Rachel Alana Handler is an American actress, singer and motivational speaker who is best known for playing Chunks in the 2016 horror movie ''
Smothered
This is a list of television programs formerly or currently broadcast by TLC (TV network), TLC.
Current programming First-run original programming
Re-runs of acquired programming
Future programming Original programming
*''MILF Manor'' (January ...
''.
Early life
Handler was born in
Philadelphia
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 ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Raised in
Linwood, New Jersey
Linwood is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 7,092,Mainland Regional High School. She holds a
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in “The Best of Lerner and Loewe” and had made appearances in
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
and Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions.
She did months of rehab from a car accident, and now walks with prosthesis and has become an advocate for actors with disabilities.
Career
In 2015, she was honored as part of '' Atlantic City Weekly's'' "Top 40 Under 40" Handler's contributions and interviews on her personal experiences and
inclusion
Inclusion or Include may refer to:
Sociology
* Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society.
** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabilitie ...
of disabled actors in the arts have been featured on '' Quora'', ''Disabled World'', ''Little Bits of Good'', and ''Backstage.com''. Her recent article "Stop Excluding Actors With Disabilities" was posted to the front page of ''Backstage''.
Her acting credits include an episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', an episode of '' Blue Bloods'', as "Denise Todd" (uncredited) in '' Elementary'', and starring in the Christa Wells video "Shine". Her appearance as Chunks in ''
Smothered
This is a list of television programs formerly or currently broadcast by TLC (TV network), TLC.
Current programming First-run original programming
Re-runs of acquired programming
Future programming Original programming
*''MILF Manor'' (January ...
'' has been well received by the horror community. She has starred in independent films, including ''Disabilidates'', a short film in which she played an amputee going on a first date, ''Two and Twenty Troubles'' and ''Only Those Who Limp Allowed''. Her theater credits include Tess Samuels in "The Bipartisan" at the Thespis Theatre Festival, Resident Actor in "The Bats" at The Flea Theater and Hannah in
Measure for Measure
''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623.
The play's plot features its ...
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' as Lady Anne. Handler also wrote and starred in ''Inspiration Whore'', a one woman show in which Handler, fresh from her accident and recovery, constantly hears people tell her that she is an "inspiration" and works through her conflicted feelings on the topic, ultimately finding the "inspiring spark" inside herself. In 2016 she created an '' Angie Tribeca'' spin-off and parody created and written by Handler titled ''Becky Nolita'' which features actors with disabilities.
In 2017, Handler filmed a supporting role in the film '' The Upside'', starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart. Handler was also profiled in a March 2017 broadcast of '' Chasing News'' titled "Dancing Her Heart Out". She is currently working on a screenplay loosely based on her life, as well as filming guest starring roles in ''
Goliath
Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant
In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...
'' and '' NCIS: New Orleans''. Her appearance in NCIS: New Orleans was met with praise from the online publication ''The Mighty'': "I kept expecting the character’s disability to suddenly become key to the story, but it never did. They didn’t fall into any of the stereotypes of disability we usually see on TV. They never went into detail about her amputation, and it was completely unrelated to why she was in danger. Although she did need to be rescued by the team, she was not depicted as more vulnerable because of her amputation. Nor was it mentioned as an added reason to find her — she needed help because she was a whistleblower trying to expose corruption, not because she had a disability." Handler is also a two time participant of the ''
Easterseals (U.S.)
Easterseals (formerly known as Easter Seals; founded in 1919 as the National Society for Crippled Children) is an American 501(c)3 nonprofit providing disability services, with additional support areas serving veterans and military families, seni ...
Disability Film Challenge'' which gives filmmakers – with and without disabilities – the opportunity to collaborate and tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms and support Easterseals’ goal to change the way the world defines and views disability, so everyone can reach his or her potential.