Beth Littleford

Last updated

Beth Littleford
BethLittlefordApr2011.jpg
Littleford at a charity event in Beverly Hills, California in 2011
Born (1968-07-17) July 17, 1968 (age 57)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Rob Fox
​
​
(m. 1998;div. 2015)​
Children2 [a]

Elizabeth Littleford (born July 17, 1968) [1] is an American actress and comedian known as an original correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show from 1996 to 2000. For performing on The Daily Show, she won a Peabody Award in 2015.

Contents

Outside of The Daily Show, Littleford has acted in the sitcoms Spin City (1998–2000), I'm in the Band (2009–2011), The Hard Times of RJ Berger (2010–2011), and Dog with a Blog (2012–2015). Her film appearances include the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and the anthology comedy Movie 43 (2013).

Early life

Littleford was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the daughter of Jackie, a professor, and Philip O. Littleford, a cardiologist and inventor. She grew up in Winter Park, Florida and attended the Park Maitland School. Her father and brother died when she was sixteen in a pontoon plane accident during an Alaskan fishing trip. [2] [3] A National Merit Scholarship Program finalist in high school, she attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania for three years before taking up acting classes at New York University; she eventually graduated from The New School for Social Research. [2] [4]

Career

Early in her acting career, Littleford worked in improvisational theatre with the Chicago City Limits group, founded a sketch comedy troupe, and wrote her own one-woman show, This Is Where I Get Off, which she performed with the Circle Repertory Company. [2] [5] Littleford is perhaps most famous for her pioneering role as one of the original female correspondents on The Daily Show . Littleford's segments on the show were satirical celebrity interviews in the style of Barbara Walters, and used soft focus cinematography for comic effect, in that almost nothing in the interviews were visually discernable to the viewer. [6] In 2015, Littleford received a Peabody Award for her groundbreaking work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1996 to 2000 as the show's "Original Female Correspondent."

Her time on the Daily Show brought her to the attention of actor/producer Michael J. Fox. Fox was the lead and executive producer of the Sitcom Spin City . Two years after she began on The Daily Show, she secured a recurring part of Deirdre West on Fox's show, Spin City. [7] She has guest-starred on numerous television programs beginning in the late 1990s: The West Wing , Family Guy , and Frasier . Littleford was also a celebrity commentator on VH1's I Love the 80s Strikes Back in 2003, I Love the 90s in 2004, I Love the 90s: Part Deux in 2005, I Love the New Millennium, and The Great Debate in 2009.

She was the female lead on the short-lived Fox series Method and Red , and also starred as Ben Tennyson's mother Sandra in Ben 10: Race Against Time , and reprised the role in the Ben 10: Alien Force episode 20 and again in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien . She has appeared in TV commercials for Laughing Cow cheese, Cascade, and a[ which? ] hotel chain.

Littleford starred in the Disney XD original show I'm in the Band , the 2010 Disney Channel film Starstruck , and played Suzanne Berger on MTV's The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Dana on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and the realtor on The Fosters. More recently, she had a starring role as Ellen Jennings in the Disney Channel original series Dog with a Blog and a guest appearance on Dead to Me on Netflix.

In 2021, Littleford was in the film Senior Moment starring William Shatner, Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd.

Personal life

Littleford lives in Los Angeles. She was married to Rob Fox, a director and producer who worked alongside her on The Daily Show, from 1998 to 2015; they had a son (b. 2005) and an adopted daughter (b. 2012). [4] [8] Fox died in 2017. [9] [10]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998 A Cool, Dry Place Suzanne
1999 The 24 Hour Woman Lynn Shapiro
Mystery, Alaska Janice Pettiboe
Picture ThisPatty
2008 Drillbit Taylor Barbara Drennan
2009VeiledMarieShort
2011 Crazy, Stupid, Love Claire
2012Music HighLucy Bates
Kidnap PartyAlison Slater
2013It's Not You, It's MeSandy
Movie 43 Mrs. Cutler
2017Random Tropical ParadiseMartha Crandall
2018 I'll Be Next Door for Christmas FranChristmas comedy film written and directed by David Jay Willis
2021 Senior Moment Tess WoodsonFeature Film - Released theatrically and on demand

