Who Am I? July 2022
I was born in a state that’s “round on the ends and high in the middle” in the mid-1960’s. I was the 4th of 8 children. My dad’s family was Ashkenazi Jewish originally from the border area of Russia and Poland. My great-grandfather landed on Ellis Island. My dad, Stephen, grew up just off of Ocean Avenue near Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. My mom, Barbara, was of German and English descent. Barbara sought to raise her brood “the way cultured Jews in NYC raise their children and how Rose Kennedy raised her children.”
I made my first TV appearance at age 8. The family moved around quite a bit. We lived in Englewood, N.J. while I was attending Dwight Morrow High School. During a cold snap the pipes in our house froze and we moved to nearby Teaneck. I also attended the School of American Ballet, the HB Studio, and the Professional Children’s School in NYC. Later on I graduated from Hollywood High in Los Angeles but sadly missed my prom because of another commitment. I decided to forgo college and instead pursue an acting career. I have enjoyed success both on stage and on screen; however, most of you know me from an HBO TV series I starred in that ran from 1998 to 2004 in which I played a columnist. That TV series led to a film adaptation and a sequel. I’ll admit to being a bit prudish and have never been a party girl. I have a no-nudity clause in my contracts; however, I am quoted as saying, “I enjoy the idea that you can be a lady and also be slightly titillating and you don’t have to take all your clothes off.”
My success on the HBO series established me as a style and fashion icon. I have signed promotional deals with Garnier to promote hair products; with Jordache to promote jeans; with The Gap; with Halston to design a clothing line, and with Nordstrom to promote footwear. I also came out with several scents of perfume.
I have had significant relationships with Robert Downey Jr., JFK Jr. and Nicholas Cage. Some of my co-stars have been Olympia Dukakis, Hugh Grant, Mathew McConaughey, Diane Keaton, Mathew Broderick, Helen Hunt, Johnny Depp, Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis, Pierce Brosnan, and Jack Nicholson. In point of fact, I married one of those co-stars whose mom is Jewish in a historic Lower East-Side synagogue.
I’ve been quoted as follows,” I’m not a religious person, but I know that’s not true; I know that there’s a somebody who watches over us and he or she takes care or not, or teaches us. I really do – strangely enough – kind of cling to that. I have frankly considered myself a Jew….. I was always responding to things that were Jewish.” Incidentally, I have hosted an episode of the Israeli version of Sesame Street, read Jewish folk tales on NPR and narrated a documentary on the Hasidic community. Somehow along the way I found time to be National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and their rep for the Performing Arts. I have sat on the NYC Ballet’s Board of Directors and am a member of the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee. That’s a younger image of me in the photo below.
(1a)Who Am I? (1b)Who wrote the book on which my most successful HBO TV series was based? (1c)What was the name of my long-running HBO TV series? (1d)At what real NYC address did my TV character from that HBO 6-year series live at? (2a)Who was the costume designer for that 6-year HBO TV series? (2b)Name 1 of my favorite dress designers. (3a)What is the name of my production company that creates content for HBO and other media outlets? (3b)What is the name of my husband? (3c)My husband and I like living in the West Village. List one address we have lived at. (4a) Name a perfume I helped develop and promote. (4b)What is “Book Club Central” and what is my connection to it? (4c)Finally, who is Tim Lightbourne and what is my connection to him?
