Kelly Bishop

Last updated
Kelly Bishop
Kelly Bishop.jpg
Bishop at the ATX TV Festival 2015 for the TV show Gilmore Girls
Born (1944-02-28) February 28, 1944 (age 80)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Years active1962–present
Spouses
Peter Miller
​
​
(m. 1970;div. 1975)​
​
​
(m. 1981;died 2018)​

Kelly Bishop (born Carole Bishop; [1] February 28, 1944) is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series Gilmore Girls and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey's Frances "Baby" Houseman in the film Dirty Dancing . Bishop originated the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line for which she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2023, she starred as Mrs. Ivey in The Watchful Eye (2023).

Contents

Early life

Bishop was born on February 28, 1944, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. [2] She grew up in Denver, Colorado, where she trained to be a ballet dancer, and as a teenager, moved to California attending the San Jose Ballet School. At 18, she headed to New York City and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. Bishop continued to dance in Las Vegas, summer stock, and on television until she was cast in 1967 in Golden Rainbow, her first Broadway role. [3] [4]

Career

Bishop moved to New York City to try to become a ballet dancer. [5] Bishop's big break came when she was cast as the sexy, hard-edged Sheila in the 1975 Broadway production of A Chorus Line , for which she won the 1976 Tony Award as "Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical)" as well as the 1976 Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Musical". Many details of the character Sheila's past were drawn from Bishop's real life, as she helped develop the character during early workshops. [6] She was also cast in Broadway productions of Six Degrees of Separation , Neil Simon's Proposals , the Tony Award-winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Bus Stop . [7]

In film, she was cast opposite Jill Clayburgh in Paul Mazursky's big-screen drama An Unmarried Woman (1978). In the 1987 film Dirty Dancing , she was originally set for a small role, but took on the much bigger role of Mrs. Houseman when Lynne Lipton (originally cast to play the role) fell ill during the first week of shooting.

Bishop went on to play mothers to high-profile stars in features: Howard Stern's in the Betty Thomas-directed comedy Private Parts (1997), and Tobey Maguire's in Wonder Boys (2000). Additional feature credits include Ich und Er (USA: Me and Him, 1988), Queens Logic (1991), Cafe Society (1995), Miami Rhapsody (1995) and Blue Moon (2002).

Bishop debuted on television in Hawaii Five-O . She starred in the Mike Nichols' series The Thorns in 1988. She played Lisa Ann Walter's mother on My Wildest Dreams in 1995. She guest-starred on, among other series, Kate & Allie , Murphy Brown , Law & Order , and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .

From 2000 to 2007, Bishop starred in The WB/CW series Gilmore Girls as wealthy New England matriarch Emily Gilmore. She reprised her role in the 2016 miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix. She would later reunite with Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls , on Bunheads , [8] which aired from 2012 to 2013 and was canceled after the first season. Bishop has since appeared in television shows including Army Wives , Mercy , The Good Wife , and playing Benedetta in the Golden Globe-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , in which she was again reunited with Sherman-Palladino. Bishop currently stars in the TV drama series The Watchful Eye (which premiered on January 30, 2023) as Mrs. Ivey.

Following the end of Gilmore Girls, Bishop returned to theater, performing in Becky Shaw at the Second Stage Theatre in 2008 and as Evangeline Harcourt in the 2011 revival of Anything Goes alongside Sutton Foster and Joel Grey, as well as appearing in the 2011 movie Friends with Kids.

Personal life

Bishop resides in South Orange, New Jersey. She was first married to stagehand and electrician Peter Miller in 1970 before divorcing in 1975. [9] She was married to the TV talk show host Lee Leonard until his death in 2018. [10] [11]

Credits

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1966Step Out of Your MindMissy Linden
1978 An Unmarried Woman Elaine Liebowitz
1982 O'Hara's Wife Beth Douglas
1986 Solarbabies Tutor Nover
1987 Dirty Dancing Marjorie Houseman
1988 Me and Him Eleanor Aramis
1991 Queens Logic Maria
1995 Miami Rhapsody Zelda
1995 Cafe Society Mrs. Jelke
1997 Private Parts Ray Stern
1999 My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception Sylvia Wienstein
2000Blue MoonPeggy's Mother
2000 Wonder Boys Amanda Leer
2011 Friends with Kids Marcy Fryman
2011 A Novel Romance Lily Sparks
2014Saint JanetJanet Turner

