Bebe Neuwirth | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Neuwirth in 2023 | |
| Born | Beatrice Jane Neuwirth (1958-12-31)December 31, 1958 (age 66) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouses | |
Beatrice Jane "Bebe" Neuwirth (/ˈbiːbiˈnjuːwɜːrθ/BEE-beeNEW-wurth; born December 31, 1958)[1] is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received twoEmmy Awards, twoTony Awards, and twoDrama Desk Awards.
Neuwirth made herBroadway debut in the musicalA Chorus Line in 1980. She went on to win twoTony Awards, the first forBest Featured Actress in a Musical playing Nickie in the revival ofSweet Charity (1986) and received her second forBest Actress in a Musical forVelma Kelly in the revival ofChicago (1996). She has also starred as Lola in the revival ofDamn Yankees (1994) andMorticia Addams inThe Addams Family (2010). She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance as Fräulein Schneider inCabaret (2024).
On television, her breakthrough role was as Dr.Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife on thesitcomCheers, as well as guest appearances in its spin-offFrasier and the 2023Frasier revival. The role earned her twoPrimetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Neuwirth was cast as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre inNBC'sLaw & Order: Trial by Jury which ran for 2005 to 2006. She starred asNadine Tolliver on theCBS political dramaMadam Secretary from 2014 to 2017. She also appeared in recurring roles onBlue Bloods (2013–2019),The Good Wife (2012–2014),The Good Fight (2018–2021), andJulia (2022–2023).
In film, she portrayed Nora Shepherd in the originalJumanji (1995) andJumanji: The Next Level (2019). Other film roles includeSay Anything... (1989),Green Card (1990),Bugsy (1991),Celebrity (1998),Summer of Sam (1999), andHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).
Bebe Neuwirth was born inNewark, New Jersey.[2][1][3] Her father, Lee Neuwirth, was a mathematician who taught atPrinceton University and also designed an encryption device while working at theInstitute for Defense Analyses.[3] Her mother, Sydney Anne Neuwirth, is a painter who also danced as an amateur for thePrinceton Regional Ballet Company.[3] She has an older brother, Peter, a mathematician and actuary who graduated fromHarvard.[3] She attendedChapin School andPrinceton Day School, andPrinceton High School. In her youth, Neuwirth rebelled against authority, being placed in custody for smoking marijuana when she was 13.[3]
Neuwirth started takingballet lessons at the age of five, a year after viewing a production ofThe Nutcracker with her mother.[3] She desired to be aballet dancer until her early teens, when she realized how restricted her technique was, as well as the standard of ballet education where she lived.[3] Upon viewing the musicalPippin in Manhattan at 13, she changed her future plans from becoming a ballerina to being a Broadway musical dancer.[3] After graduating from Princeton High School in 1976,[4] she attended theJuilliard School for dance and left after only a year, disliking the school for having a "stifling creative environment" and no Broadway-style dance training.[5] Immediately after leaving Juilliard in 1977, she took singing and jazz classes at a New York City-basedYWCA,[5] one of them taught by Joan Morton Lucas, who appeared in the filmSingin' in the Rain (1952) and the originalBroadway production ofKiss Me Kate.[6] She performed with thePrinceton Ballet Company inPeter and the Wolf,The Nutcracker, andCoppélia, also appearing in community theater musicals.
Studying acting for two years underSuzanne Shepard,[7] Neuwirth made her Broadway debut in the role of Sheila Bryant inA Chorus Line in 1980. She later appeared in revivals ofLittle Me (1982);Sweet Charity (1986), for which she won aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the40th Tony Awards; andDamn Yankees (1994).
1996 saw Neuwirth play Velma Kelly in the Broadway revival ofChicago. She described the difficulty level of the role as "like performing microsurgery from 8 to 10:20."[6] That role brought her her greatest stage recognition to date and several awards including aTony Award,Drama Desk Award andOuter Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Neuwirth would later return to the revival ofChicago in 2006, this time as Roxie Hart.[8] In 2014 she returned again, this time playing "Mama" Morton, making her the first person to play three different characters at three separate times during the course of a single Broadway run.
