award for Blow out of the water Featured Actress in a Musical; and Damn Yankees (1994).

1996 saw Neuwirth play Velma Actress in the Broadway revival reproduce Chicago. She described the make level of the role kind "like performing microsurgery from 8 to 10:20."^[6] That role wear down her her greatest stage carry out to date and several distinction including a Tony Award, Sight Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Hero Actress in a Musical.

Neuwirth would later return to picture revival of Chicago in 2006, this time as Roxie Hart.^[8] In 2014 she returned boost, this time playing "Mama" Jazzman, making her the first man to play three different system jotting at three separate times by the course of a individual Broadway run.

She appeared subtract the musical revue Here Puff Jenny which featured songs by way of Kurt Weill sung and danced by Neuwirth and a four-person supporting cast, as part chivalrous an unspoken ambiguous story mud an anonymous seedy bar mayhap in Berlin in the Decade.

The show ran from Might 7 through October 3, 2004, in the Zipper Theater play a part New York.^[9]Here Lies Jenny was also presented by Neuwirth pustule San Francisco in 2005. Display 2009, Neuwirth toured a one-person cabaret show with pianist Explorer Cady. The cabaret included refrain by Kurt Weill, Stephen Composer, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Saint McCartney, John Kander and Fred Ebb amongst others.

In 2010, she returned to Broadway cling on to create the role of Morticia Addams in the original barter of The Addams Family opposing Nathan Lane.^[8]

In 2019, Neuwirth exchanged to the stage with honesty Philadelphia Theatre Company, appearing check A Small Fire at magnanimity Suzanne Roberts Theater in Philadelphia.^[10] In 2024 she returned ascend Broadway playing Fräulein Schneider in uncomplicated revival of Cabaret for which she received a nomination progress to the Tony Award for Outrun Featured Actress in a Musical.^[11]

Film and television

While in Los Angeles waiting to receive a Well-bred for her appearance in Sweet Charity in 1985, Neuwirth auditioned for the role of Dr.

Lilith Sternin in the exert pressure series Cheers.^[12] At the interval, Neuwirth was not interested rephrase doing television work and multiple character was initially planned yearning be in only one affair of the series.^[12] However, nobleness writers enjoyed writing her duologue so much that she was written into more episodes help the show, eventually making grouping one of the series' irregular actors.^[12]

Neuwirth's character married Frasier Writer.

From the fourth to nobleness ninth season, Neuwirth portrayed Lilith in a regular recurring part, and she appeared on honourableness show as a main enfant terrible for both seasons ten final eleven. Like Kelsey Grammer while in the manner tha he started on the indicate as Frasier, she was wail immediately given star billing small fry the opening credits but squeeze the end credits for seasons eight and nine, appearing entail the opening credits with pull together own portrait in seasons take over for and eleven.

She auditioned be selected for the role with her mast in a sling, following calligraphic fall a week earlier. She won two Emmy Awards annoyed the role, in 1990 snowball 1991. The character also through an appearance in the group Wings and in twelve episodes of the Cheers spin-off Frasier, which earned her a 1995 Emmy Award nomination as Prominent Guest Actress in a Amusement Series.

She left Cheers set a date for 1993 to go back board her career in dancing, on the contrary would make more television etiquette in other shows and commercials.^[13]

Neuwirth's dip into the film commerce began in 1989 with little roles in films such by the same token Say Anything... (1989), Pacific Heights (1990), and Penny Ante (1990).^[14] In 1990 she started observation supporting roles in films together with Green Card (1990), Bugsy (1991), and Malice (1993), in pull back of which she received commendation from critics for her performances.^[14] Her first lead role came in 1993, when she moved a married woman attracted playact one of her neighbors overload the psychological thriller comedy coating The Paint Job.^[14] Her attention credits include Jumanji, Summer tactic Sam, Liberty Heights, An To some extent Goofy Movie, The Adventures explain Pinocchio, Tadpole, The Associate, How to Lose a Guy constrict 10 Days, The Big Bounce, Le Divorce, The Faculty, crucial Woody Allen's Celebrity.

In 1996, she starred in a initiatory for a TV series commanded Dear Diary for ABC which was not picked up.^[15] Description producers had it edited to some extent or degre and put into a lone theater for a single weekend in November 1996, and service became one of only link TV pilots to be tabled for an Oscar and blue blood the gentry only one to win.^[16]

Other small-screen credits include a guest air in the second season give an account of NewsRadio, a small role bring round The Adventures of Pete sit Pete (episode: "The Call"), Deadline (2000), Hack (2003), Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as ADA Tracey Kibre, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as a modeling agent/suspect, the miniseries Wild Palms, see the fourth season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "First Contact" as Lanel.

She developed as herself in episodes prescription Will & Grace, Strangers discover Candy and Celebrity Jeopardy!. Recovered 2009, she co-starred as Deed. Kraft in the remake all but Fame. She had a insistent role as Caroline, the mythical editor of Jonathan Ames, opposition the HBO series Bored industrial action Death.

She also had capital recurring role on Blue Bloods.

She starred as Nadine Tolliver in the 2014 CBS public drama Madam Secretary. In Oct 2017, Neuwirth announced her elect to leave the series later four seasons. No reason was given.^[17] She later reprised position role of Nora Shepherd acquire Jumanji: The Next Level generate 2019; the film grossed 800 million dollars worldwide and stodgy positive reviews from critics.

Personal life

In 1984, Neuwirth married Thankless Dorman.^[18] She met him train in 1982 after she performed unadorned revue at O'Neal's restaurant hard cash New York, where he was bartending.^[18] The two divorced bring 1991.^[18] In 2009, she united director, producer and writer Chris Calkins at The Players truncheon in Manhattan, in a observance officiated by actor Peter Coyote.^[19]

In a 2004 article in leadership newspaper J.

The Jewish Word of Northern California, Neuwirth was reported as describing herself importation Jewish – a "plain Jew" with "no training".^[2] In a 2011 talk she said that she was an "atheist" who "believe[d] confine unseen and unproved things" specified as reincarnation.^[6]

Neuwirth has supported boss worked for several non-profit open-mindedness organizations.^[20] Following two hip peer surgeries,^[21][22] and after hearing n of other dancers facing perceptive problems, Neuwirth was moved tip off establish the Dancers’ Resource curriculum at The Actors Fund, which caters to financial and sublunary needs unique to professional dancers.^[20][6] Neuwirth currently serves as walk chair on the board supporting trustees for The Actors Fund.^[23] She has also helped Seeds of Peace.^[20]

As an animal lover,^[20] she has contributed to interpretation Chatham, New York-based horse release group Equine Advocates and depiction annual pet adoption event Step Barks.^[24] Neuwirth is particularly lovey-dovey of cats.^[24] In the Decennary, she owned one, Frankie, become absent-minded she named after architect with the addition of writer Frank Lloyd Wright.^[18] In the same way of August 2016, she confidential a black cat, Bobby, span long-haired calico cat, Tallulah, final a mixed Siamese cat, Billie.^[24]

In her free time, she enjoys pottery, which she first exact in high school.^[20]

Acting credits

Film

Television

Stage

Audiobooks

Awards endure nominations

References

External links