Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''

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 the 1993

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950 ...

for ''

My Favorite Year ''My Favorite Year'' is a 1982 American comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo from a story written by Palumbo. The film tells the story of a young comedy wr ...

''. She was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for her role in ''

'' (1982). Kazan played Maria Portokalos in ''

My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos, who also stars in the film as Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with White Anglo-Saxo ...

'' and its sequel film ''

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'' is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Kirk Jones and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine (in his final film role), Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez ...

''. She also starred in '' You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' (2008).

Early life

Kazan was born Lainie Levine in Brooklyn, the daughter of Carole and Ben Levine. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish and Sephardic Jewish descent. Some of her grandparents lived in Israel before moving to Manchester, England and settling in Brooklyn. Kazan has described her mother as "neurotic, fragile and artistic." Kazan attended Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School with

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

, for whom she would later understudy. She graduated in 1956. Kazan studied theatre at HB Studio and graduated from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York in 1960. While at Hofstra, Kazan appeared in school musicals written and directed by a classmate director

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...

as well as actor James Caan.

Career

Kazan made her Broadway debut in 1961 with the musical '' The Happiest Girl in the World.'' She appeared the following year in another musical, '' Bravo Giovanni,'' and understudied

for the lead role of

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. ...

in '' Funny Girl'' (1964). When Streisand could not perform due to a throat condition, Kazan took her place in a matinee and evening performance for one day of the show's run. Her popularity increasing, Kazan posed nude for the October 1970 issue of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

,'' which was reused in ''Pocket Playboy'' #4, issued in 1974. Her appearance in the magazine opened the door for her to headline and operate two different Playboy Jazz Clubs. Overseen by

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

, the clubs were named Lainie's Room West and Lainie's Room East, each on opposite coasts, with the first one located in Los Angeles and the other in Manhattan. Her ''Playboy'' photographs inspired the look of Jack Kirby’s superheroine Big Barda. Along with appearing in numerous supper clubs across the country, Kazan guest-starred on

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

’s variety series 26 times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Frieda on the Fran Drescher sitcom '' The Nanny,'' the mother of

Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...

's character on '' Veronica's Closet,'' and various guest roles, including one on ''

'' that resulted in an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination. Her other television work has included '' The Paper Chase,'' ''Columbo'', '' Touched by an Angel,'' and '' Will & Grace''. Kazan played Maria Portokalos, the mother of Toula Portokalos ( Nia Vardalos) in the films ''

'' and ''

.'' Following the first film in the franchise, Kazan was featured in '' My Big Fat Greek Life,'' a short-lived series based on the film. Other recent film work includes the mother of

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

’s character in '' I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.'' Although the scene was deleted in the feature film, it is included on the DVD in the special features section. Kazan appeared as singer Ava St. Clair with Kevin James in two episodes of '' The King of Queens''. A life member of

The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

, Kazan returned to Broadway to recreate her film role for the musical adaptation of ''

,'' earning a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nomination for her performance. She completed a stint in ''

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.'' She has appeared in regional productions of '' A Little Night Music,'' ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cerva ...

,'' '' Gypsy,'' '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,'' '' Hello, Dolly!,'' and ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

''. In 1984, she made a guest appearance on the ''

Faerie Tale Theatre Faerie Tale Theatre (also known as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre) is an American live-action fairytale fantasy drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, ...

'' episode “Pinocchio” as Sophia the Blue Fairy. In the ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

'' episode "Fire and Nice," Kazan played Dina Talercio, the mother of Bobby (

Adam Rodriguez Adam Michael Rodriguez (born April 2, 1975)"Adam Rodriguez" (2006). ''Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television''. Vol. 71. Detroit: Gale. Accessed via ''Biography in Context'' database, August 7, 2016. is an American actor, screenwriter and ...

), who becomes the character's brother-in-law. In 2010, Kazan joined the cast of ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a t ...

'' for season 7. She played the role of Mrs. Maxine Rosen, a self-employed business owner and neighbor to Susan Delfino.

Personal life

After meeting musical director-arranger Peter H.B. Daniels on the Broadway musical '' Funny Girl'', in which Kazan was a cast member and he was associate orchestra conductor, the two began a five-year relationship. They married sometime after the 1971 birth of their daughter Jennifer. The marriage did not endure, and Kazan was single again by 1976. In the 1970s, Kazan was diagnosed with a

deep vein thrombosis Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enla ...

(DVT). Since then, she has dedicated time to public education about DVT. Beginning in 2012, Kazan became an adjunct professor at UCLA, teaching acting classes and directing her students in drama-department production. She has served on the boards of the Young Musicians’ Foundation, AIDS Project LA, and B'nai Brith, the California Jazz Foundation, and her alma mater, Hofstra University. On April 9, 2016, Kazan was injured in a head-on traffic collision. Kazan was driving her car when the collision occurred in Sherman Oaks, California, which necessitated that she be hospitalized. In December 2017, outside a California supermarket, Kazan was arrested for shoplifting. Prosecutors reached a plea deal with her.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage work

*'' Leave It to Jane'' (1959, Off-Broadway) *''Kittiwake Island'' (1960, Off-Broadway) *'' The Happiest Girl in the World'' (1961, Broadway) *'' Bravo Giovanni'' (1962, Broadway) *'' Funny Girl'' (1964, Broadway, understudy for

) *''

'' (1972, Westbury Music Fair) *'' Seesaw'' (1973, Broadway, replaced by Michele Lee before the opening) *'' Show Boat'' (1979, U.S. tour) *'' Gypsy'' (1992, Westbury Music Fair) *''

'' (1992, Broadway) *''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...

'' (1994, Broadway) *'' Rags'' (2006,

World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired imm ...

benefit concert) *''Bermuda Avenue Triangle'' (2006, Los Angeles)

Discography

* ''Lainie Kazan'' (1966) SE-4385

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

(original studio album) * ''Right Now'' (1966) SE-4340 MGM Records (original studio album; with sleeve notes by

) * ''Love Is Lainie'' (1967) SE-4496 MGM Records (original studio album) * ''The Love Album'' (1967) SE 4451 MGM Records (original studio album) * ''The Best of Lainie Kazan'' (1969) SE-4631 MGM Records (compilation album) * ''The Chanteuse is Loose'' (1977) LK515 Lainie & Co. (original studio album) * ''Body & Soul'' (1995) 65126 MusicMasters (original studio album) * ''In the Groove'' (1998) 65168 MusicMasters (original studio album)

As guest vocalist

With Benny Carter *''

Benny Carter Songbook Volume II ''Songbook Volume II'' is an album by American saxophonist and composer Benny Carter, released in 1997 by MusicMasters Records.1940 births Actresses from New York City American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Erasmus Hall High School alumni Hofstra University alumni Jewish American actresses Jewish American musicians Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Living people MGM Records artists Musicians from Brooklyn Singers from New York City Torch singers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television faculty Pompeii Records artists 21st-century American Jews