She appeared in the musical revueHere Lies Jenny, which featured songs byKurt Weill. Neuwirth and a four-person supporting cast sang and danced to the song as part of an unspoken, ambiguous story in an anonymous seedy bar possibly in Berlin in the 1930s. The show ran from May 7 through October 3, 2004, in the Zipper Theater in New York.[9] Neuwirth also appeared in the show in San Francisco in 2005. In 2009, Neuwirth toured a one-woman cabaret show with pianist Scott Cady. The cabaret included music by Kurt Weill,Stephen Sondheim,Tom Waits,John Lennon,Paul McCartney,John Kander andFred Ebb amongst others. In 2010, she returned to Broadway to create the role ofMorticia Addams in the original production ofThe Addams Family oppositeNathan Lane.[8]
In 2019, Neuwirth returned to the stage with thePhiladelphia Theatre Company, appearing inA Small Fire at theSuzanne Roberts Theater inPhiladelphia.[10] In 2024 she returned to Broadway playing Fräulein Schneider in a revival ofCabaret, for which she received a nomination for theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the77th Tony Awards.[11]
While in Los Angeles waiting to receive a Tony for her appearance inSweet Charity in 1985, Neuwirth auditioned for the role of Dr.Lilith Sternin in the television seriesCheers.[12] At the time, Neuwirth was not interested in doing television work and her character was initially planned to be in only one episode of the series.[12] However, the writers enjoyed writing her dialogue so much that she was written into more episodes of the show, eventually making her one of the series' recurring actors.[12]
Neuwirth's character Lilith eventually marriedFrasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer). From thefourth to theninth season, Neuwirth portrayed Lilith in a regular recurring role, and she appeared on the show as a main star for both seasonsten andeleven. Like Kelsey Grammer when he started on the show as Frasier, she was not immediately given star billing in the opening credits but in the end credits for seasonseight and nine, appearing in the opening credits with her own portrait in seasons ten and eleven. She auditioned for the role with her arm in a sling, following a fall a week earlier. She won twoEmmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role, in 1990 and 1991. The character also made an appearance in the seriesWings and in twelve episodes of theCheers spin-offFrasier, which earned her a 1995 Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the47th Primetime Emmy Awards. She leftCheers in 1993 to go back to her career in dancing, but would make more television appearances in other shows and commercials.[13]
Neuwirth's dip into the film industry began in 1989 with small roles in films such asSay Anything... (1989),Pacific Heights (1990), andPenny Ante (1990).[14] In 1990 she started doing supporting roles in films includingGreen Card (1990),Bugsy (1991), andMalice (1993), in all of which she received acclaim from critics for her performances.[14] Her first lead role came in 1993, when she played Margaret, a married woman attracted to her neighbor Wesley (Will Patton), in the psychological thriller comedy filmThe Paint Job (also released asPainted Heart).[14] Her other credits includeJumanji,Summer of Sam,Liberty Heights,An Extremely Goofy Movie,The Adventures of Pinocchio,Tadpole,The Associate,How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,The Big Bounce,Le Divorce,The Faculty, andWoody Allen'sCelebrity. In 1996, she starred in a pilot for a TV series calledDear Diary forABC which was not picked up.[15] The producers had it edited slightly and put into a single theater for a single weekend in November 1996, and it became one of only two TV pilots to be nominated for anOscar and, at the69th Academy Awards, the only one to win.[16]
Other small-screen credits include a guest appearance in the second season ofNewsRadio, a small role onThe Adventures of Pete and Pete (episode: "The Call"),Deadline (2000),Hack (2003),Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as ADA Tracey Kibre,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Nina Laszlo, a modeling agent/suspect, the miniseriesWild Palms, and thefourth seasonStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "First Contact" as Lanel.
Neuwirth appeared as herself in episodes ofWill & Grace,Strangers with Candy andCelebrity Jeopardy!. In 2009, she co-starred as Ms. Lynn Kraft in the remake ofFame. She had a recurring role as Caroline Taylor, the literary editor of Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), on theHBO seriesBored to Death. She also had a recurring role onBlue Bloods.
Neuwirth starred as Nadine Tolliver in the 2014CBS political dramaMadam Secretary. In October 2017, Neuwirth announced her decision to leave the series after four seasons. No reason was given.[17] She later reprised the role of Nora Shepherd inJumanji: The Next Level in 2019; the film grossed $800 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics.
