Camryn Manheim
Encyclopedia
Camryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt
on ABC
's The Practice
and Delia Banks on CBS
's Ghost Whisperer
and as
Elvis
's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis.
and grew up in Peoria, Illinois
. She is the daughter of Sylvia, a teacher, and Jerome Manheim, a mathematics professor. Her family is Jewish. Manheim became interested in acting after working at a Renaissance fair
in high school. Manheim graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz
with a BFA
degree in 1984 and NYU with an MFA
degree in 1987.
interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was utilized at times on The Practice, an episode of Law & Order
and also for her role as a Child Behavioral Psychologist in the movie Mercury Rising
. In 1983, she made a brief appearance as a girl in an elevator in Sudden Impact
alongside Clint Eastwood
in the post-courtroom scene at the beginning. In the mid 1980s, Manheim appeared as a "trebekkie" in a practical joke pulled on Alex Trebek on Bloopers and Practical Jokes. In 1998, Manheim collected an Emmy for her work on The Practice
and exclaimed that "This is for all the fat girls!" She followed up on this statement with a one-woman show entitled Wake Up, I'm Fat! followed by her autobiography with the same name. In 1999, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
In 2005, Manheim earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work in the miniseries Elvis, and the following year she joined the cast of Ghost Whisperer
. Her other television credits include Chicago Hope
, Ally McBeal
, Family Guy
, Will & Grace
, Boston Public
, Two and a Half Men
, The L Word
, How I Met Your Mother
and Hannah Montana
. She also voiced Juliet in the episode "Company Picnic" of the Dilbert (TV series)
on UPN in 2000.
In addition, Manheim has several film credits. These include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
, Happiness (which earned her and her co-stars a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble), The Laramie Project
, Scary Movie 3
, Dark Water
and An Unfinished Life
.
activist with a focus on women's rights
, fat acceptance, and gay rights. She is known to have made contributions to a variety of charities, notably RAINN
. Manheim has also been involved with the Los Angeles-based charity, Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice
, serving as a co-chair for their annual fundraiser, The Justice Ball
. She maintains her own official website where she can interact with fans.
She has a son named Milo Jacob who was born on March 6, 2001, just two days before her 40th birthday. Her brother, Karl Manheim, is a law professor at Loyola Law School
.
Ellenor Frutt
Ellenor Frutt, played by Camryn Manheim, is a fictional character from David E. Kelley's legal drama, The Practice. She often struggles with issues related to her weight, appearance, and relationships. She has not had much luck in finding love...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
and Delia Banks on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
and as
Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis.
Early life
Manheim was born Debra Frances Manheim in Caldwell, New JerseyCaldwell, New Jersey
Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, about outside of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,822....
and grew up in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. She is the daughter of Sylvia, a teacher, and Jerome Manheim, a mathematics professor. Her family is Jewish. Manheim became interested in acting after working at a Renaissance fair
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
in high school. Manheim graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
with a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in 1984 and NYU with an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in 1987.
Career
Manheim worked for a while as a sign languageAmerican Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was utilized at times on The Practice, an episode of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
and also for her role as a Child Behavioral Psychologist in the movie Mercury Rising
Mercury Rising
Mercury Rising is a 1998 American action thriller film starring Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. Directed by Harold Becker, the movie is based on Ryne Douglas Pearson's 1996 novel originally published as Simple Simon...
. In 1983, she made a brief appearance as a girl in an elevator in Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
alongside Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
in the post-courtroom scene at the beginning. In the mid 1980s, Manheim appeared as a "trebekkie" in a practical joke pulled on Alex Trebek on Bloopers and Practical Jokes. In 1998, Manheim collected an Emmy for her work on The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
and exclaimed that "This is for all the fat girls!" She followed up on this statement with a one-woman show entitled Wake Up, I'm Fat! followed by her autobiography with the same name. In 1999, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
In 2005, Manheim earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work in the miniseries Elvis, and the following year she joined the cast of Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
. Her other television credits include Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
, How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
and Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
. She also voiced Juliet in the episode "Company Picnic" of the Dilbert (TV series)
Dilbert (TV series)
Dilbert is an animated television series spin-off of the comic strip of the same name, produced by Adelaide Productions, Idbox, and United Media and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television...
on UPN in 2000.
