Louise Lasser - Biography

Louise Lasser (born April 11, 1939) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his films.

Personal life

Lasser was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Paula and S. Jay Lasser, a tax expert. She was raised Jewish. Lasser studied political science at Brandeis University. She was married to Woody Allen from 1966 to 1969.

Career

Lasser appeared in the Woody Allen films Take the Money and Run, Bananas, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask), as well as being one of the voices for his spoof dubbing of a Japanese spy movie What's Up Tiger Lily? She also had a brief cameo in his 1980 film Stardust Memories.

She became a household name for starring as the neurotic, unhappy housewife Mary Hartman on the soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. The show aired five nights a week in 1976–1977. In 2000, Lasser appeared on a panel with her former cast members at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills (taped for the museum archives).

She hosted Saturday Night Live at the end of the first season. Lasser also wrote the telemovie Just Me and You (1978), starring in it alongside Charles Grodin. She had a recurring role as Alex's ex-wife on the hit series Taxi, and starred in the 1981–82 season of the TV series It's a Living. Lasser also had a recurring role as Victor Erlich's Aunt Charise, a neurotic comic character on St. Elsewhere in the mid-eighties. In 1989, Lasser played the mother of the main character in the movie Sing.

In 1998, she appeared as the mother of the three main female characters, in Todd Solondz's film Happiness. She appeared in the 1999 film Mystery Men, as the mother of Hank Azaria's character. Lasser had a role in Darren Aronofsky's film Requiem for a Dream (2000), and she co-starred with Renee Taylor in National Lampoon's Gold Diggers (2003).

External links