In 1984, Neuwirth married Paul Dorman.[18] She met him in 1982 after she performed inUpstairs at O'Neal's, a revue at O'Neal's restaurant in New York, where he was bartending.[18] The two divorced in 1991.[18] In 2009, she married director, producer and writer Chris Calkins atThe Players club in Manhattan, in a ceremony officiated by actorPeter Coyote.[19]
In a 2004 article in the newspaperJ. The Jewish News of Northern California, Neuwirth was reported as describing herself as Jewish – a "plain Jew" with "no training".[2] In a 2011 interview she said that she was an "atheist" who "believe[d] in unseen and unproved things" such as reincarnation.[6]
Neuwirth has supported and worked for several non-profit charity organizations.[20] Following twohip replacement surgeries,[21][22] and after hearing stories of other dancers facing hip problems, Neuwirth was moved to establish the Dancers' Resource program atThe Actors Fund, which caters to financial and physical needs unique to professional dancers.[20][6] Neuwirth currently serves as vice chair on the board of trustees for The Actors Fund.[23] She has also helpedSeeds of Peace.[20]
As an animal lover,[20] she has contributed to theChatham, New York-based horse rescue group Equine Advocates and the annual pet adoption eventBroadway Barks.[24] Neuwirth is particularly fond of cats.[24] In the 1990s, she owned one, Frankie, that she named after architect and writerFrank Lloyd Wright.[18] As of August 2016, she had a black cat, Bobby, a long-hairedcalico cat, Tallulah, and a mixedSiamese cat, Billie.[24]
In her free time, Neuwirth enjoys making pottery, which she first learned in high school.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Say Anything... | Mrs. Evans | |
| 1990 | Green Card | Lauren Adler | |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Countess Dorothy di Frasso | |
| 1992 | Painted Heart | Margaret | |
| 1993 | Malice | Det. Dana Harris | |
| 1995 | Jumanji | Nora Shepherd | |
| 1996 | All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | Annabelle | Voice[25] |
| The Adventures of Pinocchio | Felinet | ||
| The Associate | Camille Scott | ||
| Dear Diary | Annie | Short film | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Nina | |
| The Faculty | Principal Valerie Drake | ||
| An All Dogs Christmas Carol | Annabelle/Belladonna | Voice[25] | |
| 1999 | Getting to Know You | Trix | |
| Summer of Sam | Gloria | ||
| Liberty Heights | Ada Kurtzman | ||
| 2000 | An Extremely Goofy Movie | Sylvia Marpole | Voice[25] |
| 2002 | Tadpole | Diane Lodder | |
| The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina | Thumbelina's Mother | Voice[25] | |
| 2003 | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | Lana Jong | |
| Le Divorce | Julia Manchevering | ||
| 2004 | The Big Bounce | Alison Ritchie | |
| 2005 | Game 6 | Joanne Bourne | |
| 2008 | Adopt a Sailor | Patricia | |
| 2009 | Fame | Ms. Lynn Kraft | |
| 2017 | Humor Me | C.C. Rudin | |
| 2019 | Jumanji: The Next Level | Nora Shepherd[26] | Cameo |
| 2020 | Modern Persuasion | Vanessa Perry | |
| 2021 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | "Sunday" Legend | |
| TBA | Don't Say Good Luck | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1993 | Cheers | Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane | Main cast (81 episodes) |
| 1986 | Simon & Simon | Receptionist | Episode: "Family Forecast" |
| Fame | Phyllis Turner | Episode: "Stagefright" | |
| 1990 | The Famous Teddy Z | Donna Gates | Episode: "Teddy Gets a Guru" |
| The Magical World of Disney | Dr. Lilith Sternin | Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration" | |
| Without Her Consent | Gloria Allred | Television film | |
| 1991 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Lanel | Episode: "First Contact" |
| 1992 | Wings | Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane | Episode: "Planes, Trains and Visiting Cranes" |
| 1993 | Wild Palms | Tabba Schwartzkopf | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Mailwoman McGinty | 2 episodes |
| 1994–1995 | Aladdin | Mirage | Voice, 6 episodes |
| 1994–2003 | Frasier | Dr. Lilith Sternin | 12 episodes |
| 1995 | NewsRadio | Sandi Angelini | Episode: "Friends" |
| 1996 | Duckman | Tamara La Boinque | Voice, episode: "Noir Gang" |
| Freakazoid! | Deadpan | Voice, episode: "The Wrath of Guitierrez"[25] | |
| 1996–1998 | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series | Annabelle/Belladonna | Voice, main cast (20 episodes) |
| 1997 | The Magic School Bus | Flora Whiff | Voice, episode: "Makes a Stink"[25] |
| Jungle Cubs | La La | Episode: "Old Green Teeth/The Elephant Who Couldn't Say No" | |
| 1997–1998 | Pepper Ann | Ms. Bronte Bladdar | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Dash and Lilly | Dorothy Parker | Television film |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Juliette | Episode: "Salem and Juliette" | |
| 1999–2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nina Laszlo/ADA Tracey Kibre | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Strangers with Candy | Herself | Episode: "To Love, Honor, and Pretend" |
| Cupid & Cate | Francesca DeAngelo | Television film | |
