Randy Lynn Graff (born May 23, 1955) is an American actress and singer.

Career

Graff was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City and is a graduate of Wagner College. She is a cousin of actors

Todd Graff Todd Graff (born October 22, 1959) is an American actor, writer and director, best known for his 2003 independent film '' Camp'' and his role as Alan "Hippy" Carnes in the 1989 science fiction film ''The Abyss''. Early life Graff was born in New ...

and

Ilene Graff Ilene Susan Graff (born February 28, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Life and career The Queens, New York native began her professional career as a teenager when she performed as a background singer and commercial actress while attendi ...

. Graff has been in feature films such as ''

Keys to Tulsa ''Keys to Tulsa'' is a 1997 American crime film directed by Leslie Greif, and starring Eric Stoltz and James Spader. It is based on the novel of the same name by Brian Fair Berkey. There is an unrated version that runs 3 minutes longer than the ...

'' and ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' as well as being in television shows such as

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

shows. She originated the role of

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chi ...

in the musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' when the production opened on Broadway in 1987, which included "

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyric ...

", also on the soundtrack released in 1990. According to Graff, she was the first person to sing "

" in the United States of America. She has also appeared in Broadway revivals of the musicals ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'' and ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

''. Graff teaches at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

Filmography

* '' Working It Out:'' "Pilot" (1990) TV Episode – Andy #1 * ''

'' ** "Sonata for Solo Organ" (1991) TV Episode – Dr. Martha Kershan ** "Attorney Client" (2002) TV Episode – Hillary Morton ** "Publish and Perish" (2005) TV Episode – Helen DeVries * '' Drexell's Class'' (1991) TV Series – Principal Francine E. Itkin * ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

:'' "Bedfellows" (1993) TV Episode – Sharon, Paul's older sister * '' Bless This House:'' "Pilot" (1995) TV Episode – Marion * ''

'' (1997) – Louise Brinkman * '' Ed:'' "The Stars Align" (2001) TV Episode – Attorney * ''

'' (2005) - Mrs. Cohen * '' Learning to Drive'' (2014) – Attorney

Theatre

;Broadway *'' Grease'' (1972) *'' Saravá'' (1979) *''

'' (1987) – Original Broadway cast *'' City of Angels'' (1989) – Original Broadway cast, Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actress in a Musical *''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of '' March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and '' Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installments in a trio o ...

'' (1992) *'' Laughter on the 23rd Floor'' (1993) *'' Moon Over Buffalo'' (1995) *''

High Society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

'' (1998) *'' A Class Act'' (2001) – Original Broadway cast, Tony Awards nominee for Best Actress in a Musical *''

'' (2004) – Revival *'' Mr. Saturday Night'' (2022) ;Off-Broadway * '' A... My Name Is Alice'' (1983 and 1984) *'' Do Re Mi'' (1999)

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & ...

, New York City – Kay Cram *''

Hotel Suite A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' (2000) – Millie *'' A Class Act'' (2000) – Sophie *''

'' (2008) – Revival *''The Babylon Line'' (2016–2017) Lincoln Center

Newhouse Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only B ...

– Frieda Cohen;

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

for Featured Actress ;Regional * ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' (2002) – "Charlotte",

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

*''Elegies: A Song Cycle'' (2006) – "Reprise! Broadway's Best "Marvelous Musical Mondays",

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California *'' Hello, Dolly!'' (2007) – "Dolly",

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

*''Broadway: Three Generations'' (2008) –

*''Damn Yankees'' (2008) – The New York City Center *''Motherhood Out Loud'' (2009) – Bay Street Theatre,

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

Hetrick, Ada
Graff and Kellerman Added to Motherhood Out Loud at Bay Street"
playbill.com, July 27, 2009

References

External links

The Official Website for Randy Graff
* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Randy 1955 births American television actresses Drama Desk Award winners Living people Tony Award winners Wagner College alumni American stage actresses American film actresses American musical theatre actresses Actresses from New York City Musicians from Brooklyn 21st-century American women