Judith Ivey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Judith Lee Ivey (1951-09-04)September 4, 1951 (age 73) El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Illinois State University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and theatre director. She twice won theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: forSteaming (1981) andHurlyburly (1984). She also receivedBest Actress In A Play nomination forPark Your Car in Harvard Yard (1992) and another Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination forThe Heiress.[1]
Ivey made her big screen debut playing the female lead role in the 1984 romantic comedy film,The Lonely Guy. She later appeared in the comedy filmsThe Woman in Red (1984),Compromising Positions (1985),Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986),Sister, Sister (1987), and the drama filmsThe Devil's Advocate (1997) andWomen Talking (2022), for which she received critical acclaim.[2] On television, Ivey played the leading role in the NBC sitcomDown Home (1990-91), and played Bonnie Jean "BJ" Poteet during the final season of CBS sitcomDesigning Women (1992-93). For her role in the television filmWhat the Deaf Man Heard (1997), she was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Judith Lee Ivey was born on September 4, 1951, in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean, and Dorothy Lee (née Lewis; 1922—2023), a teacher.[3]
From 1965 to 1968, she attended Union High School through tenth grade inDowagiac, Michigan.[4][citation needed] She graduated from Marion High School inMarion, Illinois, in 1970, and then attendedJohn A. Logan College,Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), andIllinois State University (Normal, Illinois).[citation needed]
Ivey won twoTony Awards as Best Featured Actress in a Play forSteaming in 1983 andHurlyburly in 1985. She was nominated forPark Your Car in Harvard Yard in 1992 and a revival ofThe Heiress in 2013. Other Broadway theatre credits includePiaf,Bedroom Farce,Blithe Spirit,Voices in the Dark, andFollies.[5]
She portrayed Amanda inThe Glass Menagerie at theLong Wharf Theatre and reprised the role in March 2010 at theRoundabout Theatre in New York,[6] as well as the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. She received theLucille Lortel Award for Best Actress for that portrayal. Ivey portrayedAnn Landers in the solo playThe Lady with All the Answers at the Cherry Lane Theatre (off-Broadway) in October 2009.[7] She was nominated for Best Solo Performance for the Lucille Lortel Award[8] andDrama Desk Award.[9] In 2016, she returned to theCherry Lane Theatre inIsrael Horovitz's playOut of the Mouths of Babes withEstelle Parsons, directed byBarnet Kellman.[10]
Ivey has appeared in numerous films, includingBrighton Beach Memoirs,Miles from Home,Compromising Positions,Harry & Son,The Woman in Red,Sister, Sister,In Country,Hello Again,The Lonely Guy,There Goes the Neighborhood,The Devil's Advocate,What Alice Found, andFlags of Our Fathers.[citation needed]
Despite a long history of theater and film performances, Ivey often is associated with the role of B.J. Poteet in the final season ofDesigning Women. She appeared onWill & Grace as the mother ofDr. Leo Markus and appeared onGrey's Anatomy,Person of Interest,White Collar,Nurse Jackie,Big Love, andLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.[citation needed]
Ivey had lead role of Kate McCrorey in the two-season seriesDown Home (1990–1991), set in a Texas coastal town. This was followed by lead roles in single season seriesThe 5 Mrs. Buchanans (1994-1995, "Alexandria Buchanan"), and Dave Chappelle'sBuddies (1996, "Maureen DeMoss"). Ivey was also in the 1985 TV remake ofThe Long Hot Summer, in the role of Noel Varner (Joanne Woodward's role in the 1958 film version). The miniseries also starredJason Robards andDon Johnson. Ivey was nominated for an Emmy for her performance inWhat the Deaf Man Heard, a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. She also provided the voice ofEleanor Sherman in the animated seriesThe Critic. Ivey appeared in the television miniseriesRose Red (with a screenplay byStephen King) as Cathy, one of the psychics investigating a haunted house.[citation needed]
Ivey was married to actorRicardo Gutierrez. They divorced before her move to New York.[when?][11] She is now married to Tim Braine, and they have two children.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Search for Tomorrow | Marilyn | 3 episodes |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | Louise | Episode: "The Shady Hill Kidnapping" |
| 1982 | Cagney & Lacey | Gwen | Episode: "Mr. Lonelyhearts" |
| 1983 | Dixie: Changing Habits | Sister Margaret | TV movie |
| 1984 | Piaf | Madeline | |
| 1985 | The Long Hot Summer | Noel Varner | |
| 1987 | We Are the Children | Brenda Hayes | |
| 1990 | Decoration Day | Terry Novis | |
| 1990–1991 | Down Home | Kate McCrorey | 19 episodes |
| 1992 | Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter | Dist. Atty. Kerry Wells | TV movie |
| 1992 | Do Not Bring That Python in the House | Mrs. Miller | |
| 1992–1993 | Designing Women | B.J. Poteet | 22 episodes |
| 1993 | Frogs! | Passionatta | TV movie |
| 1993 | Frasier | Lorraine (voice only) | Episode: "I Hate Frasier Crane" |
| 1993 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Counselor | Episode: "Other Mothers" |
| 1994 | Duckman | Mother Mirabelle | Episode: "T.V. or Not to Be" |
| 1994 | On Promised Land | Olivia | TV movie |
| 1994–1995 | The 5 Mrs. Buchanans | Alexandria Buchanan | 17 episodes |
| 1994–1995 | The Critic | Eleanor Sherman | 23 episodes |
| 1995 | Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story | Laura McCormick | TV movie |
| 1996 | Buddies | Maureen DeMoss | 14 episodes |
| 1996 | The Summer of Ben Tyler | Narrator | TV movie |
| 1997 | What the Deaf Man Heard | Lucille | Nominated —Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie |
| 1999 | Half a Dozen Babies | Doris Stauffer | TV movie |
| 2002 | Rose Red | Cathy Kramer | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Will & Grace | Eleanor Markus | |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Susan Kelly | Episode: "Mad About You" |
| 2005 | Related | Bob's Mom | Episode: "Have Yourself a Sorelli Little Christmas" |
| 2005, 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Alice Parker / Jenny's Attorney | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Pictures of Hollis Woods | Beatrice Gilcrest | TV movie |
| 2009 | Nurse Jackie | Paula | Episode: "Tiny Bubbles" |
| 2010 | Past Life | Laney | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The Whole Truth | Bernadette Peale | Episode: "Liars" |
| 2011 | Big Love | Renee Clayton | Episode: "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." |
| 2011 | Grey's Anatomy | Barbara Robbins | Episode: "White Wedding" |
| 2012 | Person of Interest | Sharon | Episode: "Many Happy Returns" |
| 2012 | White Collar | Ellen Parker | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Modern Love | Molly McElvane | TV movie |
| 2013 | Assistance | Susan Johnson | |
| 2014 | Elementary | Ruth Colville | Episode: "The Many Mouths of Aaron Colville" |
| 2016 | The Family | Mrs. Asher | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Bloodline | Belle's Mother | Episode: "Part 27" |
| 2018 | Instinct | Social Worker Sheila | Episode: "Tribal" |
| 2019 | New Amsterdam | Dr. Virginia Stauton | 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Sweet Magnolias | Bonnie Townsend | 4 episodes |
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