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Lisa Edelstein

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Lisa Edelstein
Edelstein in 2007
Born (1966-05-21) May 21, 1966 (age 58)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materNew York University
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Playwright
  • Artist
Years active1990–present
Spouse
Robert Russell
​
(m. 2014)​
Websitelisaedelstein.komi.io Edit this at Wikidata

Lisa Edelstein (/ˈliːsə ˈɛdəlstiːn/ EDD-əl-steen; born May 21, 1966)[1] is an American actress and artist. She is known for playing Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the Fox medical drama series House (2004–2011). Between 2014 and 2018, Edelstein starred as Abby McCarthy in the Bravo series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce.

Early life

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Edelstein was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Bonnie and Alvin Edelstein, the youngest of three children in a Jewish family. Her father worked as a pediatrician at Chilton Memorial Hospital.[2] She was raised in Wayne, New Jersey,[3] and attended Wayne Valley High School, graduating in 1984.[4]

At 16, Edelstein was a cheerleader for the New Jersey Generals. Edelstein participated in a protest against poor working conditions. She said she felt they were treated "like hookers" and helped organize a cheerleader walkout.[5]

While living in New York, she became involved in the club scene (known there only as "Lisa E") with "celebutant" James St. James, who briefly refers to Edelstein in his 1999 book Disco Bloodbath. She caused enough of a stir in the community to be dubbed New York City’s "Queen of the Night" by Maureen Dowd in The New York Times in 1986 in a feature article entitled "Lisa In Wonderland."[6]

Career

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Actress

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In response to the growing AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Edelstein wrote, composed and starred in an original musical called Positive Me which she performed at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City, receiving many accolades.[7] She followed that with a short stint hosting MTV’s Awake on the Wild Side in 1990,[8] then began working in earnest as an actress. She got her SAG card appearing as a backstage make-up artist in Oliver Stone's Jim Morrison biography The Doors,[9] and then landed a quick series of guest roles on several popular comedies, including Mad About You,[10] Wings,[11] The Larry Sanders Show[12] and Sports Night,[13] where she played a sports reporter who claimed to be a former lover of Josh Charles' character whom he did not remember. Perhaps most famous from this time was her appearances on Seinfeld, where she played George Costanza's girlfriend in the episodes "The Mango"[14] and "The Masseuse."[15]

Edelstein picketed during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, which halted the production of House.

Bigger roles in TV dramas soon followed, among them the lesbian sister on ABC's Relativity (1996); a high-priced call girl turned Rob Lowe's date on The West Wing (1999); a transgender woman on Ally McBeal (2000); and Ben Covington's (Scott Speedman) girlfriend on Felicity (2001). She also continued to land guest-star spots on such shows as ER, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, Without a Trace, and Judging Amy, as well as small parts in the films What Women Want, Keeping the Faith, As Good as It Gets, and Daddy Day Care.

From 2004 to 2011, she portrayed her biggest and most notable role to date, Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and frequent adversary, friend, and eventual girlfriend of title character Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) on Fox's TV series House. Edelstein has often spoken fondly of her experiences on the show and fellow cast and crew, especially her friendship and strong working relationship with Laurie.

In May 2011, Edelstein announced that she would not return for the eighth and final season of House.[16] Starting in June 2011, she joined the cast of The Good Wife, where she played lawyer Celeste Serrano.[17] She guest-starred in Scandal in 2013, and later three episodes of the ABC series Castle.

In 2014, Edelstein got her dream job landing the lead role of Abby McCarthy in the Bravo series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce,[18] an hour-long dramedy loosely based on the book series by Vicki Iovine focusing on the lives of newly divorced, mid-life women.[19] It ran for five seasons in which she got to expand her creative participation by becoming a producer,[20] writer[21] and director[22] on the series.

In 2018, Edelstein joined the cast of ABC's The Good Doctor in season two as Dr. Marina Blaize in a recurring role.[23] This reunited her with House creator David Shore as well as with Richard Schiff, who played her father on Relativity.[24]

Edelstein then joined the award winning The Kominsky Method,[25] a Netflix series that debuted in November 2018, playing the drug addled daughter of Alan Arkin and working alongside such actors such as Michael Douglas, Paul Reiser and Chuck Lorre. During that time she also reunited with Rob Lowe, playing his ex-wife Gwyneth Morgan, and mother of TK Strand (Ronen Rubenstein) on the ABC drama series, 9-1-1: Lone Star.[26] She played a Holocaust survivor and adopted mother in the Canadian indigenous TV drama Little Bird, which was nominated for 19 Canadian Screen Awards.

Throughout her career she has lent her voice to several animated programs, including King of the Hill, American Dad!, the DC Animated Universe, The Legend of Korra, and the first video game adaptation of Blade Runner.

