Zohra Lampert

Zohra Lampert (born May 13, 1931) is an American retired actress, who has had roles on stage, film and television. She performed under her then-married name of Zohra Alton early in her career. Lampert achieved critical acclaim for her work on Broadway as well, earning two Tony Award nominations for her roles in ''Look: We've Come Through'' (1962) and '' Mother Courage and Her Children'' (1963). Her film performances include the title character in the 1971 cult horror film '' Let's Scare Jessica to Death''. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in a 1975 episode of ''Kojak''.

Early life and education

Lampert was born in Manhattan, the only child of Rose and Morris Lampert, both Russian-Jewish immigrants. In 1940 the family lived in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, and Morris Lampert worked in a hardware store. She attended the High School of Music & Art and the University of Chicago, graduating in 1952. She later studied acting at HB Studio with Uta Hagen; she also studied with Mira Rostova.

Career

Lampert joined other University of Chicago alumni, including Ed Asner and Anthony Holland, in the Playwrights Theatre Club, which was established in Chicago by the theatrical producer David Shepherd. She later said that until she was thrust on stage as Grisha in Berthold Brecht's '' Caucasian Chalk Circle,'' in which she had initially joined the cast as assistant scenic designer, she thought, "I might want to become something scholarly. A librarian, not an actor." She subsequently appeared as The Actress in ''Rounddance'', drawing praise from Sydney J. Harris of the '' Chicago Daily News'' as "unquestionably the find of the summer season. . . a gypsy-like girl with elfin grace and the dramatic constitution of Shirley Booth." She appeared on Broadway as Zohra Alton in the 1956 Broadway production of ''Diary of a Scoundrel''.

She left the Playwrights Theater Club to study acting with Mira Rostova, Montgomery Clift's acting coach, even though her upbringing had taught her that acting "was an unserious thing to do." Along with Alan Arkin, Roger Bowen and former Playwrights members Bill Alton (her ex-husband) and Andrew Duncan, Lampert became part of the second company of the Second City in Chicago but left for the New York company at Square East in 1961. That same year, Lampert, who began performing under her birth name after her divorce from Alton, gave a Tony-nominated performance in ''Look: We've Come Through''. She also had a pair of small, noteworthy performances in the films '' Pay or Die'' (1960) and '' Splendor in the Grass'' (1961). In 1964 she became one of the 26 members of the newly established Lincoln Center Repertory Theater company.

In the 1960s/1970s, she was active in supporting roles in film and television. However, in 1971, she had a lead role as the title character in the horror film '' Let's Scare Jessica to Death.'' The film went on to be regarded as a cult classic in later years. In 1975, Lampert won an Outstanding Guest Actress Emmy Award for her performance in an episode of ''Kojak''. In 1977, she co-starred with Gena Rowlands in John Cassavetes' '' Opening Night''.

She was a regular in the sitcom '' The Girl with Something Extra'' and the medical drama '' Doctors' Hospital''. During the early 1970s, she originated the role of Ellie Jardin on the CBS soap ''Where the Heart Is'' until her character was killed off in 1972. In 1986, she appeared in an episode of '' Knight Rider'' (season 4, "Hills of Fire"). She worked less during the 1980s and 1990s. She appeared in '' The Exorcist III'' (playing actor George C. Scott's wife) and the 1999 film ''The Eden Myth''.

After a ten-year absence from films, Lampert returned to acting in supporting roles in two films: '' The Hungry Ghosts'' (2009) and ''Zenith'' (2010).

Personal life

Lampert married radio personality Jonathan Schwartz in 2010. She was previously married to Bill Alton, a founding member of Second City and fellow Playwrights Theater Club actor.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

References

*

External links

*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lampert, Zohra
1931 births
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Jewish American actresses
Living people
Actresses from Manhattan
University of Chicago alumni
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
The High School of Music & Art alumni
21st-century American Jews