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Christina Pickles

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Christina Pickles
Pickles in 1987
Born
Christine Pickles[1]

(1935-02-17) February 17, 1935 (age 89)
Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
OccupationActress
Years active1961–present
Spouses
Victor Lobl
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1985)​
​
​
(m. 2005)​
PartnerHerb Edelman (1984–1996)[2]
Children2
Relatives

Christina Pickles (born February 17, 1935)[3] is a British-born American actress. She is known for her role as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982–1988), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She is also known for her recurring role as Judy Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends (1994, 1996–2003), for which she was nominated for the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

Pickles appeared in Broadway plays in the 1960s and 1970s, including The Misanthrope (1968) and Sherlock Holmes (1975), and starred on the daytime soap operas Guiding Light (1970–1972, 2007) and Another World (1977–1979). Her film appearances include Masters of the Universe (1987), Legends of the Fall (1994), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and The Wedding Singer (1998). She won the 2018 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for the Vimeo series Break a Hip.

Early life

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Christina Pickles was born in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire (now West Yorkshire).[4]

She began attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London at age 14 and studied alongside Albert Finney, Peter O’Toole, and Brian Bedford.[4] After graduating,[5] she moved to New York City in the late 1950s, residing initially with friend and classmate Donald Moffat and his wife.[4]

Career

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In 1961, Pickles began her acting career in Look Back in Anger at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. She performed in Measure for Measure in Joe Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park, then won the lead role in George Devine's The Way of the World, despite auditioning for the maid's role.[4] After her Broadway debut in A Severed Head in 1964,[4] other Broadway productions followed, including Inadmissible Evidence, You Can't Take It with You, War and Peace, The Misanthrope, Hamlet, and Sherlock Holmes.[6]

At the same time, Pickles debuted on television, playing Linell Conway on Guiding Light (1970–1972, 2007). She played Countess Elena dePoulignac on the NBC soap opera Another World (1977–1979). She appeared in such feature films as Seizure (1974) and Rush It (1977). After moving from New York City to Los Angeles, Pickles was cast as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere. The series aired from 1982 to 1988. She remained on St. Elsewhere for its entire six-year run and was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the series.[7]

She later was a regular on the short-lived CBS sitcom The People Next Door, which aired in 1989. She went to appear on Family Ties, Who's the Boss?, In the Heat of the Night, Matlock, The Nanny, Murder, She Wrote, and Touched by an Angel.

From 1994 to 2003, Pickles played the recurring role of Judy Geller, the mother of Ross and Monica Geller (David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox), in the NBC sitcom Friends, making appearances throughout the 10-year run of the series. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for this role in 1995.[7] Pickles played the mother of Harmon Rabb in the CBS drama series JAG from 1998 to 2000. From 1999 to 2000, she starred in the short-lived Fox comedy-drama series Get Real.

Pickles has appeared in many films, including Masters of the Universe (1987), Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994) directed by Edward Zwick, Grace of My Heart (1996), Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Sol Goode (2003), George of the Jungle 2 (2003), and Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011). She has had roles in a number of made-for-television movies.

In the 2000s, Pickles appeared in a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother as Lily Aldrin's grandmother, and guest-starred on The Division, Medium, and Childrens Hospital. In 2016, she was cast in the ABC drama pilot The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez, starring Gina Torres in a title role.[8] In 2018, she received her seventh Emmy nomination (in category for "Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series"), and her first in 23 years, for the comedic web series Break a Hip.[9]

Personal life

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Pickles was married to producer/director Victor Lobl for 23 years, divorcing in 1985. She became a United States citizen in 1989.[citation needed] She was romantically linked to actor Herbert Edelman, who also played her significant other on St. Elsewhere, from the mid-1980s until his death in 1996.[10]

