Christine Baranski
Christine Baranski | |
|---|---|
 Baranski in 2015 | |
| Born | Christine Jane Baranski May 2, 1952 |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She is a 15-time Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom Cybill (1995–98). Baranski has received further critical acclaim for her performance as Diane Lockhart in the legal drama series The Good Wife (2009–16) and its spinoff series The Good Fight (2017–present).
Baranski has appeared in numerous television films, such as her portrayal of Kate in To Dance with the White Dog (1993), Prunella Stickler in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime (both 2003), and Amanda in Who Is Simon Miller? (2011). Her major Broadway credits include Hide and Seek (1980), Hurlyburly (1984), The House of Blue Leaves (1986), Nick & Nora (1991), and Boeing Boeing (2008). Baranski has also starred in numerous films, including 9½ Weeks (1986), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Into the Woods (2014), and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Baranski won two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the original Broadway productions of The Real Thing in 1984 and Rumors in 1989. For her recurring role as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2009–19), she received four Emmy nominations.
Early life and education
Baranski was born in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Virginia (née Mazurowska) and Lucien Baranski, who edited a Polish-language newspaper.[1][2] She is of Polish descent, and her grandparents were actors in the Polish theater.[3][4] Baranski was raised in a Polish-Catholic neighborhood in Cheektowaga, where she attended high school at the Villa Maria Academy.[5][6] She later studied at New York City's Juilliard School[7] (Drama Division Group 3: 1970–1974),[8] where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974.[9]
Career
Stage
Baranski made her Off-Broadway 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 (for which she won her second Tony), 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 title character in Mame in 2006.[10][6]
In her first Broadway production since 1991, Baranski was featured as the maid Berthe in the 2008 revival of Boeing Boeing.[11] 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.
Baranski 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.[12] The cast included Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Victor Garber, and Marc Kudisch, among others.
Baranski has won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards twice. In 2018, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.[13]
Film
Baranski has also appeared in various film roles. Some of her better-known roles are as Katherine Archer in The Birdcage (1996), Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Mary Sunshine in Chicago (2002) and Connie Chasseur in The Ref (1994).
Baranski received further recognition for her role as Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the hit musical film Mamma Mia! (2008), and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Baranski also played Cinderella's stepmother in the 2014 film adaptation of the musical Into the Woods.[14]
Baranski also appeared in the films 9½ Weeks (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Addams Family Values (1993), Jeffrey (1995), Bulworth (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Bowfinger (1999), Chicago (2002), Trolls (2016), and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017).
Television
In response to reports that Baranski appeared as a child actress as "Chris Charney", who is another actress, on The Brady Bunch, Baranski has said this is not true.[15] She said "the first real TV show" that she worked on was the comedy series Cybill, when she was in her 40s. Earlier, she had appeared in short-term roles on various daytime soap operas, including All My Children and Another World.
Baranski was featured as Cybill Shepherd's sarcastic, hard-drinking friend Maryann 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. During this, Baranski portrayed a librarian named Sonja Umdahl in the "Dick and the Single Girl" episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun.[16] A few years later, Baranski received an Emmy nomination for a guest starring role in the NBC series Frasier as a controversial tough love radio psychiatrist named Dr. Nora. The episode, which was named for the character, parodied Dr. Laura Schlessinger.[17][18][19] The episode was pulled from syndication by Paramount.[18][19] Baranski 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.
Baranski 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.
