Lesley Ann Warren
| Lesley Ann Warren | |
|---|---|
 Warren in 2009 | |
| Born |
August 16, 1946 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Lesley Warren |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jon Peters (m. 1967; div. 1974) Ronald Taft (m. 2000) |
| Children | Christopher Peters |
Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946) is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Award, and five times for Golden Globe Award, taking one. She is known for her roles in films, The Happiest Millionaire, Victor Victoria, Clue, Burglar, Cop, Color of Night and Secretary. Warren has also starred in popular TV shows, Mission: Impossible, Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace, and In Plain Sight.
Early life
Warren was born in New York City, the daughter of Margot (née Verblow), a singer, and William Warren, a real estate agent.[1] Her family was Russian Jewish, on both sides, and her father's original surname was "Warrenoff".[2][3]
Career
The 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) Warren began her career as a ballet dancer, training at the School of American Ballet. She entered the Actors Studio at the age of 17—reputedly the youngest applicant ever to be accepted. Her Broadway debut came in 1963 in the musical 110 in the Shade. She won the Theatre World Award for her performance in the 1965 flop musical Drat! The Cat!. In 1973, she portrayed Scarlett O'Hara in the Los Angeles production of the musical Scarlett; however, the play was poorly reviewed and did not continue to Broadway as planned.
Having failed to obtain the role of Liesl in the film version of The Sound of Music, Warren's first major television success was in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein's television special Cinderella in 1965.[4] She later played the part of Dana Lambert, the leading female on the Mission: Impossible team, during the 1970–71 television season. According to The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier by Patrick White, she was considered too inexperienced for the part and left after only one year. Despite her departure, throughout the 1970s Warren became a leading lady of TV movies, TV series, and TV miniseries. She appeared as a guest star in the third season of The Muppet Show and made an occasional feature film. Warren also played Lois Lane in the 1975 TV special It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. Warren went on to screen-test for the role of Lois Lane in the 1978 Superman film, a role that was ultimately won by Margot Kidder (footage of Warren's screen test has been included as a supplementary feature on VHS and DVD releases of the film).
In 1981, she starred with Ken Wahl, George Peppard, and Donald Pleasence in Race for the Yankee Zephyr, a New Zealand suspense-action-thriller film directed by David Hemmings. For her portrayal of dim-witted gangster's moll Norma Cassidy in the 1982 musical-comedy Victor Victoria, Warren was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[4] Warren is also a five-time Golden Globe nominee and won for the 1977 miniseries Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue. She was Emmy-nominated for the TV movie Family of Spies (1991).
In 1975, Warren played a mental patient opposite Peter Falk and George Hamilton in the Columbo episode A Deadly State of Mind. Warren played Princess Jeanetta in the Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre episode The Dancing Princesses, an adaptation of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. She starred as one of the prime murder suspects, Miss Scarlet, in the comedy film version of the popular board game Clue (1985). In 1986, Lesley was prominently featured in Bob Seger's popular music video for his hit song "American Storm." In 1989, she appeared in the Aerosmith video "Janie's Got a Gun", wherein she played Janie's mother. She was also featured in a video for the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane". In 1994, Warren had a major supporting role in the erotic thriller Color of Night, in which she played a nymphomaniac; the film was poorly received, and she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress. However, it was successful on the home video market.
Warren had recurring roles on Will & Grace as Will Truman's father's mistress and on Desperate Housewives as Susan Mayer's mother.[4] Other television roles have included Lily Lebowski's mother on Crossing Jordan and Kip Stedman's mother in Less than Perfect.
Warren played the role of Mary Shannon's mother in the USA Network original television series In Plain Sight.
Personal life
Warren married producer Jon Peters in 1967. They divorced in 1974. They have one son, Christopher Peters, born 1968, he was an actor, now producer. She married Ronald Taft in 2000.