In 2005, she married Australian-American journalist Ian Masters.[11]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1974 Seizure Nicole Blackstone
1978 Rush It Eve
1984 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Chris
1987 Masters of the Universe Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
1989 The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro Charlotte Television film
1992 Nightmare in the Daylight Sarah Jenner
1993 A Twist of the Knife Marilyn Cabot
1994 Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love Tippy
Legends of the Fall Isabel Ludlow
1996 Grace of My Heart Mrs. Buxton
Romeo + Juliet Caroline Montague
No Easy Way Mrs. Livingston
1997 Weapons of Mass Distraction Mrs. Frieda Messinger Television film
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island Elsie (voice)
1998 The Wedding Singer Angie Sullivan
Monday After the Miracle Kate Keller
Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery Mim Sanburne Television film
1999 Valerie Flake Meg Darnell
Poseidon's Fury: Escape from the Lost City Goddess Short film
2002 Angels Don't Sleep Here Angela Porter
2003 Sol Goode Sol's Mom
George of the Jungle 2 Beatrice Stanhope
2007 The Family Holiday Mrs. Pendergast
2008 Collectibles Narrator
Immigrants Harriet (voice)
2009 Flower Girl Evangeline Walker
2011 Atlas Shrugged: Part I Mother Rearden
2013 Live at the Foxes Den Mrs. Ducksworth
2014 Wild & Precious Bea Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1970–1972, 2007 Guiding Light Linell Conway Regular role
1977 The Andros Targets Mrs. Fuller Episode: "In the Event of My Death"
1977–1979 Another World Countess Elena DePoulignac Regular role; 52 episodes
1981 The White Shadow Christine Episode: "Psyched Out"
1982 Lou Grant Elsa Episode: "Suspect"
1982–1988 St. Elsewhere Nurse Helen Rosenthal Regular role; 123 episodes
1985 Space Mrs. McKellar Episodes: "Part I" and "Part III"
1988 Roseanne Perfume Saleswoman Episode: "We're in the Money"
Family Ties Ruth Hobart Episodes: "Heartstrings: Parts 1 & 2"
Who's the Boss? Laura Episode: "A Spirited Christmas"
1989 The People Next Door Cissy MacIntyre All 10 episodes
1990 Mancuso, F.B.I. Judge Laura Kinney Episode: "Daryl Ross & the Supremes"
1991 In the Heat of the Night Dr. Lureen Allcott Episode: "An Execution of Trust"
Veronica Clare Kelsey Horne 3 episodes
1992 Matlock Diana Huntington Episodes: "The Picture: Parts 1 & 2"
Laurie Hill Mary Episodes: "Grasshopper" and "Walter and Beverly"
1994 Love & War Mrs. Tynan Episode: "A Lonely Nation Turns Its Eyes to You"
1994, 1996–2003 Friends Judy Geller Recurring guest star; 19 episodes
1994 Sisters Didi Poncell Episode: "Blinders"
1995 Cybill Betty Episode: "As the World Turns to Crap"
The Nanny Nurse Episode: "Close Shave"
Murder, She Wrote Susan McGregor Episode: "Frozen Stiff"
1996 Diagnosis: Murder Bea Michaels Episode: "Left-Handed Murder"
1998, 2000 JAG Trish Burnett 3 episodes
1999–2000 Get Real Elizabeth Parker All 22 episodes
2000 The Wild Thornberrys Mali (voice) Episode: "Forget Me Not" and "Birthday Quake"
Tucker Tucker's Grandmother Episode: "The Family Tree"
2002 As Told by Ginger Carl's Art Teacher (voice) Episode: "New Girl in Town"
2003 Dragnet Helena Rosemont Episode: "Well Endowed"
2004 The Division Florence Hayes Episode: "The Fall of the House of Hayes"
Father of the Pride Barbara Walters (voice) Episode: "Larry's Debut, and Sweet Darryl Hannah Too"
2006 Medium Mrs. Walker Episode: "Blood Relation"
2009 Privileged Mrs. Bennington Episode: "All About What Lies Beneath"
2009, 2011 How I Met Your Mother Rita 2 episodes
2011 Retired at 35 Judy Episode: "The Matchmakers"
Friends with Benefits Hazel Episode: "The Benefit of Being Shallow"
2012 Childrens Hospital Glenn's Mom Episode: "Ladies Night"
2013 Animal Practice Sabrina French Episode: "Wingmen"
2014 Growing Up Fisher Dr. La Croix Episode: "Secret Lives of Fishers"
Rush Mrs. Atchison Episode: "Where Is My Mind?"
2015–2018 Break a Hip Biz All 16 episodes
2016 Bella and the Bulldogs Doris Mekkena Episode: "Bad Grandma"
2017–2018 Family Guy Queen Elizabeth II, Additional voices 3 episodes
2017 Great News Mildred Marlock 2 episodes
Doubt Gail Meyers 3 episodes
9JKL Lenore Episode: "It Happened One Night"
2019 Dollface Silvia Goldwyn Episode: "Feminist"
2021 Friends: The Reunion Herself HBO Max special
2021 Tuca & Bertie The Lighthouse Keeper (voice) Episode: "The Flood"

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
1983 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series St. Elsewhere Nominated
1985 Nominated
1986 Nominated
1987 Nominated
1988 Nominated
1995 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Friends Nominated
2018 Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Break a Hip: Season 2 Won

References

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  1. ^ Profile, familysearch.org; accessed April 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "Herb Edelman, 62, A Character Actor". The New York Times. 27 July 1996.
  3. ^ "Celebrity Birthdays". Tallahassee Democrat. 17 February 2023. p. 9A. ProQuest 2779329353. Comedian Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) is 89. Actor Christina Pickles ("The Wedding Singer," "St. Elsewhere") is 88. Football player-turned actor Jim Brown ("The Dirty Dozen") is 87. See also:
    • The Associated Press (17 February 2011). "Happy Birthday". The Orlando Sentinel. p. D5. ProQuest 2049117131. Singer Bobby Lewis is 78. Actress Christina Pickles is 76. Actress Rene Russo is 57. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 49.
  4. ^ a b c d e Behrens, Deborah (27 July 2011). "Hal Linden and Christina Pickles Summer On Golden Pond". @ This Stage. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Christina Pickles". Colony Theatre. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Christina Pickles". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Christina Pickles". Television Academy. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise. "'Drew': Rob McClure Cast In CBS' Nancy Drew Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. ^ Pond, Steve (22 August 2018). "How 'St. Elsewhere' Star Christina Pickles Got Another Emmy Shot at Age 83 (Video)". TheWrap.
  10. ^ Oliver, Myrna (24 July 1996). "Herbert Edelman; TV Character Actor". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  11. ^ Closer Staff (29 August 2015). "'Friends' Star Christina Pickles Invites Closer Into Her Cozy LA Home". Closer.
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