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 Hawaii Five-0 CharEpisode: "Oldest Profession - Latest Price"
1981Advice to the LovelornRita BordenTV film
1982 Hart to Hart LauraEpisode: "Hart of Diamonds"
1983 The New Odd Couple CharityEpisode: "Murray's Hot Date"
1984 Kate & Allie PauletteEpisode: "Baby"
1985The Recovery RoomKaye BrennerTV film
1987 As the World Turns Grace Wescott AndrewsTV series - recurring role, summer 1987
1988 The Thorns Ginger ThornMain role (12 episodes)
1989 One Life to Live Serena Wyman1 episode
1990 The Baby-Sitters Club FloraEpisode: "Claudia and the Secret Passage"
1992 ABC Afterschool Special Roxanne HoldenEpisode: "Summer Stories: The Mall - Part 1"
1992 Law & Order Marian BorlandEpisode: "Intolerance"
1992 Murphy Brown Connie SilverbergEpisode: "Me Thinks My Parents Doth Protest Too Much"
1995 All My Children Freida LandauTV series
1995 My Wildest Dreams Gloria JamesRecurring role (5 episodes)
1996 One Life to Live Dr. Robbins1 episode
2000, 2008–2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit RegistrarEpisode: "Slaves"
Julia ZimmerEpisodes: "Persona" and "Zebras"
2000–2007 Gilmore Girls Emily Gilmore Main role (110 episodes)
2009 Army Wives Jean CalhounEpisode: "Operation: Tango"
2010 Mercy Lauren Kempton4 episodes
2010 The Good Wife Mrs. Kent (voice)Episode: "VIP Treatment"; uncredited
2012–2013 Bunheads Fanny FlowersMain role (13 episodes)
2015 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll ElizabethEpisode: "Supercalifragilisticjuliefriggingandrews"
2015 Flesh and Bone Mrs. HawthornEpisode: "F.U.B.A.R."
2015–2016 The Good Wife Bea Wilson2 episodes
2016 Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Emily GilmoreMain role (4 episodes)
2021 Halston Eleanor Lambert
2022–2023 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel BenedettaSeasons 4 and 5 recurring role
2023 The Watchful Eye Mrs. Ivey [12] Main role
2024 Shrinking Susan [13] Episode: "Honesty Era"

Theater

YearShowRoleNotes
1968 Golden Rainbow Cat-Girl/Dancer Shubert Theatre
1968 Promises, Promises Clancy's Lounge Patron/Company Nurse Shubert Theatre
1968Precious SonsBea (standby)
1971 On the Town Dance Ensemble Imperial Theatre
1975 A Chorus Line Sheila Shubert Theatre
Originated role
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
1990 Six Degrees of Separation Kitty/Louisa "Ouisa" Kittredge Vivian Beaumont Theater
Replacement
1996 Bus Stop Grace HoylardShort revival, 29 performances
1997 The Last Night of Ballyhoo Boo Levy Helen Hayes Theatre
Replacement
1997 Proposals Annie Robbins Broadhurst Theatre
2011 Anything Goes Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt Stephen Sondheim Theatre
August 9, 2011 - January 15, 2012

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References

  1. ↑ Vary, Jeff Conway (September 18, 2024). "Kelly Bishop On Her New Memoir And Life At 80: 'I Love Myself A Little Bit More'". Forbes . Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Kelly Bishop Broadway Profile". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  3. ↑ Bishop, Kelly (September 17, 2024). The Third Gilmore Girl. Gallery Books. ISBN   9781668023778 . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Kelly Bishop Biography". Yahoo! Movies. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  5. ↑ Bishop, Kelly (September 17, 2024). The Third Gilmore Girl. Gallery Books. ISBN   9781668023778.
  6. ↑ Bishop, Kelly (September 17, 2024). The Third Gilmore Girl. Gallery Books. ISBN   9781668023778 . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "BISHOP Kelly - biography, news, photos, date of birth, press dossier. Personalities GlobalNY.biz". globalny.biz. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  8. ↑ "'Gilmore Girls' reunion: Kelly Bishop joins Amy Sherman-Palladino's new ABC Family show -- EXCLUSIVE". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  9. ↑ Bishop, Kelly (September 17, 2024). The Third Gilmore Girl. Gallery Books. ISBN   9781668023778 . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "THEATER; Two Mature Lives on Stage and Screen, Now Playing in New Jersey", The New York Times , September 19, 1999. "She and her husband, Lee Leonard, the host of Jersey Talking on News 12 in Edison, have been living in South Orange for four years."
  11. ↑ Worth-Baker, Marcia. "Mother's Always Right: played the mother many times over", Maplewood Matters, accessed April 22, 2007. "Ask Kelly Bishop, South Orange resident and star of Gilmore Girls, what drew her to the role of Emily Gilmore, and she recalls, 'The pilot was simply the best script I ever read.'"
  12. ↑ White, Peter (September 13, 2021). "Hitchcockian Nanny Drama From Julie Durk Lands Pilot Order At Freeform; Andrea Londo & Warren Christie Among Stars". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  13. ↑ Lenker, Maureen Lee (November 1, 2024). "Kelly Bishop joins Shrinking as Harrison Ford's ex-wife in exclusive first look". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
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