Other appearances

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Edelstein is a supporter of Best Friends Animal Society, of which she is an ambassador. She supports human rights organizations and is a patron of the arts. She has appeared in numerous magazines, including the September 2010 cover of H magazine.[27] She posed for PETA in an ad promoting vegetarianism, a diet she has followed for most of her life.[28]

Art

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During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Edelstein began to sketch and paint. She began working with magic marker, and at the suggestion of her artist husband Robert Russell switched to watercolor as the size of each piece grew. Edelstein's portfolio is inspired by old family photographs that are "unintended moments, telling unintended truths".[citation needed]

Personal life

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Edelstein married artist Robert Russell in Los Angeles on May 25, 2014.[29] She became a stepmother to Russell's two sons from a previous marriage.[30]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 The Doors Makeup artist
1997 As Good as It Gets Woman at table
1998 Susan's Plan Penny Myers
1998 L.A. Without a Map Sandra
1999 30 Days Danielle
2000 Keeping the Faith Ali Decker
2000 What Women Want Dina
2003 Daddy Day Care Crispin's mother
2005 Say Uncle Sarah Faber
2013 She Loves Me Not Amy
2016 Joshy Claudia
2021 Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets Elly
2023 Swipe NYC[31] Syd Short film
2023 Shadow Brother Sunday[32] Sandra Short film
2024 The Everything Pot[33] Rachel

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1992 L.A. Law Francine Flicker Episode: "My Friend Flicker"
1992 Mad About You Lynne Stoddard Episode: "Out of the Past"
1993 Good Advice Robin Episode: "The Kiss"
1993 Seinfeld Karen 2 episodes
1993 Wings Marsha Peebles Episode: "Labor Pains"
1996 Ned & Stacey Janine Episode: "Friends and Lovers"
1994 The Larry Sanders Show Diane French Episode: "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show"
1994 Wild Oats Unknown Episode: "Pilot"
1995–97 Almost Perfect Patty Karp 8 episodes
1995 Partners Cindy Wolfe Episode: "Who's Afraid of Ron and Cindy Wolfe?"
1995 Superman: The Animated Series Mercy Graves Voice, 7 episodes[34]
1996–97 Relativity Rhonda Roth Main role
1997 ER Aggi Orton Episode: "Ambush"
1998 Frasier Caitlin Episode: "Frasier Gotta Have It"
1998 Just Shoot Me! Erin Simons Episode: "Sewer!"
1998 Indiscreet Beth Sussman Television film
1998 Nothing Sacred Rabbi Judith Fisher Episode: "Holy Words"
1999 Sports Night Bobbi Bernstein 2 episodes
1999–2000 The West Wing Laurie "Brittany" Rollins 5 episodes
2000 Grosse Pointe Shawn Shapiro Episode: "Satisfaction"
2000–01 Ally McBeal Cindy McCauliff 5 episodes
2001 Black River Laura Television film
2001 The Zeta Project Gwen Evans Voice, episode: "Ro's Reunion"[34]
2001–02 Felicity Lauren 6 episodes
2002 Obsessed Charlotte Television film
2002 Leap of Faith Patty Main
2003 A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster Maeve Fox Television film
2003 Without a Trace Dr. Lianna Sardo Episode: "Moving On"
2003 The Practice Diane Ward 2 episodes
2003 Justice League Mercy Graves Voice, episode: "Tabula Rasa"[34]
2004 Judging Amy Sylvia Danforth Episode: "The Quick and the Dead"
2005 Justice League Unlimited Mercy Graves Voice, episode: "Clash"[34]
2005 Fathers and Sons Irene Television film
2004–11 House Dr. Lisa Cuddy Main: Seasons 1–7
People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama Actress
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2007 King of the Hill Alexis Voice, episode: "The Powder Puff Boys"
2007–11 American Dad! Sharri Rothberg Voice, 6 episodes
2008 Special Delivery Maxine Carter Television film
2011 Childrens Hospital Herself/Lisa Cuddy Episode: "Run, Dr. Lola Spratt, Run!"
2011 The Good Wife Celeste Serano 3 episodes
2011 Paul The Male Matchmaker Jillian Episode: "Know When You Are Not Ready"
2012 Blue-Eyed Butcher Kelly Siegler Television film
2012 Elementary Heather Van Owen Episode: "The Long Fuse"
2013 House of Lies Brynn 2 episodes
2013 Scandal Sarah Stanner Episode: "Top of the Hour"
2013 Castle Rachel McCord 3 episodes
2013–14 The Legend of Korra Kya Voice, 14 episodes[34]
2014–18 Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce Abby McCarthy Main

Women's Image Network Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2015, 2016)

2018–19 The Good Doctor Dr. Marina Blaize 6 episodes
2018–19,
2021 		The Kominsky Method Phoebe Recurring role
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2021–22 9-1-1: Lone Star Gwyneth Morgan Recurring (season 2); guest (season 3)[35]
2023 Little Bird Golda Rosenblum TV Limited Series

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Blade Runner Crystal Steele

Podcasts

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Borrasca Leah Dixon

Awards

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Edelstein has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for the following performances:

Edelstein has won the International Press Academy's Satellite Awards for the following performances:

  • 10th Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, winner, for House (2005)
  • 26th Satellite Awards: Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, winner, for The Kominsky Method (2021)

In 2011, she won the People's Choice Award for Best Drama Actress in a TV Series for her portrayal of Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House.[36]

