Lindsay Crouse

Last updated

Lindsay Crouse
Born
Lindsay Ann Crouse

(1948-05-12) May 12, 1948 (age 76)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Education Harvard University
OccupationActress
Years active1972–present
Spouses
(m. 1977;div. 1990)
Rick Blue
(m. 1998)
Children2, including Zosia Mamet
Parent Russel Crouse (father)
Relatives Timothy Crouse (brother)
John Erskine (maternal grandfather)

Lindsay Ann Crouse (born May 12, 1948) [1] is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of Much Ado About Nothing and appeared in her first film in 1976 in All the President's Men . For her role in the 1984 film Places in the Heart , she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her other films include Slap Shot (1977), Between the Lines (1977), The Verdict (1982), Prefontaine (1997), and The Insider (1999). She also had a leading role in the 1987 film House of Games , which was directed by her then-husband David Mamet. In 1996, she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for "Between Mother and Daughter", a CBS Schoolbreak Special episode. She is also a Grammy Award nominee.

Contents

Early life

Crouse was born at Le Roy Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side, [1] [2] the daughter of Anna (née Erskine) [3] and Russel Crouse, the playwright and librettist. [1] Her maternal grandparents were author and educator John Erskine and his wife Pauline Ives. [4] [5] Lindsay Ann Crouse's full name is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse, which consisted of her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay. The two wrote much of The Sound of Music . [6] Their 1946 play State of the Union won that year's Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Their last collaboration was Mr. President in 1962. As Crouse has said: "In our family, the work ethic was held up as some kind of byword ... At any hour, somebody's typewriter was going." [7]

Career

After graduating from the Chapin School in 1966 [8] and Radcliffe College in 1970, [7] Crouse began her performing career as a modern and jazz dancer, but she soon switched to acting and made her Broadway debut in Much Ado About Nothing in 1972. [9] She received her acting training at HB Studio [10] in New York City.

Crouse's film career began in 1976, with small roles in television and theatrical movies. In 1977, she appeared as Lily Braden, the discontented wife of hockey player Ned Braden in Slap Shot . In 1982 she appeared as the decisive witness in The Verdict . Crouse was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1984 movie Places in the Heart . Among her films was a starring role in House of Games , the 1987 film directed and written by her then-husband David Mamet, in which she plays Margaret Ford, a psychiatrist who is intrigued by the art of the con. "It's always hard to be directed by someone who's close to you," Crouse says. "Because everybody needs to go home and complain about the director. Everybody." [11]

Crouse has appeared in featured and guest roles in a number of television series. Notable roles include a recurring portrayal of Kate McBride, a lesbian police officer on Hill Street Blues during its sixth season in 1986. This was the first lesbian recurring character on a major network. [12] Crouse is also known for her role in the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , where she was a recurring supporting cast member playing Professor Maggie Walsh. Crouse has also guest-starred on Alias , CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , Columbo , Criminal Minds , Law & Order , ER , Millennium , and NYPD Blue .

In recent years, Crouse has concentrated on the theater. "Once you get your driver's license, you end your film career," says Crouse. "Look at my generation. Great actresses like Glenn Close and Susan Sarandon—there's nothing written for anyone over a certain age." [13] In 2007, Crouse opened a revival of The Belle of Amherst , a one-woman show about the life of poet Emily Dickinson, at the Gloucester Stage in Gloucester, Massachusetts. "You can't stop and recite something," says Crouse. "You have to keep the poetry very, very active, which is pretty easy with Dickinson. She was striving so hard to understand what life was about. It's very dramatic poetry in that way. [14]

Crouse appeared in Lee Blessing's Going to St. Ives with the Gloucester Stage Company during the summer of 2008 [15] and provided the narration for Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place, a documentary film about Virginia Lee Burton. [16] In 2021, she appeared in a limited engagement of Mornings at Seven at Broadway's Theatre at St. Clements. [17]

Personal life

After a relationship with Robert Duvall, [18] Crouse married playwright David Mamet in 1977. The two had met during the production on Slap Shot. [19] John Lahr writes in his book Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles that when Mamet married Crouse in 1977, he "married into show business aristocracy". Lahr also writes that Mamet received his first screenwriting assignment through Crouse. Crouse was on her way to audition for Bob Rafelson's 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice , and jokingly Mamet told Crouse to tell Rafelson that "he was a fool if he didn't hire me to write the screenplay." But Crouse said this to Rafelson, who called Mamet; when the director asked why he should hire him for the screenplay, Mamet replied, "Because I'll give you a good screenplay or a sincere apology." Mamet received the job. [20] She and Mamet divorced in 1990. [21] Their marriage produced two daughters, Willa and Zosia Mamet.