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996–2000 The Daily Show HerselfOriginal Female Correspondent
1998–2000 Spin City Deirdre WestRecurring role
2001 Boston Public Marcia FennelEpisode: "Chapter 24"
2002 The West Wing WKZN Philadelphia Anchor LeslieEpisode: "The U.S. Poet Laureate"
Still Standing Kristy DuncanEpisode: "Still in School"
What I Like About You SusanEpisode: "Copy That"
Andy Richter Controls the Universe Reggie MeadowsEpisode: "The Show Might Go On"
2002–03 Greetings from Tucson Marna2 episodes
Life with Bonnie Dr. 'Mrs.' Casey2 episodes
2003The Big Wide World of Carl LaemkeLaurie LaemkeTV film
2003–04 One on One Geraldine MurphyRecurring role
2004 Method & Red Nancy BlafordMain role
Frasier Creationism DateEpisode: "Match Game" (season 11)
2005 Joey CarlaEpisode: "Joey and the Premiere"
2006 Rodney Amy O'BrienEpisode: "Rodney Gets a Leg Up"
Love, Inc. CharleneEpisode: "Anything But Love"
2006–12 Family Guy Various (voice)Guest role
2007 Without a Trace Diane NeeseEpisode: "Two of Us"
Ben 10: Race Against Time Sandra TennysonTV film
2008 Samantha Who? Audrey RhodesEpisode: "The Girlfriend"
Ben 10: Alien Force Sandra Tennyson (voice)Episode: "Grounded"
2009Take 2AmyTV film
2009–10 Rules of Engagement Laura3 episodes
2009–11 I'm in the Band Beth CampbellRecurring role
2010 StarStruck Barbara OlsonTV film
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Nurse MonaEpisode: "Field Mice"
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Sandra Tennyson (voice)Episode: "Hit 'Em Where They Live"
The New Adventures of Old Christine Tony KershawEpisode: "Get Smarter"
Neighbors from Hell Various (voice)Recurring role
CSI: Miami Elena ManusEpisode: "Sleepless in Miami"
2010–11 The Hard Times of RJ Berger Suzanne BergerRecurring role
2010–13 The Cleveland Show Various (voice)Guest role
2011 Desperate Housewives Dana2 episodes
2012 Melissa & Joey Suzanne HaberEpisode: "Good to Go"
Mad Tasha / Various (voice)1 episode
2012–15 Dog with a Blog Ellen JenningsMain role
2013 The Mindy Project HelenEpisode: "Mindy's Minute"
2013–14 Ben 10: Omniverse Sandra TennysonVoice, 3 episodes
2016 Mistresses Lindsay LehmanEpisode: "Under Pressure"
Unwanted Guest Anna RobertsTV film
2016–17 The Fosters Realtor3 episodes
2017 2 Broke Girls BonnieEpisode: "And the Stalking Dead"
Liberty CrossingSpecial Agent Margaret SmithEpisode: "Comfort Zones"
2018 My Dead Ex LaurelRecurring
2019 Dead to Me Doug's WifeEpisode: "I Can Handle It"
Home Is Where the Killer IsPatricia WadeTV film
2020–21 Love, Victor SarahHulu Original Series

Podcasts

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Gossip Rockin' Robin12 episodes

Notes

  1. ↑ One biological child and one adopted child.

References

  1. ↑ Willis, John A. (1998). John Willis' Theatre World. Crown Publishers. p. 230. ISBN   9781557833235.
  2. 1 2 3 Gray, Tyler (January 13, 1998). "Spice girl". Sun-Sentinel . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hayes, Ed (June 18, 1985). "Youngster's spirit still leads the way". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "WEDDINGS; Ms. Littleford And Mr. Fox". The New York Times . July 5, 1998. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ Blake, Leslie (February 21, 2001). "ON LOCATION With 'Picture This'". Backstage . Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ Blake, Meredith (July 22, 2021). "The true story of the women who made 'The Daily Show' — and were 'erased' from its legacy". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Fretts, Bruce (April 30, 1999). "Beth Littleford and Stephen Colbert take flight From Spin City to SNL,The Daily Show's rising stars are TV's moonlighters du jour". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Beth Littleford Welcomes Daughter Halcyon Juna". People. March 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (2018). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2017. McFarland. pp. 143–. ISBN   978-1-4766-3318-3. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Beth Littleford & the mid-life crisis". Taboo Tales. November 3, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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