Lisa Edelstein | |
|---|---|
 Edelstein in 2021 | |
| Born | (1966-05-21)May 21, 1966 (age 59) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | |
| Website | lisaedelstein |
Lisa Edelstein (/ˈliːsəˈɛdəlstiːn/EDD-əl-steen; born May 21, 1966)[1] is an American actress and artist. She is known for playing Dr.Lisa Cuddy on theFox medical drama seriesHouse (2004–2011). Between 2014 and 2018, Edelstein starred as Abby McCarthy in theBravo seriesGirlfriends' Guide to Divorce.
Edelstein was born inBoston, Massachusetts, to Bonnie and Alvin Edelstein, the youngest of three children in aJewish family. Her father worked as apediatrician atChilton Memorial Hospital.[2] She was raised inWayne, New Jersey,[3] and attendedWayne Valley High School, graduating in 1984.[4]
At 16, Edelstein was a cheerleader for theNew Jersey Generals. Edelstein participated in a protest against poor working conditions. She said she felt they were treated "like hookers" and helped organize a cheerleader walkout.[5]
While living in New York, she became involved in theclub scene (known there only as "Lisa E") with "celebutant"James St. James, who briefly refers to Edelstein in his 1999 bookDisco Bloodbath. She caused enough of a stir in the community to be dubbed New York City’s "Queen of the Night" byMaureen Dowd in a 1986 article ofThe New York Times entitled "Lisa In Wonderland."[6]
In response to the growingAIDS crisis of the 1980s, Edelstein wrote, composed and starred in an original musical calledPositive Me which she performed atLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City, receiving many accolades.[7] She followed that with a short stint hosting MTV’sAwake on the Wild Side in 1990, then began working in earnest as an actress. She got her SAG card appearing as a backstage make-up artist inOliver Stone'sJim Morrison biographyThe Doors, and then landed a quick series of guest roles on several popular comedies, includingMad About You,Wings,The Larry Sanders Show, andSports Night, where she played a sports reporter who claimed to be a former lover ofJosh Charles' character whom he did not remember. Perhaps most famous from this time was her appearances onSeinfeld, where she playedGeorge Costanza's girlfriend in the episodes "The Mango" and "The Masseuse."
Bigger roles in TV dramas soon followed, among them thelesbian sister on ABC'sRelativity (1996); a high-pricedcall girl turnedRob Lowe's date onThe West Wing (1999); atransgender woman onAlly McBeal (2000); and Ben Covington's (Scott Speedman) girlfriend onFelicity (2001). She also continued to land guest-star spots on such shows asER,Frasier,Just Shoot Me!,Without a Trace, andJudging Amy, as well as small parts in the filmsWhat Women Want,Keeping the Faith,As Good as It Gets, andDaddy Day Care.
From 2004 to 2011, Edelstein portrayedLisa Cuddy, theDean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and frequent adversary, friend, and eventual girlfriend of title characterGregory House (Hugh Laurie) onFox's TV seriesHouse. Edelstein has often spoken fondly of her experiences on the show and fellow cast and crew, especially her friendship and strong working relationship with Laurie.
In May 2011, Edelstein announced that she would not return for theeighth and final season ofHouse.[8] Starting in June 2011, she joined the cast ofThe Good Wife, where she played lawyer Celeste Serrano.[9] She guest-starred inScandal in 2013, and later three episodes of the ABC seriesCastle.
In 2014, Edelstein landed the lead role of Abby McCarthy in theBravo seriesGirlfriends' Guide to Divorce, an hour-long dramedy loosely based on the book series byVicki Iovine focusing on the lives of newly divorced, mid-life women.[10] It ran for five seasons in which she got to expand her creative participation by becoming a producer, writer, and director on the series.[11][12]
In 2018, Edelstein joined the cast ofABC'sThe Good Doctor in season two as Dr. Marina Blaize in a recurring role.[13] This reunited her withHouse creatorDavid Shore as well as withRichard Schiff, who played her father onRelativity.
Edelstein then joined the award winningThe Kominsky Method, aNetflix series that debuted in November 2018, playing the drug-addled daughter ofAlan Arkin and working alongside such actors such asMichael Douglas,Paul Reiser andChuck Lorre. During that time she also reunited withRob Lowe, playing his ex-wife Gwyneth Morgan, and mother of TK Strand (Ronen Rubenstein) on the ABC drama series9-1-1: Lone Star.[14] She played a Holocaust survivor and adopted mother in the Canadian indigenous TV dramaLittle Bird, which was nominated for 19 Canadian Screen Awards.
Edelstein is also avoice actress. Her roles includeMercy Graves in theDC Animated Universe, Sharri Rothberg inAmerican Dad!, Kya inThe Legend of Korra, and a guest role as Alexis inKing of the Hill.
