Brenda Buell Vaccaro American stage, film and television actress Date of Birth: 18.11.1939 Country: USA

1. Biography of Brenda Buell Vaccaro
2. Early Life and Career
3. Broadway Success
4. Film and Television Success
5. Personal Life

Biography of Brenda Buell Vaccaro

Brenda Buell Vaccaro was born on November 18, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in a family of Italian-American parents, Christine M. Pavia and Mario A. Vaccaro. Brenda spent her childhood and youth in Texas, where her father, a lawyer, and her mother became pioneers in Italian cuisine and founded the nationally recognized restaurant, "Mario's."

Early Life and Career

Vaccaro graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas in 1958. She then returned to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where she made her Broadway debut in the comedy "Everybody Loves Opal" in 1961. Her performance in the play earned her the prestigious Theatre World Award.

Broadway Success

Vaccaro continued her success on Broadway, becoming a member of the cast of plays such as "Cactus Flower" in 1965, "How Now, Dow Jones" in 1967, "The Goodbye People" in 1968, and the female version of "The Odd Couple" in 1985. In 1992, she appeared in the revival of the play "Jake's Women." With her unique and raspy voice, Vaccaro was nominated three times for the prestigious Tony Award. She was nominated in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in "Cactus Flower," Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in "How Now, Dow Jones," and Best Actress in a Play for her role in "The Goodbye People."

Film and Television Success

In 1969, Vaccaro became one of the stars of John Schlesinger's Oscar-winning drama, "Midnight Cowboy," alongside Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Her performance as Shirley in the film earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe win for her role as Linda Riggs in the film adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's novel, "Once Is Not Enough."

Vaccaro appeared in several other films, including "Airport '77" with Jack Lemmon, the television drama "The Pride of Jesse Hallam," the superhero film "Supergirl," and the romantic comedy "Mirror, Mirror."

On television, Vaccaro had a recurring role as Julia Blake in the short-lived 1984 series "Paper Dolls." She also appeared in episodes of popular series such as "Banacek," "The Fugitive," "The Defenders," "Coronet Blue," "The Name of the Game," "The Streets of San Francisco," and "The Love Boat." She received three Emmy nominations and won one for her role in the play "The Shape of Things" in 1974.

Vaccaro also lent her voice to animated characters, including Bunny Bravo in the series "Johnny Bravo" and Scruple, an evil wizard's apprentice in "The Smurfs."

Personal Life

Vaccaro has been married multiple times. She was married to Martin Fried from 1965 to 1970, William Bishop from 1977 to 1978, and Charles Cannizzaro from 1981 to 1982. Four years after her third divorce, she married Guy Hector, with whom she remains married to this day.