Biography
Emmy Award-winning television actress Judith Light enjoyed a lengthy career on the small screen for portrayals of women both scandalous and supremely capable. After an early, impressive start on the stages of Broadway, Light reluctantly took on the role of wife-by-day/prostitute-by-night, Karen Wolek, on "One Life to Live" (ABC, 1968- ) in 1977. Much to her surprise and delight, the scene-stealing character would earn her two Emmys before her …
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Career Milestones
1970 | Made professional debut in "Richard III" at the California Shakespeare Festival |
1971 | Acted in repertory companies based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Seattle, Washington |
1975 | Made Broadway debut in a revival of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" |
1977 | Breakthrough role, as housewife turned prostitute Karen Wolek on the ABC soap "One Life to Live" |
1983 | First TV-movie, "Intimate Agony" (ABC) |
1984 | Played assertive advertising executive Angela Bower opposite Tony Danza on the popular ABC sitcom "Who's the Boss?" |
1989 | Portrayed Ryan White's mother Jeanne White in "The Ryan White Story," about the 13-year-old hemophiliac who contracted AIDS |
1993 | Played Dianne Doolan on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Phenom" |
1996 | Made producing debut with the CBS drama "A Husband, a Wife and a Lover"'; also starred |
1997 | Portrayed a suffocating mother in "Too Close to Home" opposite Rick Schroder |
1998 | Filmed first feature role in the indie "Toscano" |
1998 | Starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom "The Simple Life" |
1999 | Returned to the NYC stage assuming the role of a cancer-stricken teacher in the Pulitzer Prize-winning off-Broadway play "Wit" |
2002 | Co-starred in the off-Broadway staging of "Sorrows & Rejoicings" |
2002 | Landed recurring role as a judge on the NBC drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" |
2006 | Played Claire Meade, the alcoholic mother of magazine editors Daniel and Alexis Meade on ABC's "Ugly Betty"; earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
2007 | Co-starred in "Ira and Abby," a comedy feature co-starring, written and produced by Jennifer Westfeldt |
2010 | Cast as the famed football coach's wife in the Broadway production of Eric Simonson's "Lombardi"; earned a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play |
2012 | Co-starred with Rachel Griffiths, Stacy Keach, and Stockard Channing in the critically acclaimed play "Other Desert Cities" on Broadway |
Awards
1979 | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress In a Daytime Drama Series in One Life to Live |
1980 | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress In a Daytime Drama Series in One Life to Live |
2007 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Ugly Betty |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in Ugly Betty |
2012 | Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play |