Elizabeth Gorcey (born January 1, 1962) is an American filmmaker, actress, and writer. She has held leading roles in films such as ''

Kidco ''Kidco'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and starring Scott Schwartz, Clifton James, Charles Hallahan, Maggie Blye, and Vincent Schiavelli. Although the premise sounds far-fetched, the film was based on the 197 ...

'' and ''

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

'' while also producing and directing films which include ''Just Another Man's Story'' and ''Breast Pump & Blender''. She is also the author of the children's book series ''Liv on Life''.

Early life and education

Gorcey was raised in Long Branch, New Jersey and attended

Long Branch High School Long Branch High School is a comprehensive high school, comprehensive, four-year community state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school that serves students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades in the city o ...

. She was interested in acting at a young age, but began by focusing on painting and sculpting. She also sang with the

Metropolitan Opera Company The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

. Gorcey graduated high school at the age of 16 and went on to the American Conservatory Theater on a summer scholarship. She attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...

Career

In her early career, Gorcey gave

summer stock theater In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock t ...

performances at The Barn Theatre in Michigan, including in the productions of "Carousel," "Damn Yankees" and "My Fair Lady." After her first year, she returned to New Jersey where she obtained her real estate license, returning the following summer for more acting. Her first leading roles in film came as June Cessna in the film

, and Wendy Jo in the 1984 film ''

''. She went on to act in films such as ''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...

'' and television shows such as ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Victo ...

''. Her acting led to a film career of directing and producing. She directed the 2012 documentary ''Adopting Ginny'', and produced and directed the award winning documentary ''Just Another Man's Story''. Outside of film, Gorcey is the author of the children's book series ''Liv on Life''. The series was inspired by her daughter and grew into a lifestyle brand of products. She is also an artist and has conducted workshops as part of her charitable work.

Filmography

Filmmaker

Acting

Personal life

Gorcey is the second cousin to stage and film actor

Leo Gorcey Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorcey, Elizabeth 1962 births Living people American film actresses 21st-century American women writers Actors from New Jersey Long Branch High School alumni Monmouth University alumni People from Long Branch, New Jersey Actresses from New Jersey University of Arizona alumni 21st-century American actresses Writers from New Jersey Sculptors from New Jersey American women painters Painters from New Jersey 21st-century American painters American women sculptors 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American painters 20th-century American sculptors Film directors from New Jersey Film producers from New Jersey American television actresses 21st-century American sculptors American documentary film producers American voice actresses American women documentary filmmakers American documentary film directors