Edelstein has won the Women's Image Network Awards for the following performances:

References

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  1. ^ Rosenfeld, Laura (January 18, 2017). "Lisa Edelstein Says "It's a Wonderful Thing" to Be Over 40 in Hollywood". Bravo. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "Lisa Edelstein". chiltonhealth.org.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Vaughan, Bonnia. "Small-Screen GemLisa Edelstein – The actress talks about her role on Relativity", Entertainment Weekly, October 6, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2011. "Thanks to Relativity – and her role as lovelorn lesbian Rhonda – the Wayne, N.J., native has another opportunity to set a strong example."
  4. ^ Rohan, Virginia. "North Jersey-bred and talented too", The Record (Bergen County), June 18, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2007. "Lisa Edelstein: Class of 1984, Wayne Valley High School" [dead link‍]
  5. ^ Katz, Emily Tess (December 3, 2015). "That Time Trump's Cheerleaders Staged A Walkout For Being Treated 'Like Hookers'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  6. ^ Dowd, Maureen (November 9, 1986). "LISA IN WONDERLAND". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "LaMama Archives : Document : Show File: "Positive Me" (1988) [OBJ.1988.0601]". catalog.lamama.org. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Awake on the Wild Side, Music Television (MTV), retrieved February 24, 2023
  9. ^ The Doors (1991) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  10. ^ "Mad About You" Out of the Past (TV Episode 1992) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  11. ^ Wings (TV Series 1990–1997) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  12. ^ "The Larry Sanders Show" The Mr. Sharon Stone Show (TV Episode 1994) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  13. ^ Sports Night (TV Series 1998–2000) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  14. ^ Cherones, Tom (September 16, 1993), The Mango, Seinfeld, retrieved February 24, 2023
  15. ^ "Seinfeld" The Masseuse (TV Episode 1993) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  16. ^ "House Shocker: A 'Disappointed' Lisa Edelstein Calls It Quits". TVLine. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  17. ^ "Lisa Edelstein moves from House to The Good Wife". June 23, 2011. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  18. ^ Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (Comedy, Drama), Canada Film Capital, Universal Cable Productions, December 2, 2014, retrieved February 24, 2023
  19. ^ Iovine, Vicki (2001). The girlfriend's guide to getting your groove back : loving your family without losing your mind (1st ed.). New York, N.Y.: Berkley Pub. Group. ISBN 0-399-52630-7. OCLC 45493142.
  20. ^ Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (TV Series 2014–2018) - IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  21. ^ "Lisa Edelstein". Bravo TV Official Site. September 2, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2023. She has penned two episodes of the series, including episode #303, "Rule #187: You Are What You Eat, So… Chow Down" and episode #203, "Rule #8: Timing Is Everything," the latter which she wrote with creator and executive producer Marti Noxon.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 3, 2018). "Lisa Edelstein On 'Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce's Coming To An End, Directing & 'House' Reunion On 'The Good Doctor'". Deadline. Retrieved February 24, 2023. It includes Edelstein's TV directing debut with the episode that premieres this Thursday, July 5.
  23. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2018). "'The Good Doctor': Lisa Edelstein To Recur On Season 2, Sets 'House' Reunion". Deadline. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  24. ^ Relativity (Comedy, Drama, Romance), 20th Century Fox Television, The Bedford Falls Company, September 24, 1996, retrieved February 24, 2023
  25. ^ The Kominsky Method (TV Series 2018–2021) – IMDb, retrieved February 24, 2023
  26. ^ Maas, Jennifer (February 22, 2022). "Lisa Edelstein to Exit '9-1-1: Lone Star' After Two Seasons (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  27. ^ Edelstein on the cover of the September 2010 H mag at H's official site; Retrieved September 17, 2010
  28. ^ Christina Everett, "'House' Star, 44, Poses Nude for PETA," NY Daily News, April 18, 2012.
  29. ^ "House Star Lisa Edelstein Tied the Knot This Weekend, Too!—Get All the Details on Her Wedding to Robert Russell". E! Online. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  30. ^ "Lisa Edelstein Opens Up About Being a Stepmom: 'Children Will Let You Know What They Need From You'". Entertainment Tonight. August 19, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  31. ^ Kramer, Sue (April 24, 2023), Swipe NYC (Short), Lisa Edelstein, Richard Schiff, Bridget Moynahan, Bella Films, retrieved June 20, 2024
  32. ^ Ehrenreich, Alden (June 9, 2023), Shadow Brother Sunday (Short), Alden Ehrenreich, Nick Robinson, Lisa Edelstein, Vanishing Angle, retrieved June 20, 2024
  33. ^ Dorf, Sherise, The Everything Pot (Comedy), Lisa Edelstein, James Wolk, Erik Griffin, retrieved June 20, 2024
  34. ^ a b c d e "Lisa Edelstein (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 26, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  35. ^ Maas, Jennifer (February 21, 2022). "Lisa Edelstein to Exit '9-1-1: Lone Star' After Two Seasons (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  36. ^ "People's Choice Awards Nominees and Winners 2011". peopleschoice.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
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