Christine Baranski | |
|---|---|
 Baranski in 2010 | |
| Born | Christine Jane Baranski (1952-05-02)May 2, 1952 (age 73) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingLily Cowles |
| Awards | Full list |
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952)[1] is an American actress. She received thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcomCybill (1995–1998). Baranski is also known for her roles asDiane Lockhart in the legal drama seriesThe Good Wife (2009–2016) and its spin-off seriesThe Good Fight (2017–2022), and as Agnes van Rhijn in the period drama seriesThe Gilded Age (2022–present); both roles earned her Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Baranski is also known for her film roles inReversal of Fortune (1990),The Birdcage (1996),Cruel Intentions (1999),How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000),Chicago (2002),Mamma Mia! (2008),Into the Woods (2014), andMamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). For her recurring role asDr. Beverly Hofstadter in the sitcomThe Big Bang Theory (2009–2019), she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Baranski won twoTony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Charlotte inTom Stoppard'sThe Real Thing (1984) and as Chris Gorman inNeil Simon'sRumors (1989). Her other majorBroadway credits includeHurlyburly (1984),The House of Blue Leaves (1986), andBoeing Boeing (2008). She also portrayedMrs. Lovett in theKennedy Center's production ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2002).
Baranski was born inBuffalo, New York, the daughter of Virginia (née Mazurowska) (1916-2002) and Lucien Baranski (1914-1960), who edited a Polish-language newspaper.[2] She had an older brother, Michael J. Baranski (1949–1998), an advertising executive who died at age 48.[3] She is of Polish descent, and her grandparents were stage actors in Poland before immigrating to theUnited States.[4][5] Baranski was raised in a heavily Polish andCatholic neighborhood in the Buffalo suburb ofCheektowaga. She attended high school at theVilla Maria Academy where she was class president andsalutatorian.[6][7][8] She studied at New York City'sJuilliard School[9] (Drama DivisionGroup 3: 1970–1974),[10] where she graduated with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree.[11]
Baranski made heroff-Broadway debut inComing Attractions atPlaywrights Horizons in 1980, and has appeared in several off-Broadway productions at theManhattan Theatre Club, starting withSally and Marsha in 1982. She was in the original 1983 off-Broadway version ofSunday in the Park with George, but did not participate in the show's later Broadway run. Baranski made herBroadway debut inHide & Seek in 1980. For her next Broadway performance, she played Charlotte inTom Stoppard'sThe Real Thing, winning theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play andTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She next replacedJudith Ivey as Bonnie inHurlyburly,mistress Bunny Flingus in the original Broadway production ofThe House of Blue Leaves, Chris Gorman inRumors (for which she won her secondTony),Regrets Only,Nick & Nora, and theEncores! concert staging ofFollies. In 1992, she starred as Chloe in the original production ofTerrence McNally'sLips Together, Teeth Apart, about two straight couples who spend a weekend in a gay community over theFourth of July weekend. She won her secondDrama Desk Award.
At theKennedy Center inWashington, D.C., Baranski starred asMrs. Lovett inSweeney Todd in 2002 (for which she won the 2003Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical) and as the title character inMame in 2006.[12][8] In her first Broadway production since 1991, Baranski was featured as the maid Berthe in the 2008 revival ofBoeing Boeing.[13] The show garnered twoTony Awards (Best Revival of a Play andBest Actor in a Play forMark Rylance). The original cast includedBradley Whitford (Bernard),Kathryn Hahn (Gloria), Christine Baranski (Berthe),Gina Gershon (Gabriella), andMary McCormack (Gretchen). The show closed on January 4, 2009 after 17 previews and 279 performances.
Baranski also appeared in a one-night-only concert benefit performance ofStephen Sondheim'sA Little Night Music forRoundabout Theatre Company as Countess Charlotte Malcolm on January 12, 2009.[14] The cast includedVanessa Redgrave,Natasha Richardson,Victor Garber andMarc Kudisch. In 2018, she was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[15]
Baranski has appeared in various film roles. Some of her better-known roles are as Katherine Archer inThe Birdcage (1996), Martha May Whovier inHow the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Mary Sunshine inChicago (2002) and Connie Chasseur inThe Ref (1994). Baranski received further recognition for her role as Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the hit musical filmMamma Mia! (2008), and its sequelMamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). Baranski played Cinderella's stepmother in the 2014film adaptation of the musicalInto the Woods.[16] Baranski has also appeared in the films9½ Weeks (1986),Legal Eagles (1986),Reversal of Fortune (1990),Addams Family Values (1993),Jeffrey (1995),The Odd Couple II (1998)Bulworth (1998),Cruel Intentions (1999),Bowfinger (1999),Welcome to Mooseport (2004),Trolls (2016) andA Bad Moms Christmas (2017).
