Judith Ivey

Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and theatre director. She twice won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: for '' Steaming'' (1981) and '' Hurlyburly'' (1984). She also received Best Actress In A Play nomination for ''Park Your Car in Harvard Yard'' (1992) and another Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination for '' The Heiress''.

Ivey made her big screen debut playing the female lead role in the 1984 romantic comedy film, '' The Lonely Guy''. She later appeared in the comedy films '' The Woman in Red'' (1984), '' Compromising Positions'' (1985), '' Brighton Beach Memoirs'' (1986), '' Sister, Sister'' (1987), and the drama films '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1997) and '' Women Talking'' (2022), for which she received critical acclaim. On television, Ivey played the leading role in the NBC sitcom '' Down Home'' (1990-91), and played Bonnie Jean "BJ" Poteet during the final season of CBS sitcom '' Designing Women'' (1992-93). For her role in the television film '' What the Deaf Man Heard'' (1997), she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Early life and education

Judith Lee Ivey was born on September 4, 1951, in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean, and Dorothy Lee (née Lewis; 1922—2023), a teacher.

From 1965 to 1968, she attended Union High School through tenth grade in Dowagiac, Michigan. She graduated from Marion High School in Marion, Illinois, in 1970, and then attended John A. Logan College, Southern Illinois University ( Carbondale), and Illinois State University ( Normal, Illinois).

Career

Ivey won two Tony Awards as Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' Steaming'' in 1983 and '' Hurlyburly'' in 1985. She was nominated for '' Park Your Car in Harvard Yard'' in 1992 and a revival of '' The Heiress'' in 2013. Other Broadway theatre credits include '' Piaf'', '' Bedroom Farce'', '' Blithe Spirit'', ''Voices in the Dark'', and '' Follies''.

She portrayed Amanda in '' The Glass Menagerie'' at the Long Wharf Theatre and reprised the role in March 2010 at the Roundabout Theatre in New York, as well as the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. She received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actress for that portrayal. Ivey portrayed Ann Landers in the solo play ''The Lady with All the Answers'' at the Cherry Lane Theatre (off-Broadway) in October 2009. She was nominated for Best Solo Performance for the Lucille Lortel Award and Drama Desk Award. In 2016, she returned to the Cherry Lane Theatre in Israel Horovitz's play '' Out of the Mouths of Babes'' with Estelle Parsons, directed by Barnet Kellman.

Ivey has appeared in numerous films, including '' Brighton Beach Memoirs'', '' Miles from Home'', '' Compromising Positions'', '' Harry & Son'', '' The Woman in Red'', '' Sister, Sister'', '' In Country'', '' Hello Again'', '' The Lonely Guy'', '' There Goes the Neighborhood'', '' The Devil's Advocate'', '' What Alice Found'', and '' Flags of Our Fathers''.

Despite a long history of theater and film performances, Ivey often is associated with the role of B.J. Poteet in the final season of '' Designing Women''. She appeared on '' Will & Grace'' as the mother of Dr. Leo Markus and appeared on ''Grey's Anatomy'', '' Person of Interest'', '' White Collar'', '' Nurse Jackie'', ''Big Love'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.

Ivey had lead role of Kate McCrorey in the two-season series '' Down Home'' (1990–1991), set in a Texas coastal town. This was followed by lead roles in single season series '' The 5 Mrs. Buchanans'' (1994-1995, "Alexandria Buchanan"), and Dave Chappelle's '' Buddies'' (1996, "Maureen DeMoss"). Ivey was also in the 1985 TV remake of '' The Long Hot Summer'', in the role of Noel Varner ( Joanne Woodward's role in the 1958 film version). The miniseries also starred Jason Robards and Don Johnson. Ivey was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in ''What the Deaf Man Heard'', a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. She also provided the voice of Eleanor Sherman in the animated series ''The Critic''. Ivey appeared in the television miniseries '' Rose Red'' (with a screenplay by Stephen King) as Cathy, one of the psychics investigating a haunted house.

Personal life

Ivey was married to actor Ricardo Gutierrez. They divorced before her move to New York. She is now married to Tim Braine, and they have two children.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivey, Judith
1951 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from El Paso, Texas
Actresses from Illinois
Actresses from Michigan
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American theatre directors
American women theatre directors
Audiobook narrators
Drama Desk Award winners
Illinois State University alumni
John A. Logan College alumni
Living people
People from Dowagiac, Michigan
People from Marion, Illinois
Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni
Tony Award winners