Cady Huffman (born February 2, 1965) is an American actress.
Early life
Huffman was born in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
, to Lorayne, a pre-school assistant director turned realtor, and Clifford Huffman, an attorney. She is the younger sister of actor Linus Huffman and automotive writer John Pearley Huffman, whose work often appears in ''
Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published 1947. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published six times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York City.
History
''Road ...
'' and ''
Car and Driver
''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published in 1955. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased it from its prior owner Hachette Fi ...
'' magazines and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. She attended public schools in Santa Barbara (skipping the fourth grade) and graduated from the local
San Marcos High School in June 1982. Huffman started performing in Santa Barbara's very active local theater community well before her teenage years. She also studied ballet at The Goleta School of Ballet and performed numerous classical ballets with the school's company.
Career
Huffman first came to Broadway as a replacement cast member in the hit musical ''
La Cage aux Folles'' (1985), and was quickly cast in
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...
's ''
Big Deal,'' to be followed by a Tony-Award nomination for her performance in ''
The Will Rogers Follies
''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a Musical theatre, musical with a book by Peter Stone (writer), Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman.
It focuses on the life and career of humorist and performer Will Rogers, ...
'' (1991). In 2001, she played the role of
Ulla
Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula (given name), Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular ...
in the original cast of the
Broadway musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
''
The Producers'', by
Mel Brooks
Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...
. Huffman received the
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the role.
She made her film debut in the film ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
'' (1992). She has since appeared in ''
Space Marines'' (1996), ''
Romance & Cigarettes'' and ''
The Nanny Diaries''. She also appeared in the 2010 film ''
The Company Men''. During 2003 and 2004, she produced, starred in and acted as production designer for the independent film ''
Sunday on the Rocks'' directed by
Joe Morton
Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American actor. Known as a character actor for his numerous roles on stage, television and film, he has received several awards including a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for ...
.
On television, she has had guest starring roles on programs such as ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'', ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''
Mad About You''. She appeared as herself in several guest spots on the television series ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm
''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...
'' during 2004. The series' fourth season plot involved
Larry David
Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
joining the cast of ''
The Producers''. Beginning in August 2005, Huffman took over for
Kimberlin Brown as Dr. Paige Miller on ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
''. Her last episode aired on January 23, 2006. During 2011 and 2012, she has appeared in episodes of ''
The Good Wife
''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
''.
She was a regular food judge on Food Network's ''
Iron Chef America
''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, wh ...
'', described by host
Alton Brown
Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, food scientist, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' th ...
as "the
Kitty Carlisle" of the series.
During July and August 2007, Huffman starred in the Off-Broadway play ''Surface to Air'' written by David Epstein and directed by
James Naughton
James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. On television he is best known as astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season television series ''Planet of the Apes''. He won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical ...
, in a rare dramatic part for the actress who usually appears on stage in musicals. In May 2009, she appeared in the new musical ''Pirates!'' in the Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, production. She appeared alongside ''The Producers'' co-star
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been Nathan Lane on screen and stage, on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Na ...
in ''
The Nance'' which opened on Broadway on April 15, 2013. She was nominated for a 2013 Outer Critics Circle Award for her work in that play. In 2014, she played a major role in the Off-Broadway rock musical ''Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter''.
In July 2017 she directed ''City of Light'', a musical by Gabrielle Wagner, Julie Weiner and Jan Roper at the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival.
In June 2023 she directed ''
Anything Goes'', a musical by
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...
,
Guy Bolton
Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical theatre, musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. B ...
and
P.G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...
at Black Rock Theater in Fairfield, CT.
Personal life
She now lives in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York City.
[Ferri, Josh]
"Tony Winner Cady Huffman on Being 'Empowered' by Lena Dunham & Re-Teaming With Nathan Lane in 'The Nance' "
broadway.com, April 15, 2013
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huffman, Cady
Living people
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from Santa Barbara, California
Drama Desk Award winners
Tony Award winners
21st-century American women
1965 births
San Marcos High School (Santa Barbara, California) alumni