Donna Gail Pescow is an American film and television actress and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. She is known for her roles as Annette in the 1977 film ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man from the Brooklyn borough of New York. Manero spends his ...

'', Angie Falco-Benson in the 1979-1980 sitcom '' Angie'', Donna Garland in the sitcom '' Out of This World'' and Eileen Stevens in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

sitcom ''

Even Stevens ''Even Stevens'' is an American comedy television series that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003, airing a total of 65 episodes over three seasons. It follows the life of the Stevens, a family living in subur ...

''.

Early life

Pescow was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, on March 24, 1954, to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. Her father Marty owned and ran a newsstand in downtown New York City at 17 Battery Place. Pescow attended

Sheepshead Bay High School Sheepshead Bay High School is a defunct public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Closed in 2016, the building currently operates as Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex, housing several smaller high schools. History Sheepshe ...

in Brooklyn and studied at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

. Around 1973, she had a leading role in an

Off-off Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the prof ...

musical entitled ''Poor Old Fool'', though it closed after just a few weeks.

Career

In 1977, Pescow played Annette in the

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

film ''

''. To prepare for the role, she had to relearn her Brooklyn accent, which she had significantly reduced for professional reasons. For this role, she was the

New York Film Critics The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...

' third-place choice for their award for Best Supporting Actress. Also in 1977, Pescow joined the cast of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'', portraying Celena Arquette. The role proved to be brief, lasting less than a year, but it helped to launch her television career, including roles on two other ABC soap operas in later years. In 1978, Pescow portrayed one of

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

's older sisters in the television biographical film ''

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

'', directed by

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

. She appeared as a celebrity panelist on ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...

'' in 1978. Pescow starred in her own television series, '' Angie'', which ran for two seasons from 1979 to 1980 on ABC. Her primary castmates were

Robert Hays Robert Hays (born July 24, 1947) is an American actor, known for a variety of television and film roles since the 1970s. He came to prominence around 1980, co-starring in the two-season domestic sitcom '' Angie'', and playing the central role of ...

Debralee Scott Debralee Scott (April 2, 1953 – April 5, 2005) was an American comedic actress best known for her roles on the sitcoms '' Welcome Back, Kotter''; '' Angie''; '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman''; and ''Forever Fernwood''. Scott was born and raised ...

and fellow New Yorker

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

. In 1982, Pescow was cast in the role of Dr. Lynn Carson, the first

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

on a daytime serial, on the soap opera ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'', which she played until 1983. After her run on ''All My Children'' ended, Pescow landed the role of Donna Garland in the first-run syndication children's comedy series '' Out of This World'' in 1987, starring with Maureen Flannigan and

Joe Alaskey Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian. Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his deat ...

. She stayed with the show until its cancellation in 1991. After ''Out of This World'' ended, Pescow went on to a series of smaller roles before returning to prominent television roles. She made guest appearances on the shows ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert La ...

'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'', ''

Pauly ''Pauly'', a.k.a. ''The Pauly Shore Show'', is an American sitcom series that aired on Fox from March 3 until April 7, 1997, starring Pauly Shore. It was cancelled after five episodes, leaving two episodes unaired. Plot Pauly Sherman is the s ...

'' and ''

Ivory Tower An ivory tower is a metaphorical place—or an atmosphere—where people are happily cut off from the rest of the world in favor of their own pursuits, usually mental and esoteric ones. From the 19th century, it has been used to designate an e ...

'', and in the 1998 television film ''Dead Husbands''. Pescow appeared on the ABC soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' from 1999 to 2001 as the villainous Gertrude Morgan, the evil aunt of Chloe Morgan (

Tava Smiley Tava Michelle Smiley (born October 19, 1971) is an American actress and television host. Smiley was born in Theodosia, Missouri. Smiley's first name is her mother's maiden name. She is a 1989 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Indepen ...

). In 2001, Smiley was released from her ''General Hospital'' contract and Pescow's character was written out. During her run on ''General Hospital'', Pescow also had a small role in the television film ''Partners'' and guest starred on the television series ''

Philly Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

''. In 1999,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

contacted Pescow about appearing in a half-hour youth sitcom for the network. A pilot was filmed in 2000, and the series went on to become ''

''. It aired for three seasons on

, from 2000 to 2003. She also directed three episodes of the series, which became a flagship for the network. After the series ended in 2003, Pescow and the rest of the cast returned for the finale film ''

The Even Stevens Movie ''The Even Stevens Movie'' is a 2003 American Disney Channel Original Movie that is based on the Disney Channel Original Series ''Even Stevens''. It premiered on June 13, 2003, serving as the series finale. The movie drew an audience of 5.1 mil ...

''. After taking several years off following ''Even Stevens'', Pescow appeared in the film ''One Sung Hero'' alongside

Nicole Sullivan Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom '' ...

. She then took another brief break from acting, but she did appear in a 2006 episode of ''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...

