Cynthia Sikes Yorkin (born January 2, 1954) is an American actress known for her work on ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels ...

'' and ''

Blade Runner 2049 ''Blade Runner 2049'' is a 2017 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. A sequel to the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'', the film stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, ...

.''

Life and career

Cynthia Sikes was born Cynthia Lee Sikes in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1954. Early in her career she went by Cindy Lee Sikes, and later used Cynthia Sikes professionally until her marriage to Bud Yorkin, where she changed it to Cynthia Sikes Yorkin. In 1972, Yorkin won the crowning title of Miss Kansas and started attending Wichita State University. She then entered the

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

pageant where she won the preliminary swimsuit competition and became one of the Top 10 finalists overall. While still at Wichita, she was offered an invitation to travel with Bob Hope's 1972 USO Christmas Special as a singer/dancer, traveling from Vietnam to Thailand to Diego Garcia, in an effort to entertain homesick soldiers. The tour with Hope and the Miss America competition drastically altered Yorkin’s life and career path. She returned to college, this time attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and studied Journalism, before moving to California to begin her career as an actress. In 1977, Yorkin took the stage at William Ball's

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Americ ...

in San Francisco. She earned a scholarship and performed in many productions, including Shakespeare's ''

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'', Dürrenmatt's '' The Visit'', ''

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'', ''A Hatful of Rain'', ''Bedtime Story'', and ''A Christmas Carol''. She eventually made her Broadway debut as the "Baker’s Wife," a lead role in

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's musical ''

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''. After her Broadway stint, Yorkin began getting offers for roles in popular television programs and films. For three years she played Dr. Annie Cavanero on NBC’s ''St. Elsewhere'' opposite

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

, and appeared in episodes of ''

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'' Her next recurring role was on '' L.A. Law'' as Judge Monica Ryan, then Yorkin produced and starred in the CBS film ''

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'' alongside

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. Her other credits include playing Dr. Sidney Walden on the popular series '' JAG'', then in '' Arliss''. Yorkin's most recent TV role was a four-episode arc on NBC's ''

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'' with

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. Her feature film credits include co-starring roles in the comedies '' Arthur 2: On the Rocks'' with

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, ''

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'' with

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, ''

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'' with

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, ''

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'' with

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, and in director Henry Jaglom's ''

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''. In 1999, Yorkin expanded her interests to public works and became more involved in government after she was personally chosen by

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to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2005, she was appointed California State Commissioner for the California Service Corps by former Governor

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, and also founded an emergency preparedness curriculum for K-12 schools, known as Team Safe-T. Six years later, Yorkin was brought on to the UCLA School of Public Health Dean’s Advisory Board to help raise funds to build the global bio lab on campus. She worked closely with Cindy Horn and Dr.

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, the Dean of UCLA's School of Public Health. In 2015, Yorkin segued into producing her first feature film, the critically acclaimed ''

'', a project directed by Oscar nominee

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and starring Academy Award nominees

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and

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. The film garnered a total of five Academy Awards nominations, winning for Best Visual Effects and finally earning

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a win for Best Cinematographer. She brought this project to Alcon Entertainment with her late husband and producing partner,

Bud Yorkin Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Yorkin was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents. He earned a deg ...

, after acquiring the final rights from his former partner

Jerry Perenchio Andrew Jerrold Perenchio (December 20, 1930 – May 23, 2017) was an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He was at one time the chairman and chief executive officer of Univision. Early life Perenchio was the grandson of Italian ...

in 2010. Cynthia helmed ''Blade Runner 2049'' from beginning to end, ensuring its success to pay tribute to her late husband.

Personal life

Cynthia Yorkin was married to prolific producer and director,

, for 26 years. The two met in 1985. They were married on June 24, 1989, and had two children: Jessica and Michael. Bud directed Cynthia in '' Arthur 2: On the Rocks'', and again in the 1990 film ''

''. In 2005, Cynthia and Bud decided to revive the Blade Runner franchise as producing partners. In 2010, they partnered with

Alcon Entertainment Alcon Entertainment, LLC is an American film production company, founded in 1997 by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Since its establishment, Alcon Entertainment has developed and financed films that are ultimately distribut ...

to produce the film. Over the years Bud’s health deteriorated, concluding with his death on August 18, 2015. Cynthia went on to produce the film and honor his legacy. ''

'' received rave reviews and went on to earn five

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations, winning for Best Cinematography and for Best Visual Effects.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sikes Yorkin, Cynthia 1954 births Living people People from Coffeyville, Kansas Miss America 1970s delegates Actresses from Kansas American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century American people 21st-century American women