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IMDbPro

Judith Light

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000149
Judith Light
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick...BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of Rent. The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who's waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have?
Play trailer1:40
tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
20 Videos
99+ Photos
Tony Award and Emmy Award winner Judith Light made her professional stage debut in 1970 and made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House starring Liv Ullmann and Sam Waterston. She made her television breakthrough in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live (1968). She assumed the role of Karen Woleck (originated by Kathryn Breech (1976-77), and for a brief period, replaced by Julia Duffy (1977)). Light's extensive theater experience added multidimensional facets to the character, and the performance earned the actress two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Light departed from her character in 1983 - to star in ABC's new prime-time sitcom Who's the Boss? (1984) - the role of Karen Woleck was not recast, instead, she departs for an off-screen life in Canada, coinciding with Light's departure from the series. After Light's success on daytime, she landed the leading role of assertive advertising executive Angela Bower on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss? (1984). The actress co-starred with Tony Danza, who played her housekeeper (and eventual lover). Also featured were Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro and Katherine Helmond. The series ran for eight seasons and had constant success. Light also lent her craft to the short lived sitcoms Phenom (1993) and The Simple Life (2003), and several made-for-TV productions, including the biographical drama The Ryan White Story (1989) (in which she portrayed Jeanne White, the mother of HIV/AIDS positive teenager Ryan White); the actress also portrayed Alabama murderer Audrey Marie Hilley in Wife, Mother, Murderer (1991).

In 1999, Light returned to her theater roots for the off-Broadway production of Pulitzer Prize-winning play Wit (2001); the actress received rave reviews as a college professor battling ovarian cancer-and reprised the role for the national tour. Light returned to television in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999); the actress assumed the recurring role of Judge Elizabeth Connelly, making her first appearance during the third season episode Guilt (2002), which was broadcast on March 29, 2009. The character appeared in 25 more episodes of the series, making her last appearance in season 12 episode Behave (2010). Light also appeared in the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty (2006), in which Light's performance as the recurring Claire Meade resulted in a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2014, she began starring as Shelly Pfefferman in the critically acclaimed Amazon Studios dark comedy-drama series Transparent (2014), for which she received Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Critics' Choice Television Award nominations.
BornFebruary 9, 1949
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 9, 1949
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000149
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys
    • 14 wins & 25 nominations total

Funny Women of Television

Funny Women of Television

We salute the brilliant women behind all those unforgettable laughs on the small screen.
View the gallery
Production art
Photos

Photos336

Judith Light in Poker Face (2023)
Alyssa Milano, Tony Danza, Katherine Helmond, and Judith Light in Television (1988)
John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, Nicholas Hoult, Judith Light, Hong Chau, Rob Yang, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022)
Ralph Fiennes, John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, Reed Birney, Nicholas Hoult, Judith Light, Rob Yang, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022)
Ralph Fiennes, John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, Reed Birney, Christina Brucato, Nicholas Hoult, Judith Light, Peter Grosz, Hong Chau, Rob Yang, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022)
Fiona Glascott and Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Fiona Glascott and Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Fiona Glascott, Sarah Lancashire, and Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Judith Light in Julia (2022)
Fiona Glascott, Judith Light, and Bryce Pinkham in Julia (2022)

Known for

Alyssa Milano, Tony Danza, Katherine Helmond, Danny Pintauro, and Judith Light in Who's the Boss? (1984)
Who's the Boss?
6.6
TV Series
  • Angela Bower
Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Judith Light, and Alexandra Billings in Transparent (2014)
Transparent
7.8
TV Series
  • Shelly Pfefferman
Ralph Fiennes, John Leguizamo, Nicholas Hoult, Aimee Carrero, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022)
The Menu
7.2
  • Anne
  • 2022
Andrew Garfield in tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
tick, tick... BOOM!
7.5
  • Rosa Stevens
  • 2021