In addition, Manheim has several film credits. These include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 comedy film starring Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim, and Alan Cumming directed by David Mirkin. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old women who appear to have achieved very little success in life and decide to invent...
, Happiness (which earned her and her co-stars a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble), The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project (film)
The Laramie Project is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Moisés Kaufman. Based on the play of the same name, the film tells the story of the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming...
, Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 3 is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film, which parodies the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres, directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise, as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans family...
, Dark Water
Dark Water (2005 film)
Dark Water is a 2005 American horror-thriller film directed by Walter Salles, starring Jennifer Connelly and Tim Roth. The film is a remake of the 2002 Japanese film of the same name, and also stars John C. Reilly, Pete Postlethwaite, Perla Haney-Jardine and Ariel Gade...
and An Unfinished Life
An Unfinished Life
An Unfinished Life is a 2005 drama film directed by Swedish director Lasse Hallström, and based on the Mark Spragg novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman...
.
Personal life
Manheim is an avid human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist with a focus on women's rights
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, fat acceptance, and gay rights. She is known to have made contributions to a variety of charities, notably RAINN
RAINN
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is an American anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims, and to ensure that rapists are brought to justice.RAINN...
. Manheim has also been involved with the Los Angeles-based charity, Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice
Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice
Bet Tzedek is an American non-profit human and poverty rights organization, internationally recognized for its work in providing unique advocacy and support for people living in poverty, and for communities victimized by discrimination and civil rights abuses....
, serving as a co-chair for their annual fundraiser, The Justice Ball
The Justice Ball
----The Justice Ball is an annual fundraiser for the Los Angeles based charity, Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice. All net proceeds from the event directly benefit Bet Tzedek....
. She maintains her own official website where she can interact with fans.
She has a son named Milo Jacob who was born on March 6, 2001, just two days before her 40th birthday. Her brother, Karl Manheim, is a law professor at Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
.
Filmography
- Sudden ImpactSudden ImpactSudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
(1983) - CreatorCreator (film)Creator is a 1985 film directed by Ivan Passer, starring Peter O'Toole, Vincent Spano, Mariel Hemingway, and Virginia Madsen. It is based on a book of the same title by Jeremy Leven.-Plot:...
(1985) (Uncredited) - The Road to WellvilleThe Road to Wellville (film)The Road to Wellville is a 1994 American comedy-drama film adaptation of T. Coraghessan Boyle's novel of the same name, which tells the story of the doctor and clean-living advocate John Harvey Kellogg and his methods as employed at the Battle Creek Sanitarium at the start of the 20th Century...
(1994) - Cracking UpCracking UpFor the movie, see Cracking Up .Cracking Up is an American television sitcom created by School of Rock writer Mike White, who also served as the series' head writer. It aired on the Fox Network on Monday nights from March to May 2004. The title of the program and the name of the psychiatrist, Dr...
(1994) - Deadly Whispers (1995)
- JeffreyJeffrey (film)Jeffrey is a 1995 American gay romantic comedy directed by Christopher Ashley. It is based on a play by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay.Starring Steven Weber as Jeffrey and Michael T...
(1995) - EraserEraser (film)Eraser is a 1996 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan and Vanessa L. Williams. It was directed by Chuck Russell. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Effects Editing in 1996.-Plot:...
(1996) - The PracticeThe PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
(1997-2004)- Ellenor Frutt - Romy and Michele's High School ReunionRomy and Michele's High School ReunionRomy and Michele's High School Reunion is a 1997 comedy film starring Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim, and Alan Cumming directed by David Mirkin. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old women who appear to have achieved very little success in life and decide to invent...
(1997) - Wide Awake (1998)
- Happiness (1998)
- Mercury RisingMercury RisingMercury Rising is a 1998 American action thriller film starring Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. Directed by Harold Becker, the movie is based on Ryne Douglas Pearson's 1996 novel originally published as Simple Simon...
