Tovah Feldshuh
Encyclopedia
Tovah Feldshuh is an American actress, singer and playwright
.
, the daughter of Lillian (née Kaplan) and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York
, an affluent community in Westchester County
and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College
. She started her career under British
director Michael Langham at the Guthrie Theater
where she was awarded the McKnight Fellowship in Acting.
debut in the short-lived 1973 musical
Cyrano
starring Christopher Plummer
. She appeared in the title role in Yentl
both off-Broadway at the Chelsea Theater Center
and later on Broadway. Both productions are detailed in the book, Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
, which describes tensions between Feldshuh and director Robert Kalfin
over the play's interpretation.
Other Broadway credits include Saravà, Lend Me a Tenor
, and Golda's Balcony
. The last, William Gibson
's work about the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir
, set a record as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history on January 2, 2005.
Feldshuh made her cabaret
debut at the Algonquin Hotel
Oak Room with her act, Tovah: Crossovah! From Broadway to Cabaret, which was followed by Tovah: Out of Her Mind!, which she took on the road to Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles
, Chicago
, Hong Kong
, and Sydney. The West End production sold out an eight-week run at the Duke of York's Theatre
. The Boston Globe selected her as "Best Cabaret Artist of 2000". She penned the one-woman play Tallulah Hallelujah!, about actress Tallulah Bankhead
, in which she also starred.
In 1973, Feldshuh appeared on television in a supporting role in Scream, Pretty Peggy
. In 1976 she also had a supporting role in "Ryan's Hope
", and later portrayed Katharine Hepburn
in The Amazing Howard Hughes
(1977), but she came to international prominence as Helena Slomova in the 1978 mini-series Holocaust.
Feldshuh has a recurring role as defense attorney Danielle Melnick
on Law & Order
. Feature film appearances have included Lady in the Water
, The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
, A Walk on the Moon
, Happy Accidents
, Brewster's Millions
, The Idolmaker
, The Blue Iguana, A Day in October, The Believer, Love Comes Lately
, Just My Luck, and Kissing Jessica Stein
. She also played Ruthie in the 2004 film, The Tollbooth.
Feldshuh's most recent film is Goyband
, co-starring Adam Pascal
, Amy Davidson
, Cris Judd
, Dean Edwards
, Tibor Feldman
and Natasha Lyonne
. Feldshuh also will star in Acts of Mercy, a psychological thriller. She returned to Broadway in the Dan Gordon
play, Irena's Vow in March 2009. She had appeared off-Broadway in this play in September 2008. In 2009, Feldshuh recorded the song "Bein Nahar Prat" for the organization Pioneers For A Cure
, with the proceeds benefiting Ellen's Run.
For her charity work, she is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath, and the Israel Peace Medal. The National Foundation for Jewish Culture
honored her with the 2002 Jewish Image Award and the Performing Arts award in 2006.
Her brother David Feldshuh
is the Pulitzer Prize
-nominated playwright
of Miss Evers' Boys
.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
Early life
Terri Sue Feldshuh was born to a Jewish family in New York CityNew 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...
, the daughter of Lillian (née Kaplan) and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, an affluent community in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
. She started her career under British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
director Michael Langham at the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
where she was awarded the McKnight Fellowship in Acting.
Career
Feldshuh appeared on the stage under the name Terri Fairchild before deciding to incorporate her Hebrew name and her original surname as her professional name Tovah Feldshuh. She made her BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in the short-lived 1973 musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Cyrano
Cyrano (musical)
Cyrano is a musical with a book and lyrics by Anthony Burgess and music by Michael J. Lewis.Based on Edmond Rostand's classic 1897 play of the same name, it focuses on a love triangle involving the large-nosed poetic Cyrano de Bergerac, his beautiful cousin Roxana, and his classically handsome but...
starring Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
. She appeared in the title role in Yentl
Yentl
Yentl is a play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer.Based on Singer's short story "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy," it centers on a young girl who defies tradition by discussing and debating Jewish law and theology with her rabbi father...
both off-Broadway at the Chelsea Theater Center
Chelsea Theater Center
The Chelsea Theater Center was a not-for-profit theater company founded in 1965 by Robert Kalfin, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. It opened its doors in a church in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1968, where it was in residence for ten...
and later on Broadway. Both productions are detailed in the book, Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater is a book by Davi Napoleon about the onstage triumphs and the offstage turmoil at the Chelsea Theater Center of Brooklyn...
