Donna Pescow
Encyclopedia
Donna Pescow is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 film and television actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 and director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...

.

Life and career

Pescow was born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, to a Jewish family. Her father owned and ran a news stand in downtown NYC
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 at Battery Place. Pescow attended Sheepshead Bay High School
Sheepshead Bay High School
Sheepshead Bay High School is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.-Mission:Sheepshead Bay High School is a large, multi-cultural high school in Brooklyn, New York. There are currently 2,673 students enrolled, in grades 9 through 12. The largest group is African American ,...

 in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

 and she took drama classes with Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

co-star Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...

. Pescow studied at the American Academy of the Arts. Approximately 1973 or '74, Donna had a leading role in an off-off Broadway musical entitled Poor Old Fool. It was a short run of just a few weeks.

In 1977, Pescow had a successful role in the John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...

 film Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...

. For this role, she had to relearn her Brooklyn accent and gain about 40 pounds. While both the role, and the film were huge successes, Donna later went on to appear in television roles for the majority of her career. For this role, she was the New York Film Critics third place choice for their award for best supporting actress.

Also in 1977, Pescow joined the cast of the hit 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...

 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...

, portraying Celena Arquette. The role proved to be brief, lasting under a year, but it helped to launch a successful television career for Pescow (including roles on two other 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...

 soap operas in later years).

In 1978, Pescow portrayed one of Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

's older sisters in the TV bio-pic Rainbow directed by Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...

.

Pescow starred on her own television series Angie
Angie (TV series)
Angie is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast by the ABC network from February 1979 until October 1980.-Premise:Philadelphia coffee shop waitress Angie Falco starts a romance with customer Bradley Benson...

, for two seasons from 1979
1979 in television
The year 1979 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1979.For the American TV schedule, see: 1979-80 American network television schedule.-Events:...

 to 1980
1980 in television
The year 1980 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1980.For the American TV schedule, see: 1980-81 American network television schedule.-Events:...

 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...

.

In 1982, Pescow was cast in a groundbreaking role of Dr. Lynn Carson on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

, which she portrayed from 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...

 to 1983
1983 in television
The year 1983 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1983.For the American TV schedule, see: 1983-84 United States network television schedule.-Events:...

. Her character was the first lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

 on the daytime serials
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...

. After her run on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

ended, Donna decided to continue her run on television. She later landed the role of Donna Garland, the mother of Evie Ethel Garland, in the children's comedy show Out of This World
Out of This World (TV series)
Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...

(1987–1991), along with Maureen Flannigan
Maureen Flannigan
Maureen Osborne Flannagan , credited as Maureen Flannigan, is an American actress noted for her role as teenager Evie Ethel Garland TV sitcom Out of This World, which ran from 1987 to 1991 and also starred Donna Pescow. She began acting professionally in 1985.-Personal:She attended the University...

 and Joe Alaskey
Joe Alaskey
Joseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices...

. Donna portrayed this role for the show's entire run, from its premiere in 1987 until its cancellation in 1991.

After Out of This World
Out of This World (TV series)
Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...

ended, Donna went on to have a series of smaller roles, before returning to prominent television roles. She appeared in an episode of Clueless
Clueless (TV series)
Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...

, as well as guest appearances on NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

, Pauly
Pauly
Pauly was a comedy television series on FOX in 1997. The show starred Pauly Shore. It was cancelled after five episodes, leaving two episodes unaired.- Plot :...

and Ivory Tower
Ivory Tower
The term Ivory Tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon , and was later used as an epithet for Mary.From the 19th century it has been used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life...

. In 1998, she had a role in the television film Dead Husbands.

Pescow appeared on the 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...

 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

from 1999 until 2001. She portrayed Gertrude Morgan, the evil aunt of Chloe Morgan (Tava Smiley
Tava Smiley
Tava Michelle Smiley is an American actress and television host.Smiley was born in Theodosia, Missouri. Smiley's first name is her mother's maiden name. She is a 1989 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO...

), during Smiley's entire run on the show (1999–2001). In 2001, Tava Smiley
Tava Smiley
Tava Michelle Smiley is an American actress and television host.Smiley was born in Theodosia, Missouri. Smiley's first name is her mother's maiden name. She is a 1989 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO...

 was released from her contract at General Hospital, resulting in Pescow's character being written off the canvas, along with on-screen niece Chloe, in 2001. During her run on General Hospital, she also had a small role in the television film Partners and guest starred on the television series Philly
Philly
Philly may refer to:Things related to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city in the United States, nicknamed Philly*Philly , an American television series*Philly cheesesteak, a sandwich...

.

In 1998, Disney contacted Pescow about appearing in a half-hour kids/teen sitcom for the network. A pilot was filmed in 1999, and the show went on to become Even Stevens
Even Stevens
Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...

and aired for three seasons (the norm for Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...

 shows of that time), from 2000-2003. The series became a flagship for the network, and after it ended in 2003, Donna and the rest of the cast returned for The Even Stevens Movie
The Even Stevens Movie
The Even Stevens Movie is a 2003 American Disney Channel Original Movie that is based on the Disney Channel Original Series Even Stevens...

, which served as the finale.

After taking several years off after the finale of Even Stevens
Even Stevens
Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...

