Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 10, 1965) is an American actress who has appeared on stage and in feature films, and a singer, songwriter and recording artist. She is married to American playwright

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

Early life

Pidgeon was born to English parents in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, while her father, Carl R. Pidgeon, was a visiting professor at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

. Her mother, Elaine, is a yoga teacher. Her paternal grandmother, Monica Pidgeon, the editor of ''

Architectural Design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complic ...

'', was the sister of artist

Olga Lehmann Olga Lehmann (10 February 1912 – 26 October 2001) was a Chilean-born British visual artist. Early life Born in Catemu, Chile, to Mary Grisel Lehmann (née Bissett) and mining engineer Andrew William Lehmann, Olga Lehmann had one sister, ...

and academic Andrew George Lehmann. Pidgeon moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland in 1970 with her parents. She graduated from the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

in London with classmates

Clive Owen Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...

and

Liza Tarbuck Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter. Early life Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and his wife Pauline, with an older siste ...

Career

From 1986 to 1990, Pidgeon was the lead singer of the British folk/pop band Ruby Blue. She left the group shortly after they signed to a major record label. She appeared in her first feature film, ''

The Dawning ''The Dawning'' is a 1988 British drama film based on Jennifer Johnston's novel, '' The Old Jest'', which depicts the Irish War of Independence through the eyes of the Anglo-Irish landlord class. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant, Jean Simmon ...

,'' in 1988; then starred in

's plays and films, beginning with the movie ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'' and the play '' Oleanna'', a part Mamet wrote for her. She composed the music for the film version, which starred Debra Eisenstadt in her role. She released the album ''The Raven'' in 1994, followed by ''The New York Girls' Club'' (1996), and ''The Four Marys'' (1998), a collection of traditional

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

folk songs. ''Tough on Crime'' (2005) featured

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

on guitar and

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

on keyboards. '' Behind the Velvet Curtain'' (2008) included a cover version of the

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

song "

Wouldn't It Be Nice "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys and the opening track from their 1966 album '' Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson, Tony Asher, and Mike Love, it is distinguished for its sophisticated Wall of Sound-s ...

". ''Slingshot'' was released in 2012. Pidgeon has had roles in additional Mamet films, including ''

The Spanish Prisoner ''The Spanish Prisoner'' is a 1997 American neo-noir suspense film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara, Felicity Huffman and Ricky Jay. It tells a story of corporate espion ...

'' (1997), ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict co ...

'' (1999), ''

State and Main ''State and Main'' is a 2000 comedy film written and directed by David Mamet and starring William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec Baldwin, Julia Stiles, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon, David Paymer, Patti LuPone, Clark Gregg, and Cha ...

'' (2000), '' Heist'' (2001) and ''

Redbelt ''Redbelt'' is a 2008 American martial arts film written and directed by David Mamet and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen, Alice Braga, Randy Couture, Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna, Emily Mortimer, David Paymer, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Rodrigo Santoro ...

'' (2008). She had a supporting role in ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'' (2010). In the 2013 television movie ''

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

'', she played a supporting role and also sang "

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

" over the closing credits. She appeared in the U.S. television series ''

The Unit ''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009 with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled aft ...

as'' Charlotte Ryan, and in the 2007 television film '' Jesse Stone: Sea Change'' as Leeann Lewis, a murder/bank robbery suspect.

Personal life

Pidgeon is married to American writer and director

, whom she met while appearing in his play ''

Speed-the-Plow ''Speed-the-Plow'' is a 1988 play by David Mamet that is a satirical dissection of the American movie business. As stated in ''The Producer's Perspective'', "this is a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films ''Wag the Dog'' (1997) and ''St ...

'' at the

National Theatre, London The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

. Mamet was married to actress

Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...

at the time. After beginning a relationship with Pidgeon, Mamet divorced Crouse in 1990 and married Pidgeon in 1991. Pidgeon and Mamet have two children, actress

Clara Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine giv ...

and Noah, in addition to Mamet's two older children, Willa and Zosia. Pidgeon, who was born to a non-practising Christian family, has converted to Mamet's Jewish faith. She holds dual American/British

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

Discography

* ''The Raven'' ( Chesky, 1994) * ''The New York Girls' Club'' (Chesky, 1996) * ''The Four Marys'' (Chesky, 1998) * ''Tough on Crime'' (

Fuel 2000 Fuel 2000 is an independent record label, formed in 1994 as part of the Fuel Label Group. One of the biggest independent record labels, it has amassed a catalog with over 20,000 master recordings. Since its inception, the company has released ove ...

, 2005) * '' Behind the Velvet Curtain'' (Great American Music, 2008) * ''Slingshot'' (Toy Canteen, 2011) * ''Blue Dress On'' (Toy Canteen, 2013) * ''Bad Poetry'' (Toy Canteen, 2014) * ''Sudden Exposure to Light'' (Toy Canteen, 2019) * ''Parts Of Speech Pieces Of Sound'' (Toy Canteen, 2022) With Ruby Blue * ''Glances Askances'' (Red Flame, 1987) * ''Down From Above'' (Fontana, 1990) * ''Broken Water'' (Red Flame 1992)

As guest

Luciana Souza Luciana Souza (born 12 July 1966) is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who also works in classical and chamber music. Her song ''Muita Bobeira'' was featured as a music sample on Windows Vista. Music career Grammy winner Luciana Souza is one ...

, ''Tide'' (Verve, 2009) *

Madeleine Peyroux Madeleine Peyroux (born April 18, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...

, ''Bare Bones'' (Rounder, 2009) * Chris Connelly, ''Decibels from Heart'' (Cleopatra, 2015)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pidgeon, Rebecca 1965 births Actresses from Cambridge, Massachusetts Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American emigrants to Scotland American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Scottish descent Converts to Judaism from Christianity Jewish American actresses Scottish film actresses Scottish television actresses Scottish stage actresses 20th-century Scottish women singers Scottish folk singers Scottish singer-songwriters Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century Scottish women singers 21st-century American women