''. In 2007, Pescow appeared in

the series finale "The Series Finale" is the ninth episode and series finale of the American television miniseries ''WandaVision'', based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It follows Wanda as she tries to p ...

of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'' as Donna Parisi, the wife of mobster

Patsy Parisi This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark.'' Main characters Cast table Main character biographies Tony Sopra ...

Filmography

*2017: The Flash (TV series) – Dr. Sharon Finkel (episode: "When Harry Met Harry...") *2017: ''

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zoo ...

'' (TV series) – Priscilla (episode: "San Diego") *2013: ''Holiday Road Trip'' (TV movie) – Margaret *2012: ''Operation Cupcake'' (TV movie) – Sheila *2010: ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'' (TV series) – Nancy Kent '10 *2007: ''

'' (TV series) – Donna Parisi *2007: ''

'' (TV series) – Debbie's Mother *2006: ''One Sung Hero'' (short) – Karen *2003: ''

'' (TV movie) – Eileen Stevens *2002: ''

'' (TV series) – Ronnie Garfield *2000: ''

'' (TV series) – Eileen Stevens / Bubbie Rose, 65 episodes (2000–2003) *2000: ''Partners'' (TV movie) – Bob's Wife *1999: ''

'' (TV series) – Gertrude Morgan (1999–2001) *1998: '' Dead Husbands'' (TV movie) – Rosemary Monroe *1998: ''

'' – Bonnie Benitez *1997: ''

'' (TV series) – Ariana *1997: ''

'' (TV series) – Mrs. Carol Buono *1997: ''

'' (TV series) – Sheila Kendall *1996: '' Nash Bridges'' (TV series) (episode: "Hit Parade") *1994: ''Kenny Kingston Psychic Hotline'' (

paid programming Paid or PAID may refer to: * ''Paid'' (1930 film), an American film starring Joan Crawford * ''Paid'' (2006 film), a Dutch film *''Personality and Individual Differences'', a journal See also * Paide Paide is a town in Estonia and the ...

) with

Ted Lange Theodore William Lange III (; born January 5, 1948) is an American actor, director and screenwriter best known for his roles as bartender Isaac Washington in the TV series ''The Love Boat'' (1977-1986), and Junior in ''That's My Mama'' (1974-197 ...

*1987: ''Glory Years'' (TV movie) – Norma *1986: ''

Jake Speed ''Jake Speed'' is a 1986 American action adventure comedy film directed and produced by Andrew Lane, with Wayne Crawford, and William Fay. It was written by Lane and Crawford, and starred Crawford in the title role, alongside Dennis Christopher, ...

'' – Wendy *1987: '' Out of This World'' (TV series) – Donna Garland (Main Role), 96 episodes (1987–1991) *1986: ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' (TV series) – Cornelia *1985: ''

Mr. Belvedere ''Mr. Belvedere'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel ''Belvedere'', which was later ...

'' (TV series) – Candy *1985: ''Obsessed with a Married Woman'' (TV movie) – Susan *1984: ''

Finder of Lost Loves ''Finder of Lost Loves'' is an American drama series aired by the ABC network during the 1984–1985 season. Synopsis After Cary Maxwell's (Anthony Franciosa) wife Kate dies, he decides to set up a private detective agency specializing in reu ...

'' (TV series) – Anne Sherman *1983: ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' (TV series) – Cathy Connelly / Gloria Beck / Susan Garfield (1983–1987) *1983: ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'' (TV series) – Carol Bowen / Paula Santino (1983–1984) *1983: ''

'' (TV series) – Dr. Lynn Carson *1983: ''

Policewoman Centerfold ''Policewoman Centerfold'' is a 1983 television movie starring Melody Anderson and Ed Marinaro, loosely based on the story of police officer Barbara Schantz who posed for ''Playboy'' magazine in 1982.(17 October 1983)Picks and Pans Review: Poli ...

'' (TV movie) – Sissy Owens *1983: ''

Trapper John, M.D. ''Trapper John, M.D.'' is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, Californ ...

'' (TV series) – Linda D'Amico *1982: ''Cassie & Co.'' (TV series) *1982: ''The Day the Bubble Burst'' (TV movie) – Gloria Block *1981: ''

Advice to the Lovelorn ''Advice to the Lovelorn'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Lee Tracy, Sally Blane, Paul Harvey and Sterling Holloway. The film was released on December 1, 1933, by United Artists. It is based on t ...

'' (TV movie) – Janice Vernon *1979: ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

'' (TV series) – Connie / Gwen Winters / Irene (1979–1986) *1979: '' Angie'' (TV series) – Angie Falco Benson, 36 episodes (1979–1980) *1978: ''

'' (TV movie) – Jinnie Gumm *1978: ''Human Feelings'' (TV movie) – Gloria Prentice *1977: ''

'' (TV series) – Celena Arquette *1977: ''

'' – Annette

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pescow, Donna 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses American television directors Jewish American actresses Living people People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn American women television directors Sheepshead Bay High School alumni 21st-century American Jews