Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (; born August 19, 1965) is an American actress, producer and director. For her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'', she won a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

in 2007 and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

in 2010. She also had a recurring role as Madeline Wuntch on the sitcom ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Da ...

''. Sedgwick was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

award for her performance in '' Something to Talk About'' (1995). Her other film roles include

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

's '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989),

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

's ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

'' (1992), '' Heart and Souls'' (1993), ''

Phenomenon A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfrie ...

'' (1996), '' What's Cooking'' (2000), ''

Secondhand Lions ''Secondhand Lions'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tim McCanlies. It tells the story of an introverted young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to live with his eccentric great uncles (Robert Duvall and Michael Ca ...

'' (2003), '' The Game Plan'' (2007), ''

The Possession ''The Possession'' is a 2012 American supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and J. R. Young, and written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Nat ...

'' (2012), and ''

The Edge of Seventeen ''The Edge of Seventeen'' is a 2016 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, in her directorial debut. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Haley Lu Richardson. The f ...

'' (2016).

Early life

Sedgwick was born in New York City, the daughter of Patricia (née Rosenwald), a speech teacher and educational/family therapist and Henry Dwight Sedgwick V, a

venture capitalist Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...

. Her mother was Jewish and her father was Episcopalian and of English heritage. Sedgwick has identified herself as Jewish and has stated that she participates in

Passover seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of isan in the Hebrew ...

s. A member of the Sedgwick family on her father's side, she is a descendant of Major General Robert Sedgwick, Judge Theodore Sedgwick, Endicott Peabody (educator), Endicott Peabody (the founder of the Groton School), William Ellery (a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence), Samuel Appleton (born 1625), Samuel Appleton, John Lathrop, of Boston, Massachusetts, and is the great-granddaughter of

Henry Dwight Sedgwick III Henry Dwight Sedgwick III (September 24, 1861 – January 5, 1957) was an American lawyer and author. Early life Sedgwick was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the second of five children born to Henry Dwight Sedgwick II (1824–1903 ...

, thus the corresponding niece to his brother

Ellery Sedgwick Ellery Sedgwick (February 27, 1872 – April 21, 1960) was an American editor, brother of Henry Dwight Sedgwick. Early life He was born in New York City to Henry Dwight Sedgwick II and Henrietta Ellery (Sedgwick), grand daughter of William E ...

, owner/editor (1908-1938) of ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. Sedgwick is also a sister of actor Robert Sedgwick, half-sister of jazz guitarist Mike Stern, the first cousin once removed of actress Edie Sedgwick, and a niece of the writer John Sedgwick. She is the aunt of R&B/pop singer

George Nozuka George Nozuka (born April 28, 1986) is an American-based Canadian-Japanese R&B singer best known for his single "Talk to Me", which peaked at No. 1 on the MuchMusic music-video countdown in October 2006. Career Nozuka released his debut ...

and his younger singer-songwriter brother Justin Nozuka (their mother, Holly, is Sedgwick's half-sister). Sedgwick's parents separated when she was four and divorced when she was six; her mother subsequently married Ben Heller, an art dealer. Sedgwick graduated from

Friends Seminary Friends Seminary is an independent K-12 school in Manhattan within the landmarked district in the East Village. The oldest continuously coeducational school in New York City, Friends Seminary serves 794 students in Kindergarten through Grade 1 ...

and attended

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sarah Lawrence scholarship, particularly ...

before transferring to the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, where she graduated with a theater degree.

Career

Sedgwick made her debut at the age of 16 on the television soap opera '' Another World'' as Julia Shearer, troubled granddaughter of Liz Matthews. In 1988, she appeared in a TV version of Lanford Wilson's ''

Lemon Sky ''Lemon Sky'' is a 1970 play by Lanford Wilson. Production history ''Lemon Sky'' was developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 1968, with Michael Douglas in the cast.Kuchwara, Michael. "'Lemon Sky' Revival ...