, Donna returned to work when she signed on to appear in the film One Sung Hero alongside Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Sullivan
Nicole Julianne Sullivan is an American actress, comedian and voice artist. Sullivan is best known for her six seasons on the sketch comedy series MADtv and five seasons on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.She has played a recurring character on Scrubs and voices the villainous Shego in...

. After appearing in the film, Donna once again took a small break from acting but did appear in a 2006 episode of Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...

. In 2007, Donna made an appearance on the series finale of The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

, portraying the wife of a mobster named Patsy Parisi.

Personal life

She married Donald Zelonka in 1987, and they have a son, Jack Casey Zelonka, who was born in 1989.

Pescow states that she was 25 years old when she first got her drivers license.

Actress

  • 2010: Cold Case (TV series) … Nancy Kent '10
  • 2007: The Sopranos
    The Sopranos
    The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

    (TV series) Donna Parisi
  • 2007: Crossing Jordan
    Crossing Jordan
    Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...

    (TV series) Debbie's Mother
  • 2006: One Sung Hero (short) Karen
  • 2003: The Even Stevens Movie
    The Even Stevens Movie
    The Even Stevens Movie is a 2003 American Disney Channel Original Movie that is based on the Disney Channel Original Series Even Stevens...

    (TV movie) Eileen Stevens
  • 2001: Philly
    Philly (TV series)
    Philly is a television series created by Steven Bochco that focused on criminal defense attorney Kathleen Maguire . It lasted a full season and was canceled due to low ratings...

    (TV series) Ronnie Garfield
  • 2000: Partners (TV movie) Bob's Wife
  • 1999: Even Stevens
    Even Stevens
    Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...

    (TV series) Eileen Stevens / Bubbie Rose 66 episodes (1999–2003)
  • 1999: General Hospital
    General Hospital
    General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

    (TV series) Gertrude Morgan (1999–2001)
  • 1998: Dead Husbands
    Dead Husbands
    Dead Husbands is a 1998 romance comedy thriller starring Nicollette Sheridan, John Ritter, Sonja Smits, Donna Pescow, Amy Yasbeck and Sheila McCarthy. It was directed by Paul Shapiro and written by Bob Randall and Warren Taylor.-Cast:...

    (TV movie) Rosemary Monroe
  • 1998: Ivory Tower Bonnie Benitez
  • 1997: Pauly
    Pauly
    Pauly was a comedy television series on FOX in 1997. The show starred Pauly Shore. It was cancelled after five episodes, leaving two episodes unaired.- Plot :...

    (TV series) Ariana
  • 1997: NYPD Blue
    NYPD Blue
    NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

    (TV series) Mrs. Carol Buono
  • 1997: Clueless
    Clueless (TV series)
    Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...

    (TV series) Sheila Kendall
  • 1987: Glory Years (TV movie) Norma
  • 1986: Jake Speed
    Jake Speed
    Jake Speed is a 1986 action/comedy film directed by Andrew Lane, produced by Lane, Wayne Crawford, and William Fay, written by Lane and Crawford, and starring Crawford in the title role.-Plot:...

    Wendy
  • 1987: Out of This World
    Out of This World (TV series)
    Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...

    (TV series) Donna Garland 96 episodes (1987–1991)
  • 1986: Murder, She Wrote
    Murder, She Wrote
    Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

    (TV series) Cornelia
  • 1985: Mr. Belvedere
    Mr. Belvedere
    Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, until July 8, 1990. The series was based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty...

    (TV series) Candy
  • 1985: Obsessed with a Married Woman (TV movie) Susan
  • 1984: Finder of Lost Loves
    Finder of Lost Loves
    Finder of Lost Loves is an American drama series aired by the ABC network during the 1984-1985 season.-Synopsis:After Cary Maxwell's wife Kate dies, he decides to set up a private detective agency specializing in reuniting clients with a former loved one...

    (TV series) Anne Sherman
  • 1983: Hotel
    Hotel (TV series)
    Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....

    (TV series) Cathy Connelly / Gloria Beck / Susan Garfield (1983–1987)
  • 1983: Fantasy Island
    Fantasy Island
    Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...

    (TV series) Carol Bowen / Paula Santino (1983–1984)
  • 1983: All My Children
    All My Children
    All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

    (TV series) Dr. Lynn Carson
  • 1983: Policewoman Centerfold (TV movie) Sissy Owens
  • 1983: Trapper John, M.D.
    Trapper John, M.D.
    Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986....

    (TV series) Linda D'Amico
  • 1982: Cassie & Co. (TV series)
  • 1982: The Day the Bubble Burst (TV movie) Gloria Block
  • 1981: Advice to the Lovelorn (TV movie) Janice Vernon
  • 1979: The Love Boat
    The Love Boat
    The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...

    (TV series) Connie / Gwen Winters / Irene (1979–1986)
  • 1979: Angie
    Angie (TV series)
    Angie is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast by the ABC network from February 1979 until October 1980.-Premise:Philadelphia coffee shop waitress Angie Falco starts a romance with customer Bradley Benson...

    (TV series) Angie Falco Benson 36 episodes (1979–1980)
  • 1978: Rainbow
    Rainbow
    A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...

    (TV movie) Jinnie Gumm
  • 1978: Human Feelings (TV movie) Gloria Prentice
  • 1977: One Life to Live
    One Life to Live
    One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...

    (TV series) Character Unknown
  • 1977: Saturday Night Fever
    Saturday Night Fever
    Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...

    Annette

External links

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