Christine Lahti
| Christine Lahti | |
|---|---|
 Lahti at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, April 2008 |
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| Born | Christine Ann Lahti April 4, 1950 Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, film director |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Schlamme (1983–present) |
| Children | Wilson Schlamme Joseph Schlamme Emma Schlamme |
Christine Ann Lahti[1] (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and film director. Throughout her career, she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 nominations, an Emmy Award from 6 nominations and an Academy Award from 2 nominations. Her first Academy Award nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1984 film Swing Shift. Her second nomination was for her work as a director when she won the Academy Award for Short Film, Live Action for her 1995 film Lieberman in Love.
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Early life [edit]
Lahti was born in Birmingham, Michigan, the daughter of Elizabeth Margaret (née Tabar), a painter, homemaker, and nurse, and Paul Theodore Lahti, a surgeon.[2][3] Her paternal grandparents were Finnish immigrants[4][5] and her maternal grandparents were from Austria-Hungary. Lahti was raised Lutheran.[6]
Lahti studied fine arts at Florida State University and received her bachelor's degree in drama from the University of Michigan, where she joined Delta Gamma sorority.
Career [edit]
After college, Lahti headed to New York City, where she worked as a waitress and did commercials. Her breakthrough movie was ...And Justice for All (1979) with Al Pacino. After starring in a few hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, Lahti chose roles that allowed her to spend time with her three children.[7] She has also focused on television, beginning with her role in the 1982 made-for-TV adaptation of The Executioner's Song. She appeared on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein's seriocomic play, The Heidi Chronicles. Lahti received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Swing Shift in 1984, and won an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Live Action for Lieberman in Love (1995), in which she starred and directed. Adapted from a short story by W.P. Kinsella, "Lieberman in Love", the Oscar win came as a surprise to the author, who, watching the award telecast from home, had no idea the film had been made and released. He had not been listed in the film's credits, and was not acknowledged by director Christine Lahti in her acceptance speech.[citation needed]
She won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in Chicago Hope. When her Golden Globe win was announced at the ceremony there was a long pause, as Lahti was not coming up to the stage and no one could find her. Robin Williams rushed on stage and began pretending to be Lahti. When she eventually got on stage, she explained that she had been in the restroom.[citation needed] She later made it a point to be good-humored about the incident, usually poking fun at herself at other awards shows.
In 2001, her first directorial film, My First Mister, was released. Starring Leelee Sobieski and Albert Brooks, the movie debuted with good reviews. In DVD commentary she applauds the work of her cast and crew, remarking "[I] was very lucky to have such a wonderful crew..." She did feel regret that the film was rated R, for language, despairing that the movie might not be viewed by teenagers who would like and relate with the characters.[citation needed] Also, Lahti mentioned several times that she would have liked to have more time to shoot different perspectives in order to facilitate story arc. Lahti starred in the Executive ADA role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sonya Paxton, while the character Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) was in appeals. She was in the first four episodes of the 11th season[8] and returned for the show's eighth episode, where she clashed with Alexandra Cabot.[9] Lahti later guest starred in the ninth and seventeenth episode of the 12th season where she reprised her role as Executive ADA Sonya Paxton. Her character was murdered in the seventeenth episode.
She returned to Broadway upon joining the cast of the Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage on November 17, 2009, replacing actress Marcia Gay Harden.[10][clarification needed] Both actresses had a few special appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In September 2011, Lahti starred with Morgan Freeman in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8'—a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage—as Kris Perry.[11] In March 2012, she was featured with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jansen Panettiere at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The production was broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.[12][13]
Personal life [edit]
Lahti has been married to television director Thomas Schlamme, a native of Texas, since September 4, 1983. They have three children: Wilson and twins Joseph Tabor and Emma Kate (born 1993). She is active in political causes.[14]
Thomas and Christine reside in Los Angeles with their children.
Since May 2005, Lahti has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.
Filmography [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Schools, colleges grant undergraduate honors". The Michigan Daily. March 28, 1969. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Christine Lahti Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Funeral Notices — Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993-2009)". Tucsoncitizen.com. 1995-12-27. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ "LAHTI LOOKS BEYOND MAINSTREAM FOR HER ROLES AS REAL WOMEN". Los Angeles Daily News. May 31, 1992. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Intimate Portrait: Christine Lahti". fortunecity.com. March 16, 2005. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (2003-04-10). "Showtime Examines Shoah Diva Doctor | Arts". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ IMDb. "Biography for Christine Lahti". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ "'SVU' scoop: Christine Lahti is the new ADA!". EW.com. June 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ Ross, Robyn. "Christine Lahti Back for More Law & Order: SVU". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ Piepenberg, Erik (August 18, 2011). "Lahti, Birney Join the Cast of Adam Rapp’s New Play". nytimes.com. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (January 17, 2012). "'8,' Dustin Lance Black Gay Marriage Play, Goes National During 2012". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ ""8": A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality". YouTube. March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ Gray, Stephen (March 1, 2012). "YouTube to broadcast Proposition 8 play live". pinknews.co.uk. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
- ^ "Celebrities Protest Killings in Mexico". LA Times/Reuters. February 15, 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ Wightman, Catriona (February 21, 2011). "'Californication' star joins CBS pilot". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 3, 2012). "Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning actress Christine Lahti to Star on 'Hawaii Five-0' in Recurring role". TV by the Numbers. CBS press release. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Christine Lahti |
- Christine Lahti at the Internet Movie Database
- Christine Lahti at the Internet Broadway Database
- Christine Lahti at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Christine Lahti biography by Finn Film Entertainment
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- 1950 births
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Michigan
- American bloggers
- American film actresses
- American people of Finnish descent
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners
- Directors of Live Action Short Film Academy Award winners
- Female film directors
- Florida State University alumni
- Living people
- People from Oakland County, Michigan
- Primetime Emmy Award winners
- University of Michigan alumni
