Stephanie Zimbalist (born October 8, 1956) is an American actress best known for her role as Laura Holt in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

detective series ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on NBC from October 1, 1982, ...

''.

Early life

Stephanie Zimbalist was born in New York City, the daughter of Loranda Stephanie (née Spalding) and actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. The family soon moved to Los Angeles, where Stephanie grew up. She was educated at the Marlborough School (Los Angeles) and graduated from the

Foxcroft School Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12 & PG, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educat ...

Middleburg, Virginia Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County. Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse ...

. She attended the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

before commencing her acting career.

Acting career

Television and film career

Zimbalist's early television and film appearances include ''The Gathering'' (1977, with Edward Asner), '' In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan'' (1977), ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

'' (1978), '' The Magic of Lassie'' (1978), ''

Long Journey Back ''Long Journey Back'' is a 1978 made-for-TV coming of age, coming-of-age Drama (film and television), drama film based on the Gilchrest Road, New York crossing accident in which a Nyack High School bus was struck and sliced down the middle by a ...

'' (TV, 1978), '' The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal'' (1979), '' The Awakening'' (1980, with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

), ''The Golden Moment'' (1980), in which she played a Soviet Olympic gymnast, '' The Babysitter'' (1980) and ''Tomorrow's Child'' (TV, 1982). She co-starred with her father, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., in the tragic 1979 television film '' The Best Place to Be''. Another early role for Zimbalist was that of Elly Zendt in the mini-series ''

Centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

'', based on

James Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales ...

's epic novel of the same name, which was first televised on

between October 1978 and February 1979. She also guest-starred as Josephine "Josie" Collins in the television series ''

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 ...

'' episode "Ballerina" (1979). In her TV work, Zimbalist is best known for her TV role of sleuth Laura Holt in the NBC series ''

'' (1982–87) opposite

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

and

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

, on which her father also guest-starred. Since then, Zimbalist has taken leading roles in several television films, such as '' The Man in the Brown Suit'' (1988), the

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 ...

winning '' Caroline?'' (1990), ''The Great Elephant Escape'' (1995), and some guest roles in television series such as ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...

'' and ''

Diagnosis Murder ''Diagnosis: Murder'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery medical drama, medical crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son Steve, a homicide detective ...

''.

Theater

In 1979, she appeared as Miranda in John Hirsch's production of ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' with

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

(as Prospero), Brent Carver, and Michael Bond at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighborin ...

in Los Angeles. Zimbalist played opposite

Tommy Tune Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...

in the touring musical '' My One and Only'', taking the featured role of "Edith Herbert". She has made several appearances with the Rubicon Theatre Company in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

, winning the local critics' "Robby Award" for Best Actress in a Drama in '' The Rainmaker'', at the Rubicon community theatre in 2001. Throughout the 2000s, Zimbalist took roles in plays concerning nineteenth-century artists including Chopin,

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

and

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

. She also played

Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa McAuliffe ( Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire who died on the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L, where she was serving as a payloa ...

in the play ''Defying Gravity'' in 2003, written by Jane Anderson. In 2009 she portrayed actress

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

in '' Tea at Five''. Other work Zimbalist has also released

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

s, including ''The Girls'', which won a Listen-Up award in 2006, and ''Queen of the Underworld''. She appeared in the 2006 documentary ''Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars''.

Personal life

Zimbalist's paternal grandfather,

Efrem Zimbalist Efrem Zimbalist (April 21 .S. April 9 1889 – February 22, 1985) was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conducting, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. Early life Efrem Zimbalist was born on April 9, 1 ...

, born in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Russia, was a symphony conductor, concert violinist and music teacher at the

Curtis Institute The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

in Philadelphia, and composer. Her paternal grandmother,

Alma Gluck Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano. Biography Gluck was born as Reba Feinsohn to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn. Gluck moved to the United States at a ...

, born in Romania, was a leading soprano of her day. Zimbalist's aunt, Marcia Davenport, was a prominent author, music journalist and historian. In a 2016 interview, she described attending a

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

crusade over 15 years prior with Dean Butler, and both going down to "accept the Lord." She expressed, "I have a personal connection with my Savior... I feel very beholden to Him--for me it's a him--I feel He's there for me in my darkest moments." In the same interview, she mentioned moving out of an "inappropriate relationship" with a married man years ago, though still remaining friends.

Stage roles

* ''Gypsy'' (1969) * ''Stars & Stripes'' (1970) * ''Little Mary Sunshine'' (1971) * ''Peter Pan'' (1974) * ''Kiss Me Kate'' (1976) * ''Festival'' (1979) * ''The Tempest'' (1979) * ''The Babysitter'' (1980) * ''American Mosaic'' (1982) * ''The Cherry Orchard'' (1983) * ''Barbarians'' (1986) * ''Summer & Smoke'' (1986) * ''My One & Only'' (1987) * ''Carousel'' (1988) * ''The Baby Dance'' (1990–1991) * ''The Threepenny Opera'' (1992) * ''The Philadelphia Story'' (1992–1993) * ''The Crimson Thread'' (1994) * ''AdWars'' (1995) * ''Sylvia'' (1996–1997) * ''Wonderful Town'' (1997) * ''Mr. Bundy'' (1998) * The Gregory Peck Reading Series (1998) * ''Denial'' (1999) * ''Far East'' (1999) * 14th Annual Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival (2000) * ''Side Man'' (2000) * ''Accomplice'' (2000) * ''The Rainmaker'' (2000–2001) * ''Walking Wounded'' (2000) * ''A Cowardly Cavalcade'' (2000) * ''The Gregory Peck Reading Series'' (2001) * 15th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2001) * 16th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2002) * ''The Cherry Orchard'' (2002) * ''Dancing At Lughnasa'' (2003) * ''Tall Tales'' (2003) * ''Romantique'' (2003) * ''Defying Gravity'' (2003) * ''Follies'' (2004) * ''Vincent in Brixton'' (2004) * ''The Night of the Iguana'' (2004) * ''Confidentially Chaikovski'' (2005) * ''Theater 150's 10-Minute Play Festival'' (2006) * ''Mesmeric Mozart'' (2006) * 20th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2006) * ''Tea At Five'' (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) * ''The Memory of Water'' (2007) * ''Hamlet'' (2007) * ''A Little Night Music'' (2007), (2013) * ''You Can't Take It With You'' (2007) * 22nd Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2008) * ''The Spin Cycle'' (2008) * ''The Price'' (2009) * ''Truth and Justice'' (2010) * ''The Subject Was Roses'' (2011) * ''Steel Magnolias'' (2011, 2013) * ''The Lion in Winter'' (2011) * ''Sex and Education'' (2014) * ''Living on Love'' (2015)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimbalist, Stephanie 1956 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Manhattan American people of Russian-Jewish descent American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Curtis family Foxcroft School alumni Juilliard School alumni

Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Pol ...