Baranski appeared in short-term roles on various daytime soap operas, includingAll My Children andAnother World. Baranski was featured asCybill Shepherd's sarcastic, hard-drinking friend Maryann Thorpe in theCBSsitcomCybill, which ran from 1995 until 1998, during which time she hostedSaturday Night Live and won theEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series along with three other nominations (1996, 1997, 1998). During this, Baranski portrayed a librarian named Sonja Umdahl in the "Dick and the Single Girl" episode of3rd Rock from the Sun.[17] A few years later, Baranski received anEmmy nomination for a guest starring role in the hitNBC seriesFrasier as controversialtough love radio psychiatrist Dr. Nora Fairchild. The episode, which was named for the character, parodied Dr.Laura Schlessinger.[18][19] The episode was pulled fromsyndication byParamount.[19] Baranski had an uncredited role in the seriesNow and Again as the voice of Roger's overbearing wife Ruth, who was never seen by viewers.
Baranski later appeared in the 2000–2001 sitcomWelcome to New York and, withJohn Laroquette, in the 2003–2004NBC sitcomHappy Family. She co-starred withBernadette Peters in a pilot for anABC sitcom,Adopted, in 2005, which was not picked up. She also played Faith Clancy, the mother ofJim Clancy inGhost Whisperer. In 2009, Baranski began guest-starring inThe Big Bang Theory asDr. 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 anEmmy 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 four Emmy nominations for her recurring role.[20][21]
From 2009 to 2016, Baranski played the role ofDiane Lockhart, a top litigator and senior partner of a Chicago law firm on theCBS seriesThe Good Wife. She was nominated for thePrimetime 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 onThe Good Wife and the aforementioned guest appearances onThe Big Bang Theory, her other appearances in that period includeUgly Betty in 2009 as Victoria Hartley, the haughty mother ofBetty's new boyfriend.[22][23]
From 2017 to 2022, Baranski reprised her role onThe Good Wife in a spin-off titledThe Good Fight. The show features Diane Lockhart joining another law firm after being forced to return to work.[24] In the79th Golden Globe Awards, she was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her work in the fifth season of the show. Since 2022 she has portrayed Agnes van Rhijn in theJulian Fellowes-createdHBO period dramaThe Gilded Age starring oppositeCarrie Coon,Louisa Jacobson, andCynthia Nixon. The cast received a nomination for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Although recognized for her versatility across genres and performing media, Baranski is particularly known for playing sophisticated and highly educated upper-class women.[25] Consequently, the media began alluding to the resemblance between this repeated on-screen persona and Baranski's real personality.[26][27][28] Caroline Hallemann ofTown & Country notes that, "For years, the award-winning actress has been the definition of on-screen sophistication."[29] In 2017, the actress told Zac Posen forInterview Magazine, "What I'm getting at is if your career is not predicated on just your physical beauty, you're able to project a sophistication. You can takesophisticated to your grave. You can be that worldly woman, that woman who looks beautiful dressed up."[30] On the other hand, Baranski humorously addressed these claims during her appearance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, "Everybody thinks this is, you know, this sophisticated lady, this New York type, these characters that I play, they think that's me. They should be in a room alone with me when I watch the Buffalo Bills. It is loud."[31]
Baranski was married to actorMatthew Cowles from October 1983 until his death on May 22, 2014.[32] Together, they had two daughters, Isabel (born 1984), a lawyer, andLily (born 1987), an actress.[33][34] She lives inBethlehem, Connecticut with her daughters. She is a practicingCatholic, at times accompanying her friendRobert King, the co-creator ofThe Good Fight, on the walk home during filming in 2021 followingSunday Mass.[35][36] Like her character Diane Lockhart, Baranski is a member of theDemocratic Party and is a liberalfeminist.[37][38] In 2024, she endorsed and campaigned forKamala Harris.[39]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Soup for One | Blonde in Bar | |
| 1983 | Lovesick | Nymphomaniac | |
| 1984 | Crackers | Maxine | |
| 1986 | 9½ Weeks | Thea | |
| Legal Eagles | Carol Freeman | ||
| 1987 | The Pick-up Artist | Harriet | |
| 1990 | Reversal of Fortune | Andrea Reynolds | |
| 1993 | The Night We Never Met | Lucy | |
| Life with Mikey | Carol | ||
| Addams Family Values | Becky Martin-Granger | ||
| 1994 | The Ref | Connie Chasseur | |
| Getting In | Mrs. Margaret "Maggie" Higgs | ||
| The War | Miss Strapford | ||
| 1995 | New Jersey Drive | Prosecutor | |
| Jeffrey | Ann Marwood Bartle | ||
| 1996 | The Birdcage | Katherine Archer | |
| 1998 | The Odd Couple II | Thelma | |
| Bulworth | Constance Bulworth | ||
| 1999 | Cruel Intentions | Bunny Caldwell | |
| Bowfinger | Carol | ||
| Get Bruce! | Herself | ||
