Who Am I? January 2022
II am a baby boomer who was born in Encino, CA. Dad was a neurologist and mom was a travel agent. Both my parents are descendants of Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. I graduated from William Taft High School in Woodland Hills where I played varsity tennis. After high school I went to Vassar where I took some theater courses and graduated with a B.S. in biology. I thought about becoming a medic specialist because I was good at analyzing.
My brother’s good friend was a comedian. He suggested that I give acting a try; and, as a result, I auditioned for and joined an improv group. It didn’t hurt that I was a green-eyed lanky blonde. At first, I got guest gigs on TV sitcoms. Most of you know me from a Thursday night NBC TV role in which I portrayed a character who was both a scatterbrained massage therapist and a folk singer of sorts. The 6 yuppies in that series reside in N.Y.C. That series lasted a decade and helped me earn an Emmy for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.” On that same network I also appeared in 24 episodes of another sitcom that ran 7 years where I was cast as the twin sister of that same masseuse. My role there was that of an absent-minded waitress. I’ve appeared in over 40 films and I have co-founded a production company to produce my own projects. I’m quoted as saying, “I had always thought that fame would give you permission to lighten up on yourself. If everybody else likes you, you could finally have permission to love yourself. It’s not true.” My idea of extravagance is travelling well and getting facials.
In case you were wondering, I do have some New Jersey bona fides. I co-starred in a movie with Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro that was partially shot in Hoboken. Also, as Executive Director of a British show similar to Robert Louis Gates’ “Finding Your Roots,” I staged a video shoot at the Main Library’s New Jersey Room in Jersey City. That’s me with my mom and dad in the photo below.
(1a)Who Am I? (1b)Which one of my brother’s friends convinced me to take the plunge into show business? (2a)What was my character’s name in the sitcom where I played the massage therapist? (2b)What was the name of that same TV sitcom that ran 10 years? (2c) What was my “twin sister’s” name? (2d)What was the name of the series my “twin” appeared in? (3a)When I was in 4th grade I acted out 2 scenes from “Fiddler on the Roof” for my class and school. What were those 2 scenes?(3b)What film did I shoot in Hoboken with Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro? (3c)What deli do I frequent in Los Angeles? (3d) What is the name of that British TV series similar to “Finding Your Roots” where I serve as the executive producer? (4)My great-grandmother was shot, murdered and her body burnt by the Nazis and their collaborators in Belarus. What was her name? (5) Finally, I had a normal bat-mitzvah. I memorized the tape of my Haftorah and read the Hebrew portions phonetically. Describe my son’s unusual bar-mitzvah.
