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Judith Ivey

 
American Theater Guide: Judith Ivey
 
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Ivey, Judith (b. 1951), actress. A versatile leading lady capable of portraying high‐class dames as well as kooky lower‐class broads, Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of a college president and a teacher, and was educated at Illinois State before acting at the Goodman Theatre and other regional theatres. She appeared in some Off‐Broadway productions before finding success as the crass but honest Cockney Josie in Steaming (1982). Ivey was also lauded for her hardened stripper Bonnie in Hurlyburly (1984); the uptight second wife Ruth in Blithe Spirit (1987); Kathleen, the Irish housekeeper with a grudge in Park Your Car in Harvard Yard (1991); the estranged mother Patrice in A Fair Country (1996); the ex‐chorine Sally who still carries a torch in Follies (2001); and the grieving mother Madeline in The Women of Lockerbie (2003).

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Actor: Judith Ivey
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  • Born: Sep 04, 1951 in El Paso, Texas
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '80s-'90s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: The Lonely Guy, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Miles From Home
  • First Major Screen Credit: Harry and Son (1984)

Biography

Texas native Judith Ivey studied acting at Illinois State University, and began her acting career in the same state shortly afterward; by 1974, Ivey had debuted in a Chicago production of The Sea, and would continue to build her resumé until her move to New York City in the late '70s. A series of on- and off-Broadway performances met her there, as did two Tony awards (the first for her largely nude performance in Steaming [1983], and the second for her role as an abused go-go dancer in Hurlyburly [1985]). Known for her Southern charm and distinctive, rather nasal, voice, Ivey could be seen in film roles throughout the 1980s, appearing alongside Steve Martin in The Lonely Guy, Paul Newman in the family drama Harry and Son, Gene Wilder in The Woman in Red, and in the role of the outspoken best friend of Susan Sarandon in Compromising Positions (1985). The actress also found a great deal of success on the small screen -- Ivey starred in television productions of The Long, Hot Summer (1985), Dixie: Changing Habits (1985), We Are the Children (1987), and Decoration Day (1990) before landing several prominent sitcom roles. In 1991, Ivey returned to her Texas roots for NBC's Down Home, though she found more success playing wealthy widow B.J. Poteet on the final season of the long-running sitcom Designing Women (also NBC). Though Ivey continued to make regular appearances on television (including a performance on the Emmy-winning series Frasier), she found moderate success in several films. In 1997, Ivey played the well-to-do mother of Celine (Cameron Diaz) in Danny Boyle's A Life Less Ordinary; the same year, she would play supporting roles in Washington Square and The Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino. After appearing in several inconsequential films throughout the late '90s, Ivey was featured in Rose Red, Stephen King's popular television miniseries. In 2003, she had a prominent role in the independant film What Alice Found, which won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. She could next be seen alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth McGovern, and Peter Sarsgaard in 2004's In God's Hands. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
 
Wikipedia: Judith Ivey
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Judith Ivey
Born September 4, 1951 (1951-09-04) (age 57)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.

Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and director.

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee (née Lewis), a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean.[1] Ivey is an alumna of Illinois State University. She is married to Tim Braine (her second marriage) and the couple has two children, Maggie and Tom. Ivey's family also has two dogs and a cat. She and her family spend their summers on Nantucket where they have a house.

Career

Despite a long history of theater and film performances, Ivey is often associated with her one-year run on Designing Women in its final season, playing the Texan B.J. Poteet. Ivey replaced Julia Duffy's Alison Sugarbaker, who was herself a replacement for Delta Burke's character, Suzanne Sugarbaker. She also played a notable role on the television show Will & Grace where she portrayed the mother of Dr. Leo Markus.

Ivey won two Tony Awards as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Steaming in 1983 and Hurlyburly in 1985. She was also nominated for Park Your Car in Harvard Yard in 1992. Other theatre credits include Piaf, Bedroom Farce, Precious Sons, Blithe Spirit, Voices in the Dark, Follies and Dirty Tricks. In 2008, she will star in two Edward Albee one-acts at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre, The American Dream and The Sandbox, directed by the playwright himself.

Ivey has been in many films, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Miles from Home, Compromising Positions, Harry and Son, Sister, Sister, In Country, Hello Again, The Lonely Guy, There Goes the Neighborhood, The Devil's Advocate, and What Alice Found.

Other television roles for Ivey include starring roles as Kate McCrorey in the 1990-91 series Down Home, set in a Texas coastal town, and as Alexandria Buchanan in the short-lived series The 5 Mrs. Buchanans, created by Marc Cherry, who later created Desperate Housewives. Ivey was also in the 1985 TV remake of "The Long Hot Summer", in the role of Noel Varner (Joanne Woodward's role in the 1958 film version). The miniseries also starred Jason Robards and Don Johnson, and was nominated for three Emmys.

Stage directing credits

References

  1. ^ Judith Ivey Biography (1951-)

External links

v • d • e
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Shirley Knight (1976) · Trazana Beverley (1977) · Ann Wedgeworth (1978) · Joan Hickson (1979) · Dinah Manoff (1980) · Swoosie Kurtz (1981) · Amanda Plummer (1982) · Judith Ivey (1983) · Christine Baranski (1984) · Judith Ivey (1985) · Swoosie Kurtz (1986) · Mary Alice (1987) · L. Scott Caldwell (1988) · Christine Baranski (1989) · Margaret Tyzack (1990) · Irene Worth (1991) · Brid Brennan (1992) · Debra Monk (1993) · Jane Adams (1994) · Frances Sternhagen (1995) · Audra McDonald (1996) · Lynne Thigpen (1997) · Anna Manahan (1998) · Elizabeth Franz (1999) · Blair Brown (2000)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Judith Ivey".  Read more

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