Joanna Gleason
Canadian and American actress and singer
Joanna Gleason
Born Joanne Hall
(1950-06-02 ) June 2, 1950 (age 74) Occupation(s) Actress, singer Years active 1972–present Spouses
Paul G. Gleason
(
m. 1975;
div. 1982)
Michael Bennahum
(
m. 1984;
div. 1990)
Children 1 Parents
Joanna Gleason (born Joanne Hall ; June 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American actress and singer. She is a Tony Award –winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles. She is known for originating the role of the Baker's Wife in Stephen Sondheim 's Into the Woods for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical . She is also known for her film work in Mike Nichols ' Heartburn (1986), Woody Allen 's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Paul Thomas Anderson 's Boogie Nights (1997). She has had television roles in shows such as ER , Friends , The West Wing , The Good Wife and The Affair .
Early life
Joanne Hall was born in Winnipeg , the eldest of three siblings born to television producer and game show personality Monty Hall , and his wife, Marilyn (née Plottel), both of whom died in 2017.[1] At the time of her birth, her father was working at the Canada Wheat Board and had changed his name from Halparin to Hall. He later started his TV career and went on to fame as host of Let's Make a Deal .[2] In May 1956, the Hall family moved to New York and, in the early 1960s, they moved to Los Angeles.
Hall graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1968.[3] She was in the school's productions of The Music Man , The Mikado , The Grass Harp , and The Madwoman of Chaillot . In high school, Gleason received acting instruction from John Ingle , the soap opera star, who taught at BHHS from 1955 to 1985. She continued her education at UCLA ,[4] then Occidental College , from which she graduated. Gleason has been a teacher herself, holding classes and workshops all over the country.[5]
Career
Although Gleason started her acting career in television, she is best known for her stage and musical theatre work. She made her Broadway debut in 1977 in I Love My Wife ,[6] for which she was honored with a Theatre World Award .[7]
Additional Broadway credits include Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing , Peter Nichols ' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg ,[8] Nick & Nora ,[9] Into the Woods (for which she won several awards including a Tony Award in the lead role of the Baker's Wife,[10] which she also played in the PBS Great Performances production of the musical), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ,[11] and The Cartells .[12]
Her film and television career began in 1977 with her first appearance on her father's program Let's Make A Deal . In 1979, she was cast as a supporting character in the much-maligned two season sitcom Hello, Larry . She had film roles in Hannah and Her Sisters and Heartburn (both 1986).[7] In the television movie Still the Beaver she played Beaver 's ex-wife, Kimberly. Gleason worked again with Woody Allen in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), this time playing the wife of Allen's character.[13] Gleason appeared in several films in the 1990s, including F/X2 ,[14] Mr. Holland's Opus , Boogie Nights , and The Boys . More recently she has appeared in The Good Wife , Blue Bloods , The Wedding Planner ,[15] and The Newsroom . On television, she played the role of Nadine Berkus on the show Love & War (1992–95), several episodes of which she also directed. She played Joan Silver on Temporarily Yours (1997).[16]
She starred in the Lifetime series Oh Baby as Charlotte from 1998 to 2000, also directing episodes of this show. Shortly following the end of this series, she starred opposite Bette Midler on Bette as agent Connie Randolph.[17] Her numerous guest starring TV credits include episodes of The West Wing , The Practice , King of the Hill , Friends , Password Plus , Tracey Takes On... , Murphy Brown , ER and The Outer Limits . Gleason appeared in six episodes of the Canadian black comedy series Sensitive Skin as Veronica, from 2014 to 2016.
In 2007, Gleason was honored by the New England Theatre Conference with a Special Award for Achievement in Theatre.[18]
Personal life
Gleason has been married three times. She was married to acting coach Paul G. Gleason. She kept his surname professionally, although they divorced on June 28, 1982. Later, she married Michael Bennahum.[2] Gleason has one child, Aaron David Gleason, from her first marriage.
Gleason has been married to actor Chris Sarandon since 1994. The two met while performing in Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical Nick & Nora , returned to the stage together in Thorn and Bloom (1998),[19] and collaborated on several films, such as Road Ends , Edie & Pen , Let the Devil Wear Black , and American Perfekt .