(1998) - David Searching (1998)
- You Are Here (1998)
- The Tic CodeThe Tic CodeThe Tic Code is an independent American drama film directed by Gary Winick and written by Polly Draper. It tells of the interactions between a single mother, the relationship she forms with a jazz musician who has Tourette syndrome, and her young son—a jazz piano prodigy—also with the disorder...
(1998) - Fool's Gold (1998) - Patricia
- Joe the KingJoe the KingJoe the King is a 1999 drama film, written and directed by Frank Whaley, based largely on his own childhood and the childhood of his brother. It stars Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Camryn Manheim, Max Ligosh and James Costa...
(1999) - Jackie's BackJackie's BackJackie's Back is a 1999 television movie directed by Robert Townsend. It premiered on the Lifetime Television Network on June 14, 1999.-Plot:...
(1999) - East of A (1999)
- Loretta Claiborne Story (2000)
- What Planet Are You From?What Planet Are You From?What Planet Are You From? is a 2000 comedy film starring Garry Shandling and Annette Bening. It was directed by Mike Nichols.-Plot:A denizen of a faraway planet occupied only by highly evolved males is ordered to find a female human, impregnate her and bring the baby back to the planet...
(2000) - The 10th KingdomThe 10th KingdomThe 10th Kingdom is an American epic fantasy miniseries written by Simon Moore and produced by Britain's Carnival Films, Germany's Babelsberg Film und Fernsehen, and the USA's Hallmark Entertainment...
(2000) - Jennifer (2001)
- A Girl Thing (2001) - Suzanne Nabor
- Kiss My Act (2001)
- The Laramie ProjectThe Laramie Project (film)The Laramie Project is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Moisés Kaufman. Based on the play of the same name, the film tells the story of the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming...
(2002) - Rebecca Hillicker - Scary Movie 3Scary Movie 3Scary Movie 3 is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film, which parodies the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres, directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise, as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans family...
(2003) - Strong MedicineStrong MedicineStrong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
(2004) - The L WordThe L WordThe L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
(2004) - Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
(2004) - Higglytown HeroesHigglytown HeroesHigglytown Heroes is a children's television series currently airing on the Disney Junior portion of the Disney Channel, or, on some cable networks, the Playhouse Disney channel...
(2004-2007) - The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the TinysaurusesThe Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the TinysaurusesThe Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses is a 2004 direct-to-video animated film and the 11th film in the The Land Before Time series.-Plot:...
(2005) - How I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
(2005) - Dark WaterDark Water (2005 film)Dark Water is a 2005 American horror-thriller film directed by Walter Salles, starring Jennifer Connelly and Tim Roth. The film is a remake of the 2002 Japanese film of the same name, and also stars John C. Reilly, Pete Postlethwaite, Perla Haney-Jardine and Ariel Gade...
(2005) - Elvis (2005) - Gladys Presley
- An Unfinished LifeAn Unfinished LifeAn Unfinished Life is a 2005 drama film directed by Swedish director Lasse Hallström, and based on the Mark Spragg novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman...
(2005) - Nina - Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm SchoolMarilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm SchoolMarilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School is a 2005 musical romance film produced by Samuel Goldwyn Films and directed by Randall Miller...
(2005) - Ghost WhispererGhost WhispererGhost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
(2006-2010) - Delia Banks - The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers (2006)
- SlipstreamSlipstream (2007 film)Slipstream is a 2007 American science fiction film starring, written, scored, and directed by Anthony Hopkins, which explores the premise of a screen writer who is caught in a slipstream of time, memories, fantasy and reality. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival...
(2007) - Hannah MontanaHannah MontanaHannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
(2007) - Jesse Stone: Thin IceJesse Stone: Thin IceJesse Stone: Thin Ice is the fifth film in the Jesse Stone film series aired on the CBS television network starring Tom Selleck. It is based on the character from the successful book series created by the late Robert B. Parker...
(2009) - Elizabeth Blue - The Pregnancy Pact (2010)
- Harry's LawHarry's LawHarry's Law is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley. which premiered on January 17, 2011.On May 12, 2011, NBC renewed the show for a second season, which premiered Wednesday September 21, 2011...
(2011)