Claudia Lonow (born January 26, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, television writer, and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of Diana Fairgate on ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'' (1979-1984, 1993).

Early life and education

Lonow was born Claudia Rapaport in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to mother JoAnne Astrow and father David Rapaport, a radio executive who was the general manager of the All-Disco format at New York radio station WKTU Disco 92. She has two younger half-brothers: Eric Rapaport, a doctor, and

Michael Rapaport Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and podcast host. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''Zebrahead'' (1992), '' ...

, a film and television actor. Her stepfather is comic Mark Lonow, who owned

The Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a 50-seat single venue (whic ...

with

Budd Friedman Gerson Merton Lenord Friedman (June 6, 1932 – November 12, 2022), known professionally as Budd Friedman, was an American actor and comedian, as well as the founder and original proprietor and MC of the Improvisation Comedy Club, which opene ...

. She took his surname. Lonow is Jewish and grew up in a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. Lonow graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

Career

Actor

Lonow is known for her role as Diana Fairgate on the CBS series ''

'', in which she appeared from 1979 to 1984 and again in 1993. She reprised her role in the 1997 reunion miniseries '' Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac''. She guest starred on ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...

'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' and ''

Hotel 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 ...

''.

Writer and producer

Lonow's behind-the-scenes career took off with her creation, co-production and writing of '' Rude Awakening'', a television series which aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

from 1998–2001 and starred actresses

Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress. She played Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. She als ...

and

Rain Pryor Rain Pryor (born July 16, 1969) is an American actress. Her television credits include sitcoms ''Head of the Class'' and '' Rude Awakening''. She is the daughter of comedian Richard Pryor. Early life Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, t ...

. Lonow also created, wrote and produced the comedy series ''

Good Girls Don't "Good Girls Don't" is a 1979 hit single written by Doug Fieger and released by power pop band The Knack, off their album '' Get the Knack.'' It was the follow-up to the group's number-one hit single, " My Sharona". "Good Girls Don't" was a N ...

''. Lonow held writing and consulting producer credits on the TV series ''

Less Than Perfect ''Less than Perfect'' is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television n ...

''. She also wrote and co-executive produced the FOX series '' The War at Home'' and CBS's '' Accidentally on Purpose''. In 2012, she created, wrote and produced the ABC sitcom ''

How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) ''How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)'' is an American single-camera sitcom created by '' Accidentally on Purpose'' creator Claudia Lonow that aired on ABC from April 3 to June 26, 2013. The series was produced by 20th Cen ...

'' starring

Sarah Chalke Sarah Louise Christine Chalke (; born August 27, 1976) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring roles as the second Becky Conner in the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1993–1997), Elliot Reid in the NBC/ABC medical comedy series '' Sc ...

Brad Garrett Brad H. Gerstenfeld (born April 14, 1960), known professionally as Brad Garrett, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Garrett was initially successful as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. Taking advantage of that success in the la ...

, and

Elizabeth Perkins Elizabeth Perkins (born November 18, 1960) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films including '' About Last Night'' (1986), '' From the Hip'' (1987), ''Big'' (1988), '' Enid Is Sleeping'' (1990), ''The Flintstones'' (1994), '' ...

Personal life

Lonow has a daughter, Isabella Roland who is married to

Brennan Lee Mulligan Brennan Lee Mulligan (born January 4, 1988) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and gamemaster. He often works with Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor) as a writer, performer, and producer. He is the creator and regular gamemaster for Dropout' ...

Filmography

* 1996: ''Don't Quit Your Day Job'' (Video Game) – writer * 1997: ''The New Adventures of Robin Hood'' (TV Series) – writer (1 episode) * 1998-2001: '' Rude Awakening'' (TV Series) – Executive producer (47 episodes); Co-executive producer (8 episodes), Creator (55 episodes); Writer (13 episodes) * 2003: ''Regular Joe'' (TV Series) – Creative consultant (1 episode) * 2003-2006: ''

Less than Perfect ''Less than Perfect'' is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television n ...

