Constance Ann Shulman (born April 4, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Patti Mayonnaise on ''

Doug Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...

'' and for her recurring role as Yoga Jones in ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a ...

''. Shulman originated the role of Annelle in the first production of '' Steel Magnolias'' Off-Broadway.

Life and career

Shulman was born in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Jo ...

, to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. In 1980, she graduated from the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

with a bachelor's degree in both speech and theater. She moved to New York City to study acting at the

Circle in the Square Theatre School Circle in the Square Theatre School is a non-profit, tax exempt drama school associated with Circle in the Square Theatre; it is the only accredited conservatory attached to a Broadway theatre. It offers two 2-year full-time programs: a Professio ...

and pursue an acting career. In 1989, she made her screen debut in the comedy film ''

Fletch Lives ''Fletch Lives'' is a 1989 American comedy mystery film starring Chevy Chase and the sequel to '' Fletch'' (1985), directed by Michael Ritchie from a screenplay by Leon Capetanos based on the character created by Gregory Mcdonald. Plot Fletch ...

'', playing Cindy Mae. She later had supporting parts in films ''

Lost Angels ''Lost Angels'' (also known as ''The Road Home'') is a 1989 independent film directed by Hugh Hudson and written by Michael Weller. It stars Donald Sutherland and Adam Horovitz. It was filmed in and around San Antonio, Texas. The film was enter ...

'', '' Men Don't Leave'', and ''

Fried Green Tomatoes ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, Jes ...

''. On television, Shulman worked as a voice actress, playing Patti Mayonnaise on ''

'' from 1991 to 1999. In the early 1990s, Shulman appeared in a series of Kraft mayonnaise commercials. She was also a regular cast member in the short-lived 1996 ABC sitcom, ''

The Faculty ''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, B ...

'', playing the best friend of

Meredith Baxter Meredith Ann Baxter (born June 21, 1947) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles on the CBS sitcom '' Bridget Loves Bernie'' (1972–73), ABC drama series ''Family'' (1976–80) and the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1982 ...

's character. In the late 1990s Shulman left the screen to raise her two children. In 2013, Shulman was cast in a recurring role as "Yoga Jones" in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

comedy-drama series, ''

''. Along with the rest of the cast, she received a

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Comedy Series is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest ensemble acting achievements in comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that cons ...

in 2015.

Personal life

She is married to fellow actor Reed Birney, and their daughter Gus Birney is an actress.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shulman, Constance 1958 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Tennessee Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni Living people Jewish American actresses People from Johnson City, Tennessee University of Tennessee alumni 21st-century American Jews