, which describes tensions between Feldshuh and director Robert Kalfin
Robert Kalfin
Robert Zangwill Kalfin is an American stage director and producer who has worked on and off Broadway and at regional theaters throughout the country. He is a former artistic director of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the founder/artistic director of The Chelsea Theater...
over the play's interpretation.
Other Broadway credits include Saravà, Lend Me a Tenor
Lend Me a Tenor
Lend Me a Tenor is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play was produced on both the West End and Broadway . Although it received seven Tony Award nominations, it won only one, for Best Actor. A Broadway revival opened in 2010. Lend Me a Tenor has been translated into sixteen languages and produced in...
, and Golda's Balcony
Golda's Balcony
Golda's Balcony is a play by William Gibson.It follows the trajectory of the life of Golda Meir from Russian immigrant to American schoolteacher to a leader of international politics as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Much of its focus is on the period surrounding the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when...
. The last, William Gibson
William Gibson (playwright)
William Gibson was an American playwright and novelist. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1938.He was of Irish, French, German, Dutch and Russian ancestry...
's work about the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, set a record as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history on January 2, 2005.
Feldshuh made her cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
debut at the Algonquin Hotel
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
Oak Room with her act, Tovah: Crossovah! From Broadway to Cabaret, which was followed by Tovah: Out of Her Mind!, which she took on the road to Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Sydney. The West End production sold out an eight-week run at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
. The Boston Globe selected her as "Best Cabaret Artist of 2000". She penned the one-woman play Tallulah Hallelujah!, about actress Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
, in which she also starred.
In 1973, Feldshuh appeared on television in a supporting role in Scream, Pretty Peggy
Scream, Pretty Peggy
Scream, Pretty Peggy is an American television movie directed by Gordon Hessler. The teleplay was written by Arthur Hoffe and Jimmy Sangster...
. In 1976 she also had a supporting role in "Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
", and later portrayed Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
in The Amazing Howard Hughes
The Amazing Howard Hughes
The Amazing Howard Hughes is a 1977 television movie about American aviation pioneer and filmmaker Howard Hughes, based on the book by Hughes' business partner Noah Dietrich. The film starred Tommy Lee Jones, Ed Flanders, and Tovah Feldshuh....
(1977), but she came to international prominence as Helena Slomova in the 1978 mini-series Holocaust.
Feldshuh has a recurring role as defense attorney Danielle Melnick
Danielle Melnick
Danielle Melnick is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, portrayed by Tovah Feldshuh. She has been periodically featured on the show since 1991....
on 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,...
. Feature film appearances have included Lady in the Water
Lady in the Water
The soundtrack was composed by James Newton Howard. The last four tracks are non-soundtrack songs from singer/songwriter Amanda Ghost, Indie rock band A Whisper in the Noise, and rock 'n' roll revivalists Silvertide. Each of the four songs was written by Bob Dylan...
, The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal is a 1979 film about the March 25, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which 146 garment workers died and which spurred the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union....
, A Walk on the Moon
A Walk on the Moon
A Walk On The Moon is a 1999 drama film starring Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin. The movie, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival of 1969 and the moon landing of that year, was distributed by Miramax Films.- Plot summary :Pearl Kantrowitz and her...
, Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents is a 2000 American film starring Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio. The movie revolves around Ruby Weaver, a New York woman with a string of failed relationships, and Sam Deed, a man who claims to be from the year 2470...
, Brewster's Millions
Brewster's Millions (1985 film)
Brewster's Millions is a 1985 comedy film starring Richard Pryor and John Candy based on the 1902 novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon. It is the seventh film based on the story, with a screenplay by Herschel Weingrod & Timothy Harris...
, The Idolmaker
The Idolmaker
The Idolmaker is a 1980 American musical drama starring Ray Sharkey, Peter Gallagher, Paul Land, Tovah Feldshuh and Joe Pantoliano.The film is based on the life of rock promoter and manager Bob Marcucci, who discovered and promoted several rock 'n' roll stars including Frankie Avalon and Fabian....
, The Blue Iguana, A Day in October, The Believer, Love Comes Lately
Love Comes Lately
Love Comes Lately is a 2007 film written for the screen and directed by Jan Schütte. The film is based on the short stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer.-Plot:...
, Just My Luck, and Kissing Jessica Stein
Kissing Jessica Stein
Kissing Jessica Stein is a 2001 independent romantic comedy film, written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen. The film also stars Tovah Feldshuh and is directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld...
. She also played Ruthie in the 2004 film, The Tollbooth.