In 2009, Baranski began guest-starring in The Big Bang Theory as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, a dispassionate psychiatrist and neuroscientist and mother of one of the protagonists, Leonard Hofstadter. She first appeared in the second-season episode "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. She appeared in a total of 16 episodes during the show's run, earning 4 Emmy nominations for her recurring role.[20][21]
From 2009 to 2016, Baranski played the role of Diane Lockhart, a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm on the CBS series The Good Wife. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for six seasons of the series, in the years 2010 to 2015. Besides her work on The Good Wife and the aforementioned guest appearances on The Big Bang Theory, her other recent appearances include Ugly Betty in 2009 as Victoria Hartley, the haughty mother of Betty's new boyfriend.[22][23]
As of 2017, Baranski stars in the CBS spinoff of The Good Wife, titled The Good Fight. Her character, Diane Lockhart, joins another law firm after being forced to return to work.[24]
Personal life
Baranski was married to actor Matthew Cowles from October 1983 until his death on May 22, 2014.[2][25] They have two daughters, Isabel (born 1984), a lawyer, and Lily (born 1987), an actress.[26][27]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Busting Loose | Debbie | Episode: "The Decision: Part 1" |
| 1980 | Playing for Time | Olga | TV movie |
| 1982 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | TV movie |
| 1982 | Another World | Beverly Tucker | Unknown episodes |
| 1984 | All My Children | Jewel Maniscalo | Unknown episodes |
| 1985 | Big Shots in America | Cara | TV movie |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Victoria Baines | Episode: "Mama's Boy" |
| 1987 | The House of Blue Leaves | Bunny Flingus | TV movie |
| 1988 | The Thorns | Polly | Episode: "The Maid" |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Katherine Masucci Beigel | Episodes: "The Torrents of Greed Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1992 | Screenplay | Blair Bennett | Episode: "Buying a Landslide" |
| 1993 | To Dance with the White Dog | Kate | TV movie |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Rose Siegal | Episode: "Nurture" |
| 1995–98 | Cybill | Maryann Thorpe | 87 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1995) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (1995, 1996) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1996–98) Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1995) Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) |
| 1996 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Christine Baranski/The Cure" |
| 1997 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Sonja Umdahl | Episode: "Dick and the Single Girl" |
| 1999 | Now and Again | Ruth Bender (voice) | Episode: "Origins"; uncredited |
| 1999 | Frasier | Dr. Nora Fairchild | Episode: "Dr. Nora" Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
| 2000–01 | Welcome to New York | Marsha Bickner | 13 episodes |
| 2001 | Citizen Baines | Glenn Ferguson Baines Welch | Episode: "Three Days in November" |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | Dr. Terry Howland | Episodes: "Pick Your Battles", "Best of Enemies" |
| 2003 | Eloise at the Plaza | Prunella Stickler | TV movie |
| 2003 | Eloise at Christmastime | Prunella Stickler | TV movie |
| 2003–04 | Happy Family | Annie Brennan | 22 episodes |
| 2004 | Spellbound | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Recipe for a Perfect Christmas | Lee Bellmont | TV movie |
| 2005 | Adopted | Judy Rabinowitz | TV movie |
| 2005 | In the Game | TV pilot | |
| 2005 | Ghost Whisperer | Faith Clancy | Episodes: "Voices", "The Crossing" |
| 2006 | Inseparable | Barbara | TV movie |
| 2006 | American Dad! | Homeless Woman (voice) | Episode: "Failure Is Not a Factory-installed Option" |
| 2009 | Ugly Betty | Victoria Hartley | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Psych | Alice Clayton | Episode: "He Dead" |
| 2009, 2011 2013–19 |
The Big Bang Theory | Dr. Beverly Hofstadter | 16 episodes Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) |
| 2009–16 | The Good Wife | Diane Lockhart | 156 episodes[29] Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2010–15) Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009, 2010, 2011) |
| 2011 | Who Is Simon Miller? | Amanda | TV movie |
| 2011 | Ugly Americans | Grimes' mummy (voice) | Episode: "Mummy Dearest" |
| 2013, 2018 | Family Guy | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2015, 2019 | BoJack Horseman | Amanda Hannity (voice) | Episodes: "Hank After Dark", "The New Client" |
| 2017 | Regular Show | Guardian (voice) | Episode: "A Regular Epic Final Battle" |
| 2017–present | The Good Fight | Diane Lockhart | 40 episodes Nominated — TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2019) |
| 2017 | Michael Jackson's Halloween | Mrs. Grau (voice) | TV special |
| 2017 | Spirit Riding Free | Miz McDonnell (voice) | Episode: "Lucky and the Long Way Home" |
| 2018 | Fancy Nancy | Mrs. Devine (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Young Sheldon | Beverly Hofstadter (voice) | Episode: "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" |
| 2019 | Archibald's Next Big Thing | Madame Baroness (voice) | Episode: "Best in Showbot/The Secret of Madame Baroness" |
| 2019 | The Bravest Knight | The Dragon (voice) | Multiple episodes [30] |
| TBA | The Gilded Age | Agnes van Rhijn | Upcoming series |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Company | April | Playwrights Horizons Theatre-in-the-Park[31] |
| 1980 | Hide & Seek | Elly Bart | Broadway |
| 1980 | Coming Attractions | Ensemble | Playwrights Horizons |
| 1982 | Sally and Marsha | Marsha | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| 1983 | Sunday in the Park with George | Clarisse (later named Yvonne) | Playwrights Horizons |
| 1984 | The Real Thing | Charlotte | Broadway |
| 1984 | Hurlyburly | Bonnie | Broadway |
| 1986 | The House of Blue Leaves | Bunny Flingus | Broadway |
| 1988 | Rumors | Chris Gorman | Broadway |
| 1991 | Lips Together, Teeth Apart | Chloe Haddock | Off-Broadway |
| 1991 | Nick & Nora | Tracy Gardner | Broadway |
| 1997 | Promises, Promises | Marge MacDougall | Encores! |
| 2002 | Sweeney Todd | Mrs. Lovett | Kennedy Center |
| 2006 | Mame | Mame Dennis | Kennedy Center |
| 2007 | Follies | Carlotta Campion | Encores![32] |
| 2008 | Boeing-Boeing | Berthe | Broadway |
| 2013 | On Your Toes | Peggy Porterfield | Encores![33] |
| 2015 | Follies | Phyllis Rogers Stone | London |
Video games
| Year | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Skylanders: Swap Force | Kaos' Mother |
| 2017 | Steven Universe: Save the Light | Hessonite[34][35] |
| 2019 | Steven Universe: Unleash the Light |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Two Princes | Queen Livinia | Audio drama |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ "Christine Baranski – Family and Companions" Yahoo!7 Movies Archived March 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine movies.yahoo.com
- ^ a b "Christine Baranski Biography (1952–)" filmreference.com, accessed April 29, 2011
- ^ "Polonia: Western New York's Polish-American Legacy". WNED Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine wned.org
- ^ Triplett, William (May 12, 2002). "For Baranski, A Most Meaty Opportunity; In 'Sweeney Todd,' Actress Sinks Her Teeth Into a Singing Role". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
- ^ Rousuck, J. Wynn (May 21, 2006). "The lady has it: Christine Baranski stars in 'Mame' for the 2nd time". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ a b Gans, Andrew (June 16, 2006). "DIVA TALK: Chatting with Mame's Christine Baranski". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008.
