Carol Kane - Biography

Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work. She has played the character of Madame Morrible in the musical Wicked, both in regional productions and on Broadway from 2005-2009.

Early life

Kane was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Joy, a jazz singer, teacher, dancer, and pianist, and Michael Kane, an architect who worked for the World Bank. Her family is Jewish, her grandparents having emigrated from Russia. Her parents divorced when she was 12 years old. She attended the Cherry Lawn School, a progressive boarding school in Darien, Connecticut, until 1965. She attended the Professional Children's School, in New York City, and made her professional theatre debut in a 1966 production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Tammy Grimes.

Career

Kane is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Simka Dahblitz-Gravas, wife of Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), on the American television series Taxi, from 1981 to 1983, and also for her role as Allison Portchnik in Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Kane earned two Emmy Awards for her work in the series and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film Hester Street. She also appeared in The Princess Bride (1987) and Scrooged (1988), with Bill Murray, in which Variety called her "unquestionably [the] pic's comic highlight."

Kane was a regular on the 1986 NBC series All Is Forgiven, a regular on the 1990-1991 NBC series American Dreamer, guest-starred on a 1994 episode of Seinfeld and had a supporting role in the short-lived 1996-1997 sitcom Pearl, which starred Rhea Perlman. She also appeared in the NBC television live action production of The Year Without a Santa Claus in December 2006.

In January 2009, Kane appeared in the TV series Two and a Half Men as the mother of Alan Harper's receptionist.

She starred in the Off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore in February 2010.

In March 2010, Kane appeared in the TV series Ugly Betty as Justin Suarez's acting teacher.

Kane made her West End debut in January 2011 in a major revival of Lillian Hellman's drama The Children's Hour, at London's Comedy Theatre. She stars alongside Keira Knightley, Elisabeth Moss and Ellen Burstyn.

Wicked

Kane is known for her portrayal of the evil headmistress Madame Morrible in the Broadway musical Wicked, whom she played in various productions from 2005 to 2009.

Kane made her Wicked debut on the 1st National Tour, playing the role from March 9 through December 19, 2005. She then reprised the role in the Broadway production from January 10 through November 12, 2006. She again played the role for the Los Angeles production which began performances on February 7, 2007. She left the production on December 30, 2007, and later returned from August 26, 2008 until the production closed on January 11, 2009.

She then transferred with the L.A. company, to play the role once again, in the San Francisco production which began performances January 27, 2009. She ended her limited engagement on March 22, 2009.

Filmography

• Carnal Knowledge (1971) - Jennifer
• Wedding in White (1972) - Jeannie Dougall
• The Last Detail (1973) - Young Whore
• Hester Street (1975) - Gitl
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Jenny
• Annie Hall (1977) - Allison Portchnik
• Valentino (1977) - Fatty's girlfriend
• The World's Greatest Lover (1977) - Annie
• The Mafu Cage (1978) - Cissy
• The Muppet Movie (1979) - Myth
• When a Stranger Calls (1979) - Jill Johnson
• Pandemonium (1982) - Candy
• Racing with the Moon (1983) - Annie
• The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud (1984)
• Terror in the Aisles (1984)
• Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) - Lupi
• Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) - Cynthia
• The Princess Bride (1987) - Valerie, Miracle Max's wife
• License to Drive (1988)- Mrs. Anderson
• Scrooged (1988) - The Ghost of Christmas Present
• Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) - Cassie
• My Blue Heaven (1990) - Shaldeen
• Flashback (1990) - Maggy
• Ted & Venus (1991) - Colette
• In the Soup (1992) - Barbara
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) - Carla
• Addams Family Values (1993) - Grandmama
• When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) - Jill Johnson
• Theodore Rex (1996) - Molly Rex (voice)
• Big Bully (1996) - Faith Bigger
• Trees Lounge (1996) - Connie
• The Pallbearer (1996) - Tom's Mother
• Office Killer (1997) - Dorine
• Gone Fishin' (1997) - Donna Waters
• The Tic Code (1998) - Miss Gimpole
• Jawbreaker (1999) - Ms. Sherwood
• Man on the Moon (1999) - Herself/Simka Dahblitz
• The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: The Visitors from Outer Space (1999) - Org's Mom (voice)
• Blue's Big Treasure Hunt (1999) - Little Miss Muffet (voice)
• The Office Party (2000) - Linda
• My First Mister (2001) - Mrs. Benson
• The Shrink Is In (2001) - Dr. Louise Rosenberg
• Cosmopolitan (2003) - Mrs. Shaw
• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) - Ms. Baggoli
• The Pacifier (2005) - Helga
• The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006) - Mother Nature
• The Key Man (2007) - Marsha
• Four Christmases (2008) - Aunt Sarah
• Secrets of the Furious Five (2008) - Sheep (voice)
• The Bounty Hunter (2010) - Dawn
• My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010) - Barbara

Partial other works

• Phineas and Ferb (2011) - voice of Nana Shapiro in episode: "Lotsa Latkes"
• Ugly Betty (2010) - Lena Korvinka in episode: "All the World's a Stage"
• Monk (2009) - Joy in episode: "Mr. Monk is the Best Man"
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2009) - Gwen Munch in episode "Zebras"
• Two and a Half Men (2009) - Melissa's mom, Shelly, in the episodes "David Copperfield Slipped Me a Roofie" and "Thank God for Scoliosis."
• Wicked (2005–2009) - Madame Morrible (Various productions)
• The Happy Elf (2006) - Gilda (voice)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2005) - Mrs. Claus (voice) in episode: "Billy and Mandy Save Christmas"
• Hope and Faith (2004) - Cornelia Rackett
• That's Life (2002) - Gloria in episode: "Baum's Thesis"
• Family Guy (2001) - Carol Pewterschmidt (voice) in episode: "Emission Impossible"
• As Told by Ginger (2000) - Maude (voice) in episode: "Carl and Maude"
• Beggars and Choosers (1999–2000) - Lydia Ludden
• Noddy (1998) - Tooth Fairy in episode: "The Tooth Fairy"
• Hey Arnold! (1997) - Emily Dickinson Trophy (voice) in episode: "Phoebe Cheats"
• The Tony Danza Show (1997) - Simka Gravaas in episode: "The Milk Run"
• Homicide: Life on the Street (1997) - Gwen Munch, John Munch's ex-wife, in episode: "All is Bright"
• Ellen (1996) - Lily Penney in episode: "A Penney Saved..."
• Pearl (1996–1997) - Annie Carmen
• Chicago Hope (1995) - Marguerite Birch in episode: "Stand"
• A.J.'s Time Travelers (1995) - Emily Roebling in episode: "Brookyln Bridge"
• Empty Nest (1994) - Shelby in episode: "The Courtship of Carol's Father"
• Seinfeld (1994) - Corinne in episode: "The Marine Biologist"
• TriBeCa (1993) - Amanda in episode: "Stepping Back"
• The Real Story of Here Comes the Bride (1992) - Margaret Mouse (voice)
• The Ray Bradbury Theater (1992) - Polly in episode: "Tomorrow's Child"
• American Dreamer (1990) - Lillian Abernathy
• Tales from the Crypt (1990) - Judy in episode: "Judy, You're Not Yourself Today"
• Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) - Ollie (voice) in episode: "A Quack in the Quarks"
• All is Forgiven (1986) - Nicolette Bingham
• Tall Tales and Legends (1986) - Barbara in episode: "Casey at the Bat"
• Cheers (1984) - Amanda Boyer in episode: "A Ditch in Time"
• Tales from the Darkside (1985) - Witch in episode: "Snip Snip"
• Faerie Tale Theatre (1983) - The 'Good' Fairy in episode: "Sleeping Beauty"
• Laverne & Shirley (1982) - Olga in episode: "Jinxed"
• Taxi (1980) - Simka Dahblitz

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