Feldshuh's most recent film is Goyband
Goyband
Goyband is a 2008 American comedy film from directed by Christopher Grimm, starring Adam Pascal. Called a "gefilte fish out of water tale", this independent film is described as Dirty Dancing meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding with a touch of a hip hop Fiddler on the Roof...
, co-starring Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal is an American actor and singer known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway 1996, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
, Amy Davidson
Amy Davidson
Amy Lynn Davidson is an American actress best known for her role as Kerry Michelle Hennessy in the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.-Early life and education:...
, Cris Judd
Cris Judd
Cristan Leenon "Cris" Judd is an American actor and choreographer known for his brief marriage to Jennifer Lopez. He hails from Abilene, Texas.-Early years:...
, Dean Edwards
Dean Edwards
Dean Edwards is an American stand-up comedian, actor, singer, writer, voice artist, comedian, and musician whose trademark is a voice similar to Eddie Murphy....
, Tibor Feldman
Tibor Feldman
Tibor Feldman is an American actor, having played roles in movies, television shows, television commercials, and stage plays...
and Natasha Lyonne
Natasha Lyonne
-Early life:Lyonne was born Natasha Braunstein in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Yvette Lyonne, a product licensing consultant, and Aaron Braunstein, a native of Brooklyn who worked as a boxing promoter. Lyonne grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household...
. Feldshuh also will star in Acts of Mercy, a psychological thriller. She returned to Broadway in the Dan Gordon
Dan Gordon (screenwriter)
-Career:Dan Gordon graduated from UCLA as a film and television major, and went on to write screenplays including Passenger 57 , Wyatt Earp , Murder in the First , The Assignment and The Hurricane , as well as several novels.His play, Irena's Vow, premiered at the Baruch Performing Arts Center,...
play, Irena's Vow in March 2009. She had appeared off-Broadway in this play in September 2008. In 2009, Feldshuh recorded the song "Bein Nahar Prat" for the organization Pioneers For A Cure
Pioneers For A Cure
Pioneers For A Cure - Songs To Fight Cancer was started in 2008 to raise funds in support of organizations pioneering new methods of cancer treatment and research. The organization began with ‘The Postcard Project,’ gathering many Jewish musical artists to record the music of the pioneers of Israel...
, with the proceeds benefiting Ellen's Run.
Personal life
Feldshuh married New York attorney Andrew Harris Levy in 1977. They have two children.For her charity work, she is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath, and the Israel Peace Medal. The National Foundation for Jewish Culture
National Foundation for Jewish Culture
The Foundation for Jewish Culture is the leading advocate for Jewish cultural life and creativity in the United States....
honored her with the 2002 Jewish Image Award and the Performing Arts award in 2006.
Her brother David Feldshuh
David Feldshuh
David Feldshuh is a physician, playwright, and author. His 1992 play Miss Evers' Boys, based on the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, was a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama...
is the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-nominated playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
of Miss Evers' Boys
Miss Evers' Boys
Miss Evers' Boys is a 1997 HBO television film starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne, based on the true story of the decades-long Tuskegee experiment. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted from the 1992 stage play written by David Feldshuh...
.
Awards and nominations
- 2005 Method Fest Independent Film FestivalMethod Fest Independent Film FestivalMethod Fest Independent Film Festival is an independent film festival that has currently held over 8 festivals. It is held in Calabasas, California and is dedicated to support the work of those who produce, make and work in independent film and to provide educational opportunities in independent...
for Best Supporting Actress (The Tollbooth, winner) - 2004 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Play (Golda's Balcony, nominee) - 2003 Golden Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress (Kissing Jessica Stein, winner)
- 2003 Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order, nominee) - 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person ShowDrama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person ShowThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
(Golda's Balcony, winner) - 1993 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, nominee)
- 1989 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Lend Me a Tenor, nominee)
- 1989 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a PlayDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a PlayThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
(Lend Me a Tenor, winner) - 1979 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Saravà, nominee)
- 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Holocaust, nominee)
- 1976 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Yentl, nominee)
- 1976 Theatre World AwardTheatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
(Yentl, winner) - 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a PlayDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a PlayThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
(Yentl, nominee) - 1975 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (Yentl, nominee)
- 1975 Drama Desk Special AwardDrama Desk Special AwardThe Drama Desk Special Award is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It is a non-competitive award that honors an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway,...
(Yentl, winner)
External links
- Official Home Page
- List of Broadway Appearances
- Tovah Feldshuh - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.orgAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...