TV and filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Chapman Report | Sarah's Daughter | uncredited |
| 1965 | Cinderella | Cinderella | |
| 1966 | Gunsmoke | Betsy Payson | 1 episode |
| 1966 | Dr. Kildare | Bonda Jo Weaver | 4 episodes |
| 1967 | The Happiest Millionaire | Cordelia 'Cordy' Biddle | feature film debut |
| 1968 | The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band | Alice Bower | |
| 1969 | Seven in Darkness | Deborah Cabot | |
| 1970–1971 | Mission: Impossible | Dana Lambert | 23 episodes
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1971 | Love, Hate, Love | Sheila Blunden | |
| Cat Ballou | Cat Ballou | TV-movie version | |
| 1972 | Assignment: Munich | Cathy Lange | |
| Pickup on 101 | Nicky | ||
| The Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Mae | ||
| 1973 | The Letters | Laura Reynolds | |
| Saga of Sonora | Emmy Lou | ||
| Death on a Barge | Hyacinth ( vampire ) | TV series Night Gallery season 3 episode 13 | |
| 1975 | Columbo | Nadia Donner | Episode: A Deadly State of Mind |
| The Legend of Valentino | Laura Lorraine | ||
| 1976 | Harry and Walter Go to New York | Gloria Fontaine | |
| 1977 | Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue | Marja Fludjicki/Marianne | TV mini-series Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama |
| 1978 | Betrayal | Julie Roy | |
| Pearl | Dr. Carol Lang | TV mini-series | |
| The Muppet Show | Herself | ||
| 1979 | Portrait of a Stripper | Susie Hanson | |
| 1980 | Beulah Land | Sarah Pennington | TV mini-series |
| 1981 | Race for the Yankee Zephyr | Sally | |
| 1982 | Victor Victoria | Norma Cassady | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |
| 1983 | A Night in Heaven | Faye Hanlon | |
| 1984 | Choose Me | Eve | |
| Songwriter | Gilda | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | |
| 1985 | Clue | Miss Scarlet | |
| 1986 | Apology | Lily | |
| A Fight for Jenny | Kelsey Wilkes | ||
| 1987 | Burglar | Dr. Cynthia Sheldrake | |
| 1988 | Cop | Kathleen McCarthy | |
| Baja Oklahoma | Juanita Hutchins | CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | |
| 1989 | Worth Winning | Eleanor Larimore | |
| 1990 | 27 Wagons Full of Cotton | Flora | |
| Family of Spies | Barbara Walker | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | |
| Lola | Lola Baltic | ||
| 1991 | A Seduction in Travis County | Melanie Evans | |
| Life Stinks | Molly | ||
| 1992 | In Sickness and in Health | Anita Mattison | |
| Pure Country | Lula Rogers | ||
| Willing to Kill | Wanda Holloway | ||
| 1993 | A Mother's Revenge | Carol Sanders | |
| 1994 | Color of Night | Sondra | |
| 1995 | Joseph | Potiphar's Wife | |
| Bird of Prey | Carla Carr | ||
| Murderous Intent | Gayle | ||
| 1997 | Going All the Way | Nina Casselman | |
| 1998 | All of It | Glenda Holbeck | |
| Richie Rich's Christmas Wish | Regina Rich | ||
| 1999 | Love Kills | Evelyn Heiss | |
| The Limey | Elaine | ||
| Twin Falls Idaho | Francine | ||
| Teaching Mrs. Tingle | Faye Watson | Cameo appearance | |
| 2000 | Ropewalk | Charlie's mother | |
| Trixie | Dawn Sloane | ||
| 2001 | Losing Grace | Mary Reed | |
| Delivering Milo | Anna | ||
| The Quickie | Anna | ||
| Wolf Girl | Dr. Klein | ||
| 2002 | Secretary | Joan Holloway | |
| 2003 | Touched by an Angel | Kelly Cartwright | Episode: As It Is in Heaven |
| The Practice | Sylvia Bakey | Episodes: Choirboys and Special Deliveries | |
| 2004 | Less than Perfect | Diane Steadman | Episode: Claude's Apartment |
| My Tiny Universe | Vee | ||
| 2005 | The Shore | Mrs. Becky Harris | |
| Constellation | Nancy | ||
| When Do We Eat? | Peggy Stuckman | ||
| Deepwater | Pam | ||
| 2002–2005 | Crossing Jordan | Arlene Lebowski | Episodes: Don't Look Back and Locard's Exchange |
| 2006 | Miracle Dogs Too | Nurse Bleaker | |
| 10th & Wolf | Tina | ||
| 2001–2006 | Will & Grace | Tina | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | The Diagnosis | Linda | |
| 2009 | Bound by a Secret | Jane Tetley | |
| 2010 | Stiffs | Joy Tramontana | |
| A Little Help | Joan | ||
| 2011 | Peep World | Marilyn Meyerwitz | |
| 2005–2011 | Desperate Housewives | Sophie Bremmer | Special Guest-Star |
| 2008–2012 | In Plain Sight | Jinx Shannon | 28 episodes |
| 2013 | Jobs | Clara Jobs | |
| 2013 | Psych | Lesley Scarlett, rock band groupie | Season 7, Episode 5, "100 Clues" (100th episode) |
| 2015 | I Am Michael | Michael's mother in flashback scenes | shown at Sundance, Berlin, and Frameline film festivals in early 2015 |
| Community | Deb Perry | 2 Episodes |
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lesley Ann Warren. |
|