Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth (/ˈbiːbi ˈnjuːwɜːrθ/ BEE-bee NEW-wurth; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award.
Bebe Neuwirth | |
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Neuwirth at a showing of Chicago on Broadway on teachers' night, 2023 | |
| Born | Beatrice Jane Neuwirth December 31, 1958 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Juilliard School |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
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Neuwirth made her Broadway debut in the musical A Chorus Line in 1980. She went on to receive two Tony Awards, the first for Best Featured Actress in a Musical playing Nickie in the revival of Sweet Charity (1986) and received her second for Best Actress in a Musical for Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago (1996). She has also starred as Lola in the revival of Damn Yankees (1994) and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010).
On television, her breakthrough role was as Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the sitcom Cheers (in a starring role), its spin-off Frasier (in a recurring guest role), and in the 2023 Frasier revival (in a guest role). The role won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Neuwirth was cast as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre in NBC's Law & Order: Trial by Jury which ran for 2005 to 2006. She starred as Nadine Tolliver on the CBS political drama Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2017. She also appeared in recurring roles on Blue Bloods (2013–2019), The Good Wife (2012–2014), The Good Fight (2018–2021), and Julia (2022–2023).
In film, she portrayed Nora Shepherd in the original Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). Other film roles include Say Anything... (1989), Green Card (1990), Bugsy (1991), Celebrity (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).