Crouse's brother is Timothy Crouse, author of The Boys on the Bus about political journalism during the 1972 presidential campaign.

Buddhist beliefs

Crouse is a Buddhist. In 2005, she organized an annual Buddhist educational program, originally held at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport, Massachusetts, [22] and then in 2010 moved to The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. [23] Crouse has spoken on the relevance of Buddhism in the modern world:

[Buddhism] is not an exclusive club. It has something to offer everyone at all levels ... Buddhism is dynamic and has captured the interests of Americans. Even our quantum physics validate[s] ideas the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago. [24]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 All the President's Men Kay Eddy
1977 Slap Shot Lily Braden
1977 Between the Lines Abbie
1981 Prince of the City Carla Ciello
1982 The Verdict Kaitlin Costello
1983 Krull Princess Lyssa (voice)
1983 Daniel Rochelle Isaacson
1984 Iceman Dr. Diane Brady
1984 Places in the Heart Margaret Lomax
1987 House of Games Margaret Ford
1989Brave IreneNarrator (voice)Short subject
1989 Communion Anne Strieber
1990 Desperate Hours Brenda Chandler
1994 Being Human Janet
1995 Bye Bye Love Grace Damico
1995 The Indian in the Cupboard Jane
1996 The Juror Tallow
1996 The Arrival Ilana Green
1997 Prefontaine Elfriede Prefontaine
1998 Progeny Dr. Susan Lamarche
1999Stranger in My HousePatti Young
1999 The Insider Sharon Tiller
2000One Hell of a GuyJudge Davis
2001 Almost Salinas Allie
2001 Impostor Chancellor
2002 Cherish Therapist
2007 Mr. Brooks Captain Lister
2013 Somewhere Slow Katherine Franklin

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 Eleanor and Franklin Marjorie BennettTV film
1976 The Tenth Level KarenTV film
1977 Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years Marjorie BennettTV film
1980Paul's CaseFirst ActressTV film
1981 Summer Solstice Young Maggie BurnsideTV film
1982Kennedy's ChildrenRonaTV film
1985 ABC Afterschool Special Louise SandersEpisode: "I Want to Go Home"
1986–1987 Hill Street Blues Kate McBrideRecurring role (5 episodes)
1987 The Equalizer Sarah McGeeEpisode: "Solo"
1988 American Playhouse RonnieEpisode: "Lemon Sky"
1989 Columbo Dr. Joan AllenbyEpisode: "Sex and the Married Detective"
1989 CBS Summer Playhouse Annie HolscherEpisode: "American Nuclear"
1990Everyday HeroesJanet FlorineTV film
1990 Lifestories Rebecca McManusEpisode: "Rebecca McManus and Steve Arnold"
1990 L.A. Law Sharon CummingsEpisode: "Outward Bound"
1992 Batman: The Animated Series Mrs. Grant (voice)Episode: "I've Got Batman in My Basement"
1993 Murder, She Wrote Louise Anderson-CroweEpisode: "Killer Radio"
1993 Civil Wars Dianne RalstonEpisodes: "Captain Kangaroo Court", "A Liver Runs Through It"
1993 Chantilly Lace RhezaTV film
1993Final AppealDana CartierTV film
1993 Law & Order Diane MeadeEpisode: "Promises to Keep"
1993 The Halloween Tree Additional VoicesTV film
1994 Out of Darkness Kim DonaldsonTV film
1994 Traps Laura ParkhurstRecurring role (5 episodes)
1994 L.A. Law Sharon CummingsEpisode: "Finish Line"
1994 Parallel Lives Una PaceTV film
1995 CBS Schoolbreak Special Anna LeoneEpisode: "Between Mother and Daughter"
1996 ER Dr. Anna CastiglioniEpisode: "Baby Shower"
1996 Norma Jean & Marilyn Natasha Lytess TV film
1996 If These Walls Could Talk Frances WhiteSegment, "1996"
1996 Millennium Ardis CohenEpisode: "Kingdom Come"
1996–1997 NYPD Blue Jane WallaceEpisodes: "Ted and Carey's Bogus Adventure", "Alice Doesn't Fit Here Anymore"
1998 Brimstone Dr. Julia MartinEpisode: "Heat"
1999 Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline Ingalls TV film
1999 The Outer Limits Gwen SawyerEpisode: "Tribunal"
1999 Touched by an Angel KateEpisode: "Such a Time as This"
1999 Law & Order Judge Denise GrobmanEpisode: "DNR"
1999–2000 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Prof. Maggie Walsh Recurring role (9 episodes)
2001The WardenMaureen RedmondTV film
2001-2002 Providence Lauren MacKenzieRecurring role (4 episodes)
2002 Frasier PegEpisodes: "Juvenilia", "The Proposal"
2002 The Division Donna B. / Julie M.Episode: "Forgive Me, Father"
2002 Alias Dr. Carson EvansEpisode: "The Prophecy"
2002 Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder Caroline IngallsTV film
2002 Arliss Sharon 'Sydney' PerelliEpisode: "The Immortal"
2003 Hack Beth KulvickiEpisodes: "Forgive, But Don't Forget", "Black Eye", "Sinners and Saints", "All Others Pay Cash"
2003 Dragnet Captain Ruth HagermannRecurring role (6 episodes)
2004 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Dr. Mona LavelleEpisode: "Ch-Ch-Changes"
2005 Law & Order Judge Deirdre HellstromEpisode: "Red Ball"
2005 Criminal Minds Mary MaysEpisode: "Blood Hungry"
2007 Drive The BossEpisode: "Rearview"
2009–2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Judge AndrewsRecurring role (7 episodes)
2010 FlashForward Mrs. KirbyEpisodes: "Revelation Zero: Parts 1 & 2"