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Submissions Only
    • Sharon Duvall
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 2010
  • Out of My Mind
    • Mrs. V.
    • Post-production
  • The Young Wife (2023)
    The Young Wife
    • 2023
  • Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage in Down Low (2023)
    Down Low
    • Sandy
    • 2023
  • Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face (2023)
    Poker Face
    • Irene Smothers
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • The Accidental Wolf (2018)
    The Accidental Wolf
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2020–2022
  • The Method (2022)
    The Method
    • Lou
    • Podcast Series
    • 2022
  • Ralph Fiennes, John Leguizamo, Nicholas Hoult, Aimee Carrero, and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu (2022)
    The Menu
    • Anne
    • 2022
  • American Horror Stories (2021)
    American Horror Stories
    • Virginia Mallow
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Sarah Lancashire in Julia (2022)
    Julia
    • Blanche Knopf
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Mira Sorvino, Courteney Cox, and Greg Kinnear in Shining Vale (2022)
    Shining Vale
    • Joan
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Andrew Garfield in tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
    tick, tick... BOOM!
    • Rosa Stevens
    • 2021
  • Beanie Feldstein in American Crime Story (2016)
    American Crime Story
    • Susan Carpenter-McMillan
    • Marilyn Miglin
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2021
  • The Same Storm (2021)
    The Same Storm
    • Shirlee Salt
    • 2021
  • P!nk: All I Know So Far (2021)
    P!nk: All I Know So Far
    • Mom
    • Music Video
    • 2021
  • Bette Midler, Judith Light, and Ben Platt in The Politician (2019)
    The Politician
    • Dede Standish
    • TV Series
    • 2019–2020
  • Paul Bettany and Sam Worthington in Manhunt (2017)
    Manhunt
    • Bobi Jewell
    • TV Series
    • 2020

Producer

  • Aikane (2023)
    Aikane
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2023
  • Chad Allen in Save Me (2007)
    Save Me
    • producer
    • 2007
  • Judith Light in A Husband, a Wife and a Lover (1996)
    A Husband, a Wife and a Lover
    • co-executive producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1996

Soundtrack

  • Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Judith Light, and Alexandra Billings in Transparent (2014)
    Transparent
    • performer: "Where Have You Been?", "Your Boundary Is My Trigger", "Your Shoes", "Joyocaust"
    • performer: "The Last Supper"
    • performer: "I Don't Know How To Love Him" ...
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2019
  • Sandy Duncan, Jill Eikenberry, and Judith Light in My Boyfriend's Back (1989)
    My Boyfriend's Back
    • performer: "My Way" (Comme d'Habitude), "My Boyfriend's Back"
    • TV Movie
    • 1989
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos20

Spotlighting Sundance 2019's Women Directors
Clip 3:36
Spotlighting Sundance 2019's Women Directors
Official Teaser
Trailer 1:40
Official Teaser
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:15
Official Trailer
Season 4 Trailer
Trailer 1:44
Season 4 Trailer
Teaser
Trailer 1:01
Teaser
We'll Never Have Paris
Trailer 2:29
We'll Never Have Paris
Ms. White Light
Trailer 2:15
Ms. White Light
We'll Never Have Paris
Trailer 2:30
We'll Never Have Paris
Last Weekend
Trailer 2:02
Last Weekend
Ugly Betty: Season 2
Trailer 1:07
Ugly Betty: Season 2
"Transparent" Season 3 Trailer
Trailer 1:58
"Transparent" Season 3 Trailer
Season 2 Trailer
Trailer 2:20
Season 2 Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Height
    • 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
  • Born
    • February 9, 1949
    • Trenton, New Jersey, USA
  • Spouse
    • Robert DesiderioJanuary 1, 1985 - present
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Other works
    Play: "Guys and Dolls", by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows. Dir. Word Baker. European USO Tour.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    One of her performances on One Life to Live (1968) - "Karen Wolek on the Stand" - was so powerful and is remembered so vividly that, to this day, it is used as a model in acting classes through the nation. Additionally, it was recently honored as being one of TV Guide's "100 Most Memorable Moments on Television".
  • Quotes
    [Her senior yearbook quote] Acting is no mere translation or abstraction from life, it is life itself.
  • Trademark
      Her blue deep-set eyes

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