Penny Fuller is an American actress. She received two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations for her performances on Broadway stage: for '' Applause'' (1970), and ''

The Dinner Party ''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by American feminist artist Judy Chicago. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table for 39 mythical and historical famous women. Sacajawea, Sojourner Truth, Eleanor of Aquitaine, ...

'' (2001). For her television performances, Fuller received six

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nominations, winning once, in 1982, for playing

Madge Kendal Dame Madge Kendal (born Margaret Shafto Robertson; 15 March 1848 – 14 September 1935) was an English actress of the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian era, Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Tog ...

in ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...

''.

Early life and family

Fuller was born in Durham,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. She moved to Lumberton when she was a teenager with her mother Helen and her stepfather, Andy Roundtree. She attended Lumberton High School and

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, where her teachers included

Alvina Krause Alvina Krause (January 28, 1893 – December 31, 1981) was an American drama teacher at Northwestern University, theatrical entrepreneur, "maker of stars", and director. Her students called her AK. Her first name is pronounced Al-vine-na P ...

Career

Fuller moved to New York City, and in 1960 appeared at the East 74th Street Theater in

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's '' Oh, Kay!'', with Linda Lavin and Marti Stevens. She made her Broadway debut in ''The Moon Besieged'' (1962); she appeared as a replacement in the original productions of ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy stage play by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ...

'' (1963) and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'' (1966). After a handful of

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

productions, Fuller gained notice on Broadway for her portrayal of the outwardly sweet but subtly undermining Eve Harrington in '' Applause'' (1970–1972), the musical version of ''

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story (and subsequent 1949 radio drama) "The Wisdom of E ...

'' with

Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...

as Margo Channing. She started in

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

' 1976 flop about

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, '' Rex'', in which she appeared opposite

Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a British actor. He was once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" an ...

and

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

. Fuller continued to work in musicals, including the original production of

William Finn William Alan Finn (February 28, 1952 – April 7, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist. He was best known for his musicals, which include ''Falsettos'', for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Tony Award for Best Original Score, Best O ...

's '' A New Brain'' and a 1999 revival of Rodgers' '' Do I Hear a Waltz?'' at New Jersey's

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square, New Brunswick, Civic Square government and theater district and resident at the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The GSP is o ...

. In later years, Fuller was also on Broadway in the original productions of

Wendy Wasserstein Wendy Wasserstein (October 18, 1950 – January 30, 2006) was an American playwright. She was an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 ...

's '' An American Daughter'' (1997) and

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

's ''

'' (2000); she was Tony-nominated for the latter. Off-Broadway appearances have included '' Three Viewings'' (1995) and

Nicky Silver Nicky Silver is an American playwright. Formerly of Philadelphia, he resides in Madrid, after several years in London. Many of his plays have been produced off-Broadway, and also at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. Biography ...

's '' Beautiful Child''. Most recently, appeared as the Old Lady/Blair Daniels in the 2017 revival of ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...

'' and as the Dowager Empress in ''

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

''. Fuller has extensive television work to her credit, including an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

-winning performance as Mrs. Kendal in the TV version of Bernard Pomerance's play ''

'' (1982) and ''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...

'' (1984) by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

, in which she played Mae (a.k.a. Sister Woman). In 1992 she played

Nancy McKeon Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' and Jinny Exstead on ''The Division''. Early life and family Nancy Justine McKeon was born on ...

's mother Ruth Benson in the CBS movie '' Baby Snatcher''. Fuller portrayed Amanda Harding in the ABC crime drama '' Fortune Dane'' (1986). She also appeared in dozens of other TV series, including ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...

'' (1964), ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'' (1969), ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...

'' (1972), '' The F.B.I.'' (1972), ''

Banacek ''Banacek'' is an American detective television series starring George Peppard that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating '' NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'' anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several othe ...

'' (1973), ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'' (1974), ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'' (1975), ''

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

'' (1977), '' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1979 and 1981), '' One Day at a Time'' (1983), ''

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 ...

'' (1983 and 1985), '' Matlock'' (1988), ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' (1988), ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' (1988 and 1993), '' China Beach'' (1989–90), ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'' (1990), ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'' (1992), ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'' (1994), '' Mad About You'' (1994–95), ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, ...

'' (1994–95), '' ER'' (1995), ''

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

'' (1998) and ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This television series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves ...

'' (2002 and 2005). Her film work includes ''

All the President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washingto ...

'' (1976) and ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'' (1993).

Personal life

Fuller married Knox Kinlaw, an Atlanta doctor, in 1977. They had a daughter that same year.

Filmography

* ''Women in Chains'' (1972, TV movie) as Helen Anderson * '' Applause'' (1973, TV movie) as Eve Harrington * ''

'' (1973, TV series) as Gloria Hamilton, episode "The Greatest Collection of Them All" * ''

'' (1974, TV series) as Dr. Chris Forbes, episode "Population: Zero" * ''

'' (1976) as Sally Aiken * ''Amber Waves'' (1980, TV movie) as Fern Jensen * ''

'' (1982, TV movie) as Mrs. Kendal * '' A Piano for Mrs. Cimino'' (1982, TV movie) as Mrs. Polanski * ''Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal'' (1982, TV movie) as Jeannie Kolchak * ''Intimate Agony'' (1983, TV movie) as Joanna * ''

'' (1992, TV Series) as Jane Lindhurst, episode " The Play's the Thing" * '' License to Kill'' (1984, TV movie) as Judith Peterson * ''

'' (1984, TV movie) as Mae * '' As Summers Die'' (1986, TV movie) as Marci Holt * '' George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation'' (1986, TV movie) as Eliza Powel * '' The Two Mrs. Grenvilles'' (1987, TV mini-series) as Cordelia Grenville Hardington * '' Fire and Rain'' (1989, TV movie) as Mrs. Hamilton * '' Lies Before Kisses'' (1991, TV movie) as Katherine * ''

False Arrest False arrest, unlawful arrest or wrongful arrest is a common law tort, where a plaintiff alleges they were held in custody without probable cause, or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. Although it is possible to sue ...

'' (1991, TV movie) as Marilyn Redmond * '' Miss Rose White'' (1992, TV movie) as Kate Ryan * '' Baby Snatcher'' (1992, TV movie) as Ruth Benson * ''Rio Shannon'' (1993, TV movie) as Beatrice Minister * ''

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

'' (1993, TV movie) as Olivia Wyatt * ''

'' (1993) as Mrs. Margaret Drysdale * ''

'' (1993-94) as Marilyn Carter * '' Mad About You'' (1993-1995) as Theresa Stemple * '' The Gift of Love''(1994, TV movie) as Leora * ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...

'' (1995–96) as Lois (Erika Kane's rehab roommate) * '' Shadow Conspiracy'' (1997) as Dr. Olson * ''The Color of Love: Jacey's Story'' (2000, TV movie) as Madeleine Porter * ''

King of the Corner ''King of the Corner'' is a 2004 American independent comedy-drama film featured at the Newport Film Festival. It stars Peter Riegert and Isabella Rossellini, and includes Eric Bogosian, Eli Wallach, Beverly D'Angelo and Rita Moreno. It ...

'' (2004) as Mrs. Hargrove * ''James McNeill Whistler and the Case for Beauty'' (2014) as Anna Whistler (voice) * '' Strawberry Mansion'' (2021) as Arabella Isadora

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Penny 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Durham, North Carolina Actresses from North Carolina American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Living people Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Lumberton, North Carolina Year of birth missing (living people)