| 2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Martha May Whovier | |
| 2002 | The Guru | Shantal | |
| Chicago | Mary Sunshine | ||
| 2003 | Marci X | Mary Ellen Spinkle | |
| 2004 | Welcome to Mooseport | Charlotte Cole | |
| 2005 | Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? | Amelia Von Butch (voice) | |
| 2006 | Falling for Grace | Bree Barrington | |
| Relative Strangers | Arleen Clayton | ||
| Bonneville | Francine | ||
| 2008 | Mamma Mia! | Tanya Chesham-Leigh | |
| 2010 | The Bounty Hunter | Kitty Hurley | |
| 2012 | Foodfight! | Hedda Shopper (voice) | |
| 2014 | Into the Woods | Cinderella's Stepmother | [16] |
| Yellowbird | Janet (voice) | ||
| 2016 | Trolls | Chef (voice) | |
| Miss Sloane | Evelyn Sumner | [40] | |
| 2017 | A Bad Moms Christmas | Ruth | |
| 2018 | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | Tanya Chesham-Leigh | |
| 2020 | Christmas on the Square | Regina Fuller | |
| TBA | All That She Wants | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Combat! | Silent Orphan Girl | Episode: 142 "The Furlough"(S5.E15) |
| 1977 | Busting Loose | Debbie | Episode: "The Decision: Part 1" |
| 1980 | Playing for Time | Olga | TV movie |
| 1981 | Texas | Sadie | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | TV movie |
| 1983 | Another World | Beverly Tucker | Unknown episodes |
| 1984 | All My Children | Jewel Maniscalo | Unknown episodes |
| 1985 | Big Shots in America | Cara | TV movie |
| 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" |
| 1995–1998 | Cybill | Maryann Thorpe | Main role |
| 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 |
| Frasier | Dr. Nora Fairchild | Episode: "Dr. Nora" | |
| 2000 | Timothy Tweedle the First Christmas Elf | Flo (voice) | TV movie |
| 2000–2001 | Welcome to New York | Marsha Bickner | Main role |
| 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 |
| Eloise at Christmastime | TV movie | ||
| 2003–2004 | Happy Family | Annie Brennan | Main role |
| 2004 | Spellbound | TV movie | |
| In the Game | TV pilot | ||
| 2005 | Recipe for a Perfect Christmas | Lee Bellmont | TV movie |
| Adopted | Judy Rabinowitz | TV movie | |
| Ghost Whisperer | Faith Clancy | 2 episodes | |
| 2006 | Inseparable | Barbara | TV movie |
| American Dad! | Homeless Woman (voice) | Episode: "Failure Is Not a Factory-installed Option" | |
| 2009 | Ugly Betty | Victoria Hartley | 3 episodes |
| Psych | Alice Clayton | Episode: "He Dead" | |
| 2009–2011, 2013–2019 | The Big Bang Theory | Dr. Beverly Hofstadter | Recurring role |
| 2009–2016 | The Good Wife | Diane Lockhart | Main role[41] |
| 2011 | Who Is Simon Miller? | Amanda | TV movie |
| Ugly Americans | Grimes' Mummy (voice) | Episode: "Mummy Dearest" | |
| 2013 | Family Guy | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Call Girl" |
| 2015 | Sinatra: All or Nothing at All | Ruth Berle (voice) | Limited series |
| 2015–2019 | BoJack Horseman | Amanda Hannity (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Regular Show | Guardian (voice) | Episode: "A Regular Epic Final Battle" |
| 2017–2022 | The Good Fight | Diane Lockhart | Main role; Also producer |
| 2017 | Michael Jackson's Halloween | Mrs. Grau (voice) | TV special |
| Spirit Riding Free | Miz McDonnell (voice) | Episode: "Lucky and the Long Way Home" | |
| 2018–2022 | Fancy Nancy | Mrs. Devine (voice) | 19 episodes |
| 2018 | Family Guy | Newport Heiress | Episode: "Con Heiress" |
| 2019 | Young Sheldon | Beverly Hofstadter (voice) | Episode: "A Swedish Science Thing and the Equation for Toast" |
| Archibald's Next Big Thing | Madame Baroness (voice) | Episode: "The Secret of Madame Baroness" | |
| The Bravest Knight | The Dragon (voice) | 2 episodes[42] | |
| Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales | Miz McDonnell (voice) | Episode: "The Mystery of the Golden Unicorn" | |
| 2020 | Magical Girl Friendship Squad | Verus (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Fairfax | Joyce (voice) | Episode: "Fairfolks" |
| The Simpsons | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Portrait of a Lackey on Fire" | |
| 2022–present | The Gilded Age | Agnes van Rhijn | Main role |
| 2022 | The Loud House | Joyce Crandall (voice) | Episode: "Save Royal Woods!" |
| 2023 | Praise Petey | White St. Barts (voice) | Main role |
| 2025 | Nine Perfect Strangers | Victoria | 8 episodes (season 2)[43] |
| Year | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Skylanders: Swap Force | Kaos' Mother |
| 2017 | Steven Universe: Save the Light | Hessonite[47][48] |
| 2019 | Steven Universe: Unleash the Light |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | A Christmas Memory | Female cousin (Sook in later adaptations) | Short autobiographical story |
| 1994 | Unsung Musicals | Performer | Song: Sherry! from:Sherry! |
| 2002 | Short Talks on the Universe | Maria | Story: "3 A.M." |
| 2019–20 | The Two Princes | Queen Lavinia | Audio drama, 3 seasons |
Baranski has received numerous accolades over her career including aPrimetime Emmy Award, threeScreen Actors Guild Awards, and twoTony Awards. Baranski is also the most nominated performer at theCritics' Choice Television Awards, with 10 nominations.
