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Swoosie KurtzActress
Date of Birth: 06.09.1944
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Broadway Debut and Tony Awards
- Television Success
- Notable Television Roles
- Film Career
- Later Career
- Personal Life
Early Life and Education
Swoosie Kurtz was born on September 6, 1944, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Marno, an author, and Colonel Frank Kurtz Jr., an award-winning World War II bomber pilot. Her unique name, pronounced similarly to "Lucy," derives from her father, who named the B-17D "Flying Fortress" he flew during the war "Swoozie," a portmanteau of "swan" and "goose."
Kurtz attended the University of Northern California, majoring in drama, and later studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Broadway Debut and Tony Awards
In the late 1970s, Kurtz gained recognition for her role in Wendy Wasserstein's "Uncommon Women and Others." She went on to win the Broadway "triple crown" with Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for her performance in Lanford Wilson's "The Fifth of July." She earned her second Tony for her role in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves."
Television Success
In 1978, Kurtz joined the ensemble cast of Mary Tyler Moore's short-lived sitcom "Mary," which also featured David Letterman and Michael Keaton. She later starred in the television series "Love, Sidney" and "Sisters." She won an Emmy for her guest appearance as Laurie on the Carol Burnett show "Carol & Company," where Laurie attends her 20th high school reunion and encounters her former football-star crush who has undergone sex reassignment surgery.
Notable Television Roles
Kurtz has made guest appearances as Judy Miller's mother, Helen Mitchell, on "Still Standing"; John Locke's mother, Emily, on "Lost"; and Beth Huffstodt's mother, Madeline Sullivan, on "Huff." She starred as Lily Charles in the ABC series "Pushing Daisies."
Film Career
Kurtz's film credits include "Slap Shot" (1977), "First Love" (1977), "Oliver's Story" (1978), "The World According to Garp" (1982), "Against All Odds" (1984), "The Manchurian Candidate" (1988), and "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988). She also starred in "Stanley & Iris" (1990) and "The Butcher's Wife" (1991).
Later Career
In later years, Kurtz appeared in films such as "Virus," "Reality Bites," "One Christmas," and "The Book of Love." She co-starred with Jim Carrey in "Liar Liar" (1997) and with Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Cruel Intentions" (1999). She has also played roles in "The Rules of Attraction" (2002), "Duplex" (2003), and "Living Proof" (2008).