| 2000–2001 | Deadline | Nikki Masucci | Main cast (13 episodes) |
| 2002–2003 | Cyberchase | Binky | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Hack | Faith O'Connor | 5 episodes |
| 2004 | Will & Grace | Herself | Episode: "No Sex 'N' the City" |
| 2005–2006 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | ADA Tracey Kibre | Main cast (13 episodes) |
| 2009–2011 | Bored to Death | Caroline Taylor | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | The Cleveland Show | Sarah Friedman | Voice, episode: "Brotherly Love" |
| 2012–2013 | The Good Wife | Judge Claudia Friend | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Browsers | Julianna Mancuso-Bruni | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2013–2019 | Blue Bloods | Kelly Peterson | 9 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Madam Secretary | Nadine Tolliver | Main cast (71 episodes) |
| 2014 | Over the Garden Wall | Margueritte Grey | Voice, episode: "Mad Love"[25] |
| 2017 | New York Is Dead | Sylvia | Episode: "#1.1" |
| The President Show | Herself | Episode: "I Came Up with Christmas – A President Show Christmas" | |
| 2018–2021 | The Good Fight | Judge Claudia Friend | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | DuckTales | Emma Glamour | Voice, episode: "Louie's Eleven!"[25] |
| The Flight Attendant | Diana Carlisle | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Ultra City Smiths | Lady Andrea The Giant | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2021–2023 | Teenage Euthanasia | Baba Fantasy | Voice, main cast (17 episodes) |
| 2022 | Duncanville | Patricia (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2022–2023 | Julia | Avis DeVoto | Main cast (16 episodes) |
| 2023 | Captain Fall | Alexis Fall | Voice; 3 episodes[27] |
| Frasier | Dr. Lilith Sternin | Episode: "Freddy's Birthday" | |
| 2024 | Hailey's On It! | Babs Cadabs | Voice, episode: "Magician: Impossible" |
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | A Chorus Line | Sheila Bryant, u/s Cassie Ferguson | Shubert Theatre,Broadway |
| 1981 | Dancin' | Dancer | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
| 1982 | Little Me | Boom Boom Girl | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway |
| Upstairs at O'Neal's | Performer | O'Neal's,Off-Broadway | |
| 1986 | Sweet Charity | Nickie, s/b Charity Valentine | Minskoff Theatre, Broadway |
| 1988 | Anything Goes | Bonnie LaTour | Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Miami[28] |
| 1992 | Chicago | Velma Kelly | Terrace Theater, Los Angeles |
| Kiss of the Spider Woman | Spider Woman/Aurora | Shaftesbury Theatre,West End | |
| 1994 | Damn Yankees | Lola | Marquis Theatre, Broadway |
| 1995 | Pal Joey | Melba Snyder | New York City CenterEncores! |
| 1996 | Chicago | Velma Kelly | New York City Center Encores! |
| Noël Coward in Two Keys | Maud Caragnani inCome Into the Garden, Maud Hilde Latymer inA Song at Twilight | Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbor[29] | |
| 1996–1998 | Chicago | Velma Kelly | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
| 1999 | The Threepenny Opera | Jenny Diver | American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Katherina Minola | Williamstown Theatre Festival[30] | |
| 2001 | Fosse | Various | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway |
| Everett Beekin | Anna/Nell | Mitzi Newhouse Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2002 | Funny Girl | Fanny Brice | Concert,New Amsterdam Theatre |
| The Exonerated | Sunny Jacobs | 45 Bleecker Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2003 | Writer's Block | Sheila | Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway |
| 2004 | Here Lies Jenny | Jenny | Zipper Theatre, Off-Broadway |
| 2005 | Ashley Montana Goes Ashore in the Caicos … Or What Am I Doing Here? | Performer | The Flea Theater,Off-Off-Broadway[31] |
| 2006–2007 | Chicago | Roxie Hart | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
| 2009 | The Addams Family | Morticia Addams | The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, Chicago |
| 2010–2011 | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 2012 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hippolyta/Titania | Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway |
| Golden Age | Maria Malibran | New York City Center, Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Chicago | Matron "Mama" Morton | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
| 2018 | Hey, Look Me Over! | Mimi | New York City Center Encores! |
| 2019 | A Small Fire | Emily Bridges | Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Philadelphia[32][33] |
| 2022 | The Bedwetter | Nana | Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway |
| 2024 | Gutenberg! The Musical! | The Producer(one night only) | James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway |
| 2024–2025 | Cabaret | Fräulein Schneider | August Wilson Theatre, Broadway |
| Year | Title | Role | Production company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Snow, Glass, Apples | The Queen | Audible |
| 2020 | The Sandman | The Siamese Cat | Audible |