Edelstein is a supporter ofBest Friends Animal Society, of which she is an ambassador. She supports human rights organizations and is a patron of the arts. She has appeared in numerous magazines, including the September 2010 cover ofH magazine.[15] She posed forPETA in an ad promoting vegetarianism, a diet she has followed for most of her life.[16]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Edelstein began to sketch and paint. She began working with magic marker, and at the suggestion of her artist husband Robert Russell switched to watercolor as the size of each piece grew. Edelstein's portfolio is inspired by old family photographs that are "unintended moments, telling unintended truths".[citation needed]
Edelstein married artist Robert Russell inLos Angeles on May 25, 2014.[17] She became a stepmother to Russell's two sons from a previous marriage.[18]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Doors | Makeup artist | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Woman at table | |
| 1998 | Susan's Plan | Penny Myers | |
| 1998 | L.A. Without a Map | Sandra | |
| 1999 | 30 Days | Danielle | |
| 2000 | Keeping the Faith | Ali Decker | |
| 2000 | What Women Want | Dina | |
| 2003 | Daddy Day Care | Crispin's mother | |
| 2005 | Say Uncle | Sarah Faber -2008Maxine Carter | |
| 2013 | She Loves Me Not | Amy | |
| 2016 | Joshy | Claudia | |
| 2019 | Phoenix, Oregon | Tanya | |
| 2021 | Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets | Elly | |
| 2023 | Swipe NYC | Syd | Short film |
| 2023 | Shadow Brother Sunday | Sandra | Short film |
| 2024 | The Everything Pot | Rachel | Also producer[19] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | L.A. Law | Francine Flicker | Episode: "My Friend Flicker" |
| 1992 | Mad About You | Lynne Stoddard | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 1993 | Good Advice | Robin | Episode: "The Kiss" |
| 1993 | Seinfeld | Karen | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Wings | Marsha Peebles | Episode: "Labor Pains" |
| 1996 | Ned & Stacey | Janine | Episode: "Friends and Lovers" |
| 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Diane French | Episode: "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show" |
| 1994 | Wild Oats | Unknown | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1995–97 | Almost Perfect | Patty Karp | 8 episodes |
| 1995 | Partners | Cindy Wolfe | Episode: "Who's Afraid of Ron and Cindy Wolfe?" |
| 1995 | Superman: The Animated Series | Mercy Graves (voice) | 7 episodes[20] |
| 1996–97 | Relativity | Rhonda Roth | Main role |
| 1997 | ER | Aggi Orton | Episode: "Ambush" |
| 1998 | Frasier | Caitlin | Episode: "Frasier Gotta Have It" |
| 1998 | Just Shoot Me! | Erin Simons | Episode: "Sewer!" |
| 1998 | Indiscreet | Beth Sussman | Television film |
| 1998 | Nothing Sacred | Rabbi Judith Fisher | Episode: "Holy Words" |
| 1999 | Sports Night | Bobbi Bernstein | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | The West Wing | Laurie "Brittany" Rollins | 5 episodes |
| 2000 | Grosse Pointe | Shawn Shapiro | Episode: "Satisfaction" |
| 2000–01 | Ally McBeal | Cindy McCauliff | 5 episodes |
| 2001 | Black River | Laura | Television film |
| 2001 | The Zeta Project | Gwen Evans (voice) | Episode: "Ro's Reunion"[20] |
| 2001–02 | Felicity | Lauren | 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Obsessed | Charlotte | Television film |
| 2002 | Leap of Faith | Patty | Main |
| 2003 | A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster | Maeve Fox | Television film |
| 2003 | Without a Trace | Dr. Lianna Sardo | Episode: "Moving On" |
| 2003 | The Practice | Diane Ward | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Justice League | Mercy Graves (voice) | Episode: "Tabula Rasa"[20] |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Sylvia Danforth | Episode: "The Quick and the Dead" |
| 2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Mercy Graves (voice) | Episode: "Clash"[20] |
| 2005 | Fathers and Sons | Irene | Television film |
| 2004–11 | House | Dr.Lisa Cuddy | Main: Seasons 1–7 People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama Actress Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated —Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
| 2007 | King of the Hill | Alexis (voice) | Episode: "The Powder Puff Boys" |
| 2007–11 | American Dad! | Sharri Rothberg (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2008 | Special Delivery | Maxine Carter | Television film |
| 2011 | Childrens Hospital | Herself/Lisa Cuddy | Episode: "Run, Dr. Lola Spratt, Run!" |
| 2011 | The Good Wife | Celeste Serano | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Paul The Male Matchmaker | Jillian | Episode: "Know When You Are Not Ready" |
| 2012 | Blue-Eyed Butcher | Kelly Siegler | Television film |
| 2012 | Elementary | Heather Van Owen | Episode: "The Long Fuse" |
| 2013 | House of Lies | Brynn | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Scandal | Sarah Stanner | Episode: "Top of the Hour" |
| 2013 | Castle | Rachel McCord | 3 episodes |
| 2013–14 | The Legend of Korra | Kya (voice) | 14 episodes[20] |
| 2014–18 | Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | Abby McCarthy | Main Women's Image Network Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2015, 2016) |
| 2018–19 | The Good Doctor | Dr. Marina Blaize | 6 episodes |
| 2018–19, 2021 | The Kominsky Method | Phoebe | Recurring role Nominated —Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2021–22 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Gwyneth Morgan | Recurring (season 2); guest (season 3)[21] |
| 2023 | Little Bird | Golda Rosenblum | TV Limited Series |
| 2025 | Going Dutch | Nina Quinn | Episode: "The Exes of Evil" |
| 2025 | Long Story Short | Naomi Schwartz | Main cast |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Blade Runner | Crystal Steele |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Borrasca | Leah Dixon |
Edelstein has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for the following performances:
Edelstein has won the International Press Academy's Satellite Awards for the following performances:
In 2011, she won thePeople's Choice Award for Best Drama Actress in a TV Series for her portrayal of Dr. Lisa Cuddy onHouse.[22]
Edelstein has won theWomen's Image Network Awards for the following performances:
She has penned two episodes of the series, including episode #303, "Rule #187: You Are What You Eat, So… Chow Down" and episode #203, "Rule #8: Timing Is Everything," the latter which she wrote with creator and executive producer Marti Noxon.
It includes Edelstein's TV directing debut with the episode that premieres this Thursday, July 5.
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