- ^ Shulman, Randy (June 8, 2006). "Christine Baranski: TV and stage actress talks about starring in 'Mame' and 'Cybill'". Metro Weekly. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. September 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ Rebecca Flint Marx (2011). "All Movie Guide: Christine Baranski". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (May 15, 2002). "Adding Love To the Pies' Time-Tested Recipe", The New York Times.
- ^ Simonson, Robert (May 7, 2008). "Playbill.Com's Brief Encounter With Christine Baranski" Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (January 12, 2009). "Starry A Little Night Music Concert Presented in Manhattan Jan. 12" Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.
- ^ "Cicely Tyson, Christine Baranski, David Henry Hwang, More Inducted Into Theater Hall of Fame November 12". Playbill. November 12, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Cerasaro, Pat (July 23, 2013). WORLD EXCLUSIVE! New Confirmed Casting For the INTO THE WOODS Movie, Starring Streep & Depp Broadway World, Retrieved July 27, 2013
- ^ "Christine Baranski: Wasn't Me on 'The Brady Bunch'!". BlogTalkRadio.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Dick and the Single Girl". IMDb. May 11, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ Starr, Michael (April 28, 1999). "Resurgent 'Frasier' takes on Dr. Laura". Deseret News. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Lowry, Brian (November 7, 2000). "Syndicated 'Frasier' Episode Spoofing Dr. Laura Is Pulled". Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Starr, Michael (November 7, 2000). "Who Stole 'Dr. Nora?' – 'Frasier's' Spoof of TV Shrink Disappears". New York Post. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory actress, CT resident talks about final season ahead of finale". WFSB. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Davies, Alex (November 2, 2019). "Big Bang Theory: What happened to Beverly Hofstadter? Why did she leave?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay (April 14, 2020). "'The Good Fight': Christine Baranski Is Eager to Take on Powerful Men in Season 4". IndieWire. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Turchiano, Danielle (April 8, 2020). "Christine Baranski on Taking on the Judicial System in 'The Good Fight' Season 4". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (February 16, 2017). "Review: On ‘The Good Fight,’ a Lawyer Claws Her Way Back to Normal". The New York Times.
- ^ Simonson, Robert (May 27, 2014). "Matthew Cowles, Actor and Husband of Christine Baranski, Dies" Archived May 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Playbill.
- ^ Klein, Alvin (January 25, 1998). "THEATER; Being Irish And Being Married". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Stephen Colbert (host) (April 28, 2016). "Christine Baranski". The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Season 1. Episode 131. CBS. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ Macdonald, Moira (December 8, 2016). ‘Miss Sloane’ review: An intriguing character who needs a more intriguing film The Seattle Times, Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Filmography by TV series for Christine Baranski". IMDb. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 23, 2019). "Hulu Sets Animated Kids Series With Openly Gay Main Character; T.R. Knight, Bobby Moynihan, RuPaul & Others Add Voices 'The Bravest Knight'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ https://www.npr.org/2020/06/25/883324881/actor-christine-baranski
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/theater/reviews/10foll.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/theater/reviews/on-your-toes-with-christine-baranski-at-city-center.html
- ^ "Meet Hessonite, the Villainous New Steven Universe Gem Voiced by Christine Baranski". The Mary Sue. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Unleash the Light". App Store. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
External links
- 1952 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American singers
- American stage actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American television actresses
- American film actresses
- American voice actresses
- American female singers
- American people of Polish descent
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Juilliard School alumni
- Actresses from Buffalo, New York
- Catholics from Connecticut
- Catholics from New York (state)
- Tony Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- 20th-century American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers