Iris Bahr - Biography

Iris Bahr is an American-born Israeli actress, comedian, director, writer and producer. She has appeared on television programs such as Friends (as Glenda in "The One with Ross's Tan"), Curb Your Enthusiasm as Rachel Heinemann (Season 5 episodes "The Ski Lift" and "The Korean Bookie"), and The King of Queens. Bahr also played a lead role in the 2006 film Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and played the director of a documentary in the 2010 horror film The Last Exorcism.

Bahr is currently executive producing, writing, directing and starring in her original series Svetlana, based on her character Svetlana, a Russian lady of the night/political consultant. The show is being produced by Mark Cuban. It airs on Cuban's HDNet. Season Two premiered April 27, 2011.

Bahr received the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Performance for her one-woman show Dai (Enough), which also earned 2 Drama Desk Award nominations for Best Solo show and Best Sound Design. She also received a UK Stage Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. Also in 2007, her memoir entitled Dork Whore was published, and has since been translated into German, Italian and Portuguese. Bahr was invited to perform Dai at the United Nations for over 100 ambassadors and delegates.

Dai was published as a book, DAI (enough) by Northwestern University Press in November, 2009.

Bahr's sequel to Dork Whore, Machu My Picchu, chronicling her travels through South America, is being published by Skirt in the fall of 2011.

Life before acting

Bahr was raised in the Bronx, but moved to Israel with her mother at age 13, after her parents divorced. During her two years in the Israeli Army military intelligence she attained the rank of sergeant. As a young woman, she traveled throughout Southeast Asia and South America. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, where she studied neuropsychology and religious studies. She defines herself as an Israeli Jew.

Career

Bahr did voice acting work for the Star Trek computer games Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force, Star Trek: Elite Force II and Star Trek: Away Team, released in 2000, 2003 and 2001 respectively. She followed this up with an appearance on the last episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Endgame" in 2001. She also voiced the character of Madeline Taylor in Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002).

In the following years, Bahr guest starred on a variety of television shows. These roles included guest appearances on Strong Medicine, The Drew Carey Show, Friends, and The King of Queens, as well as recurring character Rachel Heinemann on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In 2006, Bahr appeared in her first lead role in a major motion picture, playing Amy Butlin in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector alongside Larry the Cable Guy. In May 2006 she had a supporting role as Leonard Hofstadter's girlfriend in the original pilot of "The Big Bang Theory". In November 2006, she opened her one woman show Dai ("Enough") at the Culture Project in New York City. In the show, she plays ten different characters in a Tel Aviv restaurant. In 2007, Bahr was a part of the controversial film Poughkeepsie Tapes. In this she plays an interviewed news broadcaster. In August 2007, she performed a completely sold-out run of the show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which was presented by Paul Lucas Productions, and in March 2009 she performed it in Shaw Theatre in London.

Her memoir about her travels through Asia, titled Dork Whore was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in March 2007.

Bahr currently does a weekly commentary on KCRW entitled "Social Studies", featuring one of her characters - Svetlana, Russian lady of the night and proprietor of the "St. Petersburg House of Discreet Pleasure." Svetlana was also a recurring guest on The Marc Maron Show, and has done regular pieces for Kurt Anderson's show on WNYC's Studio 360. Svetlana is now the star of her own comedy series, the pilot which can be seen on Funny or Die. Svetlana is also a stand-alone series available on HD Net.

External links

• Iris Bahr's official website
• New York Times feature article on Iris Bahr

• Iris Bahr at TV.com