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References

  1. 1 2 3 McCord, Bert (May 14, 1948). "NEWS of the THEATER: Lunt and Fontanne Get Play; Lindsay Ann Crouse". New York Herald Tribune. p. 16. ProQuest   1335213290. There's only a difference of one word between Lindsay and Crouse and Lindsay Ann Crouse, and that's the name Russel Crouse has given the baby girl born to his wife Wednesday night at the Le Roy Hospital.
  2. "'The Legs' a Grandma". New York Herald Tribune. June 29, 1948. p. 16. ProQuest   1335213290. Move actress Marlene Dietrich became a grandmother yesterday when her 24-year-old daughter, Mrs. William Riva, gave birth to an eight-pound boy. The film star visited Le Roy Hospital, 40 E. 61st St., to see her new grandson.
  3. Weber, Bruce (January 6, 2014). "Anna E. Crouse, 97, Dies; Championed Discount Tickets for Broadway". The New York Times.
  4. Newsweek – Google Books. 1945. Retrieved April 24, 2013 via Google Books.
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  6. Killeen, Wendy. "Crouse plays the belle." Boston Globe. July 22, 2007
  7. 1 2 "Lindsay Crouse keeps up a Family Stage Tradition." New York Times. January 2, 1981.
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  9. Zucker, Carole (1995). Figures of Light: Actors and Directors Illuminate the Art of Film Acting . Springer Science + Business Media, LLC. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-306-44949-9.
  10. HB Studio Alumni
  11. Clements, Warren. "A Master in the Art of the Con." The Globe and Mail. August 31, 2007
  12. Maya Salam (November 29, 2019). "The Very (Very) Slow Rise of Lesbianism on TV - The New York Times". The New York Times . Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  13. Beggy, Carol and Mark Shanahan. "Crouse: No complaints." Boston Globe. July 20, 2007.
  14. "The 'belle' of Gloucester." Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Innews Weekly. July 25, 2007.
  15. Pope, Jeff. "Gloucester Stage Company plans five plays, Sunday readings for 29th season." Archived January 24, 2013, at archive.today Gloucester Times. April 18, 2008.]
  16. "North Shore Film Festival wraps up on May 8 and 9." Archived February 9, 2013, at archive.today Wicked Local Manchester. May 7, 2008.]
  17. "Morning's at Seven Revival to Star Lindsay Crouse, Judith Ivey, Patty McCormack, and More | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. September 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  18. Stevenson, Laura (September 5, 1977). "Robert Duvall, Hollywood's No. 1 Second Lead, Breaks for Starlight". People . Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  19. "For Mamet and Crouse, A Movie is a Family Affair." New York Times. October 11, 1987.
  20. Lahr, John (2000). Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 43. ISBN   9780520233775.
  21. "David Mamet (1947–)." Theatre Database.
  22. McCarthy, Gail. "Actress brings third annual Buddhist retreat to Rockport." Archived January 25, 2013, at archive.today Gloucester Daily Times. July 23, 2007.
  23. "The Summer Retreat with Ven. Sumati Marut, Cindy Lee, Rick Blue, Lindsay Crouse".
  24. McCarthy, Gail. McCarthy. "Actress brings Buddhist retreat to Windhover." Glouster Daily Times. August 25, 2005.