''. During the 1990s, she appeared in several

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

movies, including ''

'' (1992), '' Heart and Souls'' (1993), '' Something to Talk About'' (1995), and ''

'', in which she played the love interest of

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...

's character.Stated in interview on ''

Inside the Actors Studio ''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel C ...

'', 2007 She acted in Critical Care (1997). She starred in the

–winning 1992 made-for-TV film ''

Miss Rose White ''Miss Rose White'' is a television film adaptation by Anna Sandor of the 1985 Barbara Lebow play, ''A Shayna Maidel'', starring Kyra Sedgwick. It first aired on April 26, 1992. The production received five Emmy Awards, including Primetime Emmy A ...

'' as a Jewish immigrant who comes to terms with her ethnicity. She played the parts of Mae Coleman in 2003's ''

'' and Stella Peck in the 2007 film '' The Game Plan''. She also starred alongside her husband Kevin Bacon in two films: the 1991 sex comedy '' Pyrates'', and the 2004 drama '' The Woodsman''. She dubbed the voice of

Batwoman Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Kathy Kane and Kate Kane. History * The first Batwoman, Kathy Kane, debuted during the Silver Age of Comics ...

in the animated movie '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman''. Sedgwick starred in the television series ''

'' from 2005 to 2012. In 2007, she began earning roughly $300,000 per episode. Over the life of the series, she was nominated for and won several awards for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. She received a

award in 2007 for her performance as lead actress and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010. In 2009, Sedgwick was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for Television. ''The Closer'' ended on August 13, 2012, following the completion of its seventh season; the series's broadcaster, TNT, said that the decision to retire the series was made by Sedgwick. A sequel series starring most of the same cast called '' Major Crimes'' continued in its place. Sedgwick produced the television series ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a c ...

'' for TNT which debuted in 2015 for one season. She is also featured in the NBC comedy series ''

'' portraying the character of Madeline Wuntch. Sedgwick will play the lead role of Jean Raines in the ABC comedy pilot ''My Village,'' written by

Kari Lizer Kari Lizer (born August 26, 1961) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She was the creator and executive producer of the CBS sitcom ''The New Adventures of Old Christine''. In May 2010, CBS canceled ''Old Christine'' after five seasons. ...

. The series was

green-light To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...

ed by ABC and re-titled '' Call Your Mother'' on May 21, 2020, for the 2020–2021 television season.

Personal life

Sedgwick married actor Kevin Bacon on September 4, 1988. The couple have two children, Travis Sedgwick Bacon and actress

Sosie Ruth Bacon Sosie Ruth Bacon (born March 15, 1992) is an American actress. Her first role was playing 10-year-old Emily in the film ''Loverboy'' (2005), which was directed by her father, Kevin Bacon. James Duff, producer of ''The Closer'', was compelled by ...

. The family lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Awards and nominations

Honors

* 2005: Received the Copper Wing Tribute Award presented to her during the Phoenix Film Festival. * 2009, June 8: Inducted into the

receiving a star for her contribution to Television located at 6356 Hollywood, Blvd. – the 2,384th star, presented to her by the President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Leron Gubler. * 2013: Honored with the President's Award by the Society of Camera Operators. * 2017: Received the John Cassavetes Award presented to her during the

Denver International Film Festival The Denver Film Festival is held in November, primarily at the Denver Film Center/Colfax, in Denver, Colorado, now the Anna and John J. Sie FilmCenter (Sie FilmCenter). Premiere events are held in the Buell Theatre and Ellie Caulkins Opera House ...

Accolades

References

External links

* * *
Kyra Sedgwick
at

Kyra Sedgwick
at

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sedgwick, Kyra 1965 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American people of English descent American television actresses American voice actresses Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Cornell family Jewish American actresses Living people Peabody family People from the Upper West Side Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Sarah Lawrence College alumni Sedgwick family USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni Friends Seminary alumni