Linda Lavin
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Born in Portland, Maine to a musically inclined family (her mother was
once an opera singer) and on stage from the age of 5, singer/actress
Linda Lavin graduated from The College of William and Mary with a
theatre degree.
Linda pounded the New York pavements in the early 1960s
searching for work following some stock roles in New Jersey, and
gradually made a dent within the New York musical comedy scene with
roles in "Oh, Kay!" (1960), "A Family Affair," (1962), "It's a
Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" (1966) (her standout number was
"You've Got Possibilities") and "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever"
(1966). She also won kudos for her straight acting roles in "Little
Murders" (1969 Drama Desk award) and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969
Tony nomination). A one-time member of
Paul Sills' Compass Players comedy troupe
back in the late 1950s, she served as a replacement in Sills' "Story
Theatre" Broadway production in 1971.
Television beckoned in the 1970s and utilized her singing talents in a
small-screen version of
Damn Yankees! (1967)
starring Phil Silvers and
Lee Remick. After a one-season false start as
Detective Janice Wentworth on the sitcom
Barney Miller (1975), it did
not take long for the talented lady to become a household name in
another. As the titular waitress/mother in the sitcom
Alice (1976), based on the
award-winning film
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
starring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Lavin
won deserved stardom. During the nine seasons (1976-1985) the show was
on the air, she nabbed two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy nomination.
Ever the singer, she even warbled "There's a New Girl in Town" over the
opening credits of the show to the delight of her fans.
Following this success, Linda lavished her attentions once again on the
stage. She earned renewed respect, in addition to several critic's
awards, for her diversified Broadway work in "Broadway Bound" (1987
Tony award), "Death Defying Acts" (1995 Obie award), "The Diary of Anne
Frank" (1998 Tony nomination: as the high-strung Mrs. Van Daan) and
"Tales of the Allergist Wife" (2000 Tony nomination). She later appeared in a PBS-TV version of
Collected Stories (2002)
and in 2010 revived it on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for her
efforts. She has also occasionally directed for the stage.
Linda was married and divorced twice to actors --
Ron Leibman and
Kip Niven -- and in 2005 married her third
husband, actor Steve Bakunas, who is also
an artist and musician. After her "Alice" heyday, the actress would again
return to series work, albeit the short-lived
Room for Two (1992) and
Conrad Bloom (1998).
Millennium credits include penetrating/amusing TV work on "The Sopranos," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The O.C.," "Madame Secretary," "Santa Clarita Diet" and "Room 104," plus regular roles on three comedy series -- Sean Saves the World (2013), 9JKL (2017) and Yvette Slosch, Agent (2020) (title role). As for stage work, Linda returned to Broadway where she received fine reviews for her starring role in Carol Burnett's
autobiographical play "Hollywood Arms" (2002) portraying Burnett's
grandmother. The piece was co-written by Burnett's late daughter,
Carrie Hamilton. Linda also received
excellent reviews in "Collected Stories" (2010). Subsequent Broadway shows included brief runs of "The Lyons" (2012) and "My Mother's Brief Affair."
once an opera singer) and on stage from the age of 5, singer/actress
Linda Lavin graduated from The College of William and Mary with a
theatre degree.
Linda pounded the New York pavements in the early 1960s
searching for work following some stock roles in New Jersey, and
gradually made a dent within the New York musical comedy scene with
roles in "Oh, Kay!" (1960), "A Family Affair," (1962), "It's a
Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" (1966) (her standout number was
"You've Got Possibilities") and "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever"
(1966). She also won kudos for her straight acting roles in "Little
Murders" (1969 Drama Desk award) and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969
Tony nomination). A one-time member of
Paul Sills' Compass Players comedy troupe
back in the late 1950s, she served as a replacement in Sills' "Story
Theatre" Broadway production in 1971.
Television beckoned in the 1970s and utilized her singing talents in a
small-screen version of
Damn Yankees! (1967)
starring Phil Silvers and
Lee Remick. After a one-season false start as
Detective Janice Wentworth on the sitcom
Barney Miller (1975), it did
not take long for the talented lady to become a household name in
another. As the titular waitress/mother in the sitcom
Alice (1976), based on the
award-winning film
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
starring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Lavin
won deserved stardom. During the nine seasons (1976-1985) the show was
on the air, she nabbed two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy nomination.
Ever the singer, she even warbled "There's a New Girl in Town" over the
opening credits of the show to the delight of her fans.
Following this success, Linda lavished her attentions once again on the
stage. She earned renewed respect, in addition to several critic's
awards, for her diversified Broadway work in "Broadway Bound" (1987
Tony award), "Death Defying Acts" (1995 Obie award), "The Diary of Anne
Frank" (1998 Tony nomination: as the high-strung Mrs. Van Daan) and
"Tales of the Allergist Wife" (2000 Tony nomination). She later appeared in a PBS-TV version of
Collected Stories (2002)
and in 2010 revived it on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for her
efforts. She has also occasionally directed for the stage.
Linda was married and divorced twice to actors --
Ron Leibman and
Kip Niven -- and in 2005 married her third
husband, actor Steve Bakunas, who is also
an artist and musician. After her "Alice" heyday, the actress would again
return to series work, albeit the short-lived
Room for Two (1992) and
Conrad Bloom (1998).
Millennium credits include penetrating/amusing TV work on "The Sopranos," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The O.C.," "Madame Secretary," "Santa Clarita Diet" and "Room 104," plus regular roles on three comedy series -- Sean Saves the World (2013), 9JKL (2017) and Yvette Slosch, Agent (2020) (title role). As for stage work, Linda returned to Broadway where she received fine reviews for her starring role in Carol Burnett's
autobiographical play "Hollywood Arms" (2002) portraying Burnett's
grandmother. The piece was co-written by Burnett's late daughter,
Carrie Hamilton. Linda also received
excellent reviews in "Collected Stories" (2010). Subsequent Broadway shows included brief runs of "The Lyons" (2012) and "My Mother's Brief Affair."
Funny Women of Television
Funny Women of Television
We salute the brilliant women behind all those unforgettable laughs on the small screen.