Biography for
Linda Lavin More at IMDbPro »

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Mini Biography

On stage from the age of 5, singer/actress Linda Lavin graduated from The College of William and Mary with a theatre degree and pounded the pavements of New York in the early 60s searching for work following some stock roles in New Jersey. She made a dent in the NY musical comedy scene with roles in "Oh, Kay!" (1960), "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" (1966) and "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever" (1966). She also won kudos for her straight acting roles in "Little Murders" (1969 Drama Desk award) and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969 Tony nomination). TV beckoned in the 1970s and, after a one-season false start as Detective Janice Wentworth on the "Barney Miller" (1975) series, she soon became a household name. As the titular waitress/mom in the sitcom "Alice" (1976), which was a spin-off of the award-winning movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) starring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Lavin won stardom. During the nine seasons (1976-1985) it was on the air, she nabbed two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy nomination. Ever the singer, she even warbled "There's a New Girl in Town" over the opening credits of the show. Following this success, Lavin focused her attentions once again on the stage. She earned renewed respect, in addition to critic's awards, for her diversified Broadway work in "Broadway Bound" (1987 Tony award), "Death Defying Acts" (1995 Obie award), "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1998 Tony nomination) and "Tales of the Allergist Wife" (2000 Tony nomination). More recently, she appeared in Carol Burnett's autobiographical play "Hollywood Arms" (2002) portraying Burnett's grandmother. The play was co-written by Burnett's late daughter, Carrie Hamilton. Linda has been married and divorced twice to actors -- Ron Leibman and Kip Niven.

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Trivia

Awarded a 1987 Tony for lead actress in the play "Broadway Bound."

Lavin's mother, Lucille Potter Lavin, was a coloratura soprano beside such singing notables as Risë Stevens and Paul Whiteman in concert, radio and TV.

Teaches master classes at NYU's Undergraduate Performing Arts Division.

Won Broadway's 1987 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for "Broadway Bound." She was also nominated for Tonys three other times: in 1970, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Last of the Red Hot Lovers;" in1998, as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for a revival of "The Diary of Anne Frank," and in 2001, as Best Actress (Play) for "The Tale of an Allergist's Wife."

Best remembered by the public for her starring role in "Alice" (1976).

Graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1959.

Personal Quotes

You must tap into your own fears and pains and anxieties. And you remember. Dreams come up and nightmares come up. Once you get the understanding of the feelings, you describe them with behavior. That's how I work. I don't speak for anyone else.

I discovered that the character of 'Alice' represented 80% of the working women in this country, the blue collar and pink collar women. Hundreds of women have come up to me and said, 'It was because of watching "Alice" that I could get through another day with the baby in a high chair. I knew if SHE could do it, I could do it. I could go back to school, I could get off welfare, I could change my life.'

Bea Arthur is the only true artist of the 20th century.

Where Are They Now

(November 2002) On Broadway, playing Granny in "Hollywood Arms" written by Carol Burnett and her daughter, the late Carrie Hamilton.

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