'' (TV Series) – Consulting producer (49 episodes); Writer (2 episodes); Consultant (12 episodes) * 2004: ''

...'' (TV Series) – Executive producer, Creator (8 episodes) * 2006: ''Flirt'' (TV Movie) – Executive producer * 2006-2007: '' The War at Home'' (TV Series) – Co-executive producer (32 episodes); Writer (3 episodes); Teleplay by (1 episode) * 2008: ''

Cashmere Mafia ''Cashmere Mafia'' is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008, to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Ra ...

'' (TV Series) – Consulting producer (6 episodes); Writer (1 episode) * 2009: ''

Surviving Suburbia ''Surviving Suburbia'' is an American sitcom television series starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson that aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 6 to August 7, 2009. The series originally aired at 9:30 PM Eastern/8:30&nbs ...

'' (TV Series) – writer (3 episodes) * 2009-2010: '' Accidentally on Purpose'' (TV Series) – Executive producer (16 episodes); Creator (8 episodes); Writer (4 episodes) * 2010: ''Iris Expanding'' (TV Movie) – Executive producer * 2011: '' Friends with Benefits'' (TV Series) – Co-executive producer (11 episodes); Writer (1 episode) * 2012: '' Work It'' (TV Series) – Co-executive producer (1 episode); Writer (2 episodes) * 2012: ''Counter Culture'' (TV Movie) – Executive producer * 2013: ''

How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) ''How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)'' is an American single-camera sitcom created by '' Accidentally on Purpose'' creator Claudia Lonow that aired on ABC from April 3 to June 26, 2013. The series was produced by 20th Cen ...

(For the Rest of Your Life)'' (TV Series) – Executive producer (5 episodes); Creator (13 episodes); Writer (3 episodes) * 2013-2014: ''Sean Saves the World'' (TV Series) – writer (2 episodes) * 2015: ''Bummed'' (Short) – Co-writer, Director * 2016: ''Comedy Central Sit N Spin'' (TV Series) – writer (1 episode) * 2016: ''

Crowded Crowded may refer to: *A place with a crowd * Crowded (song), 2006 song by Jeannie Ortega Jeannette "Jeannie" Ortega (born November 19, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, writer, and journalist. She made her recording debut in 20 ...

'' (TV Series) – Consulting producer (12 episodes); Writer (1 episode) ;Actor * 1979: ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Hour ''The Mary Tyler Moore Hour'' is an American sitcom-variety show starring Mary Tyler Moore, Dody Goodman, Michael Keaton, and Joyce Van Patten that aired on CBS from March 4, 1979, to June 10, 1979, with a total of 11 episodes spanning over ...

'' (TV Series) – Mary Ellen in ''Mary's Goddaughter,'' Episode #1.6 (1979) * 1979-1984, 1993: ''

'' (TV Series) – Diana Fairgate / Diana (81 episodes) * 1982: ''Drop-Out Father'' (TV Movie) – Peggy McCall * 1982: ''

'' (TV Series) – Taylor in ''Legends/The Perfect Gentleman'' (1982) * 1982: ''Wacko'' – Pam Graves * 1983: ''

'' (TV Series) – Suzie Scott in ''The Zinging Valentine/The Very Temporary Secretary/Final Score'' (1983) * 1987: ''

'' (TV Series) – Hayley Cole in ''Fast Forward'' (1987) * 1987, 1989: ''

Duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

'' (TV Series) – Ms. Taylor in ''I Never Played for My Father: Part 2'' (1987); Carol in ''Too Many Cooks'' (1989) * 1990: ''Thanksgiving Day'' (TV Movie) – Toni * 1990: ''Eating'' – Party Guest * 1994: ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...

'' (TV Series) – Hairdresser in ''What I Did on My Summer Vacation and Other Stories'' (1994) * 1996: ''Don't Quit Your Day Job'' (Video Game) – Shirly Felcker * 1997: 7th Heaven (TV Series) – Waitress in ''America's Most Wanted'' (1997) * 1997: '' Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac'' (TV Mini-Series) – Diana Fairgate * 2001: '' Rude Awakening'' (TV Series) – Linda in ''Altar Ego'' (2001)

Works and publications

* * * * * * *

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lonow, Claudia 1963 births 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women writers Actresses from New York City Comedians from New York City American television actresses American television writers American women television producers Beverly Hills High School alumni Jewish American actresses Jewish American comedians Jewish American screenwriters Jewish women comedians Living people Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from New York City The High School of Music & Art alumni Writers from New York City