Gleason's siblings are television writer/director Sharon Hall Kessler and Emmy award-winning television writer/director Richard Hall.[20]
Acting credits
Film
Television
Theatre
Year
Title
Role
Theatre
Notes
1972
Fiddler on the Roof
Tzeitel[21]
Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Regional
1974
Hamlet
Ophelia [22]
Mark Taper Forum , Regional
Understudy
1975
All My Sons
Ann Deever[23]
Huntington Hartford Theatre , Regional
1975
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Rosemary[22]
Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Regional
Understudy
1977–78
I Love My Wife
Monica
Ethel Barrymore Theatre , Broadway
1980
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Daisy Gamble/Melinda
Regional Tour
1984
A Hell of a Town
n/a
Westside Theatre , Off-Broadway
1984
The Real Thing
Charlotte
Plymouth Theatre , Broadway
Replacement
1985
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
Pam
Haft Theater, Off-Broadway
1985
Longacre Theatre , Broadway
1985–86
It's Only a Play
Virginia Noyles
New York City Center Stage I, Off-Broadway
1986
Social Security
Trudy Heyman
Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
1986–87
Into the Woods
The Baker's Wife
Old Globe Theatre , Regional
1987–88
Martin Beck Theatre , Broadway
1989
1989
Eleemosynary
Artie
New York City Center Stage II, Off-Broadway
1991
Nick & Nora
Nora Charles
Marquis Theatre , Broadway
1997
Into the Woods
The Baker’s Wife
Broadway Theatre , Broadway
10th Anniversary Concert
2004
The Normal Heart
Dr. Emma Brookner
Anspacher Theater , Off-Broadway
2004
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Muriel Eubanks
Old Globe Theatre, Regional
2005–06
Imperial Theatre , Broadway
2008
Something You Did
Alison
59E59 Theaters , Off-Broadway
2009
Happiness
Arlene
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater , Off-Broadway
2011
Sons of the Prophet
Gloria
Huntington Theatre Company , Regional
2011–12
Laura Pels Theatre , Off-Broadway
2022
Anyone Can Whistle
Narrator
Carnegie Hall
Concert
Awards and nominations
References
^ "Joanna Gleason profile" . filmreference.com . Retrieved March 16, 2015 .
^ a b Kleiman, Dena (May 4, 1986). "Joanna Gleason keeps a secret as acting tool" . The New York Times .
^ Hall, Monty; Bill Libby (1973). Emcee Monty Hall . New York: Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 978-0-4480-1551-4 .
^ "Notable Alumni Actors" . UCLA School of Theater, Film and television. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014 .
^ "Susan Stroman, Joanna Gleason & More to Teach Masterclasses at Open Jar Institute's 10th Anniversary, 8/2" . Broadway World . July 12, 2013.
^ Berkvist, Robert (May 27, 1977). "New Face: Joanna Gleason" . The New York Times .
^ a b Klein, Alvin (February 23, 1986). "THEATER; Joanna Gleason: At age 35, a character actress emerges" . The New York Times .
^ Rich, Frank (January 7, 1985). "Stage: Dale and Channing in Nichols's 'Joe Egg' " . The New York Times .
^ Rich, Frank (December 9, 1991). "Review/Theater: Bostwick and Gleason in 'Nick and Nora' " . The New York Times .
^ "The Tony Winners" . The New York Times . June 7, 1988.
^ Jones, Kenneth (July 16, 2004). "Complete Casting Announced for 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Musical" . Playbill .
^ Genzlinger, Neil (October 19, 2006). "Fit for a Soap, Made for the Stage, the Tribulations of an Oil Family" . The New York Times .
^ Canby, Vincent (October 13, 1989). "Review/Film: 'Crimes and Misdemeanors', New from Woody Allen" . The New York Times .
^ Holden, Stephen (May 10, 1991). "Review/Film; The Old Gift for Gadgetry And a New Robotic Sidekick" . The New York Times .
^ Scott, A.O. (January 26, 2001). "FILM REVIEW; Some Things Just Can't Be Planned" . The New York Times .
^ Marks, Peter (March 30, 1997). "Like 'Mary Tyler Moore', With Attitude and Accent" . The New York Times .
^ Salamon, Julie (October 11, 2000). "TELEVISION REVIEW: Divining Miss M, So Supremely Anxiety-Ridden" . The New York Times .
^ "Joanna Gleason" . broadwaymentorsprogram.com . Retrieved March 24, 2018 .
^ Simonson, Robert (July 9, 1988). "Joanna Gleason and Chris Sarandon Pluck L.A. Thorn & Bloom July 9" . Playbill .
^ Simonson, Robert (September 28, 2011). "Joanna Gleason: Choosing Parts Wisely" . Playbill .
^ Drake, Sylvie. "LBCLO Presents Fiddler," Los Angeles Times , June 6, 1972.
^ a b Drake, Sylvie. "For Joanna Gleason, It's a Very Clear Day," Los Angeles Times , July 29, 1980.
^ Sullivan, Dan. "Mother Knows Best in 'All My Sons,'" Los Angeles Times , January 17, 1975.
External links
Awards for Joanna Gleason
1948–1975 1976–2000 2001–present
International National Academics Artists People Other