# Stephanie Zimbalist

Stephanie Zimbalist (born October 8, 1956) is an American actress best known for her role as Laura Holt in the NBC detective series Remington Steele.

## Early life

Stephanie Zimbalist was born in New York City, the daughter of Loranda Stephanie (née Spalding) and actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.. The family soon moved to Los Angeles, where Stephanie grew up. She was educated at the Marlborough School (Los Angeles) and graduated from Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. She attended the Juilliard School before commencing her acting career.

## Acting career
### Television and film career

Zimbalist's early television and movie appearances include The Gathering (1977, with Edward Asner), In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan (1977), Forever (1978), The Magic of Lassie (1978), Long Journey Back (TV, 1978), The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979), The Awakening (1980, with Charlton Heston), The Golden Moment (1980), in which she played a Soviet Olympic gymnast, The Babysitter (1980) and Tomorrow's Child (TV, 1982). She co-starred with her father, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., in the tragic 1979 TV movie The Best Place to Be.
Another early role for Zimbalist was that of Elly Zendt in the mini-series Centennial, based on James Michener's epic novel of the same name, which was first televised on NBC between October 1978 and February 1979. She also guest starred as Josephine "Josie" Collins in the television series Family episode "Ballerina" (1979).
In her TV work, Zimbalist is best known in the TV role of sleuth Laura Holt in the NBC series Remington Steele (1982–87) opposite Pierce Brosnan and Doris Roberts, on which her father also guest-starred.
Since then, Zimbalist has taken leading roles in several television movies such as The Man in the Brown Suit (1988), the Emmy Award winning Caroline? (1990), The Great Elephant Escape (1995), and some guest roles in television series such as Touched by an Angel and Diagnosis Murder.

### Theater

In 1979, she appeared as Miranda in John Hirsch's production of The Tempest with Anthony Hopkins (as Prospero), Brent Carver, and Michael Bond at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Zimbalist played opposite Tommy Tune in the touring musical My One and Only, taking the featured role of "Edith Herbert". She has made several appearances with the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California, winning the local critics' "Robby Award" for Best Actress in a Drama in The Rainmaker, at the Rubicon community theatre in 2001. Throughout the 2000s, Zimbalist took roles in plays concerning nineteenth-century artists including Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Van Gogh.
She also played Christa McAuliffe in the play Defying Gravity in 2003, written by Jane Anderson.
In 2009 she portrayed actress Katharine Hepburn in Tea at Five.
Other work
Zimbalist has also released audiobooks, including The Girls, which won a Listen-Up award in 2006, and Queen of the Underworld.
She appeared in the 2006 documentary Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars.

## Personal life

Zimbalist's paternal grandfather, Efrem Zimbalist, born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, was a symphony conductor, concert violinist and music teacher at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and composer. Her paternal grandmother, Alma Gluck, born in Romania, was a leading soprano of her day. Zimbalist's aunt, Marcia Davenport, was a prominent author, music journalist and historian.
In a 2016 interview she described attending a Billy Graham crusade over 15 years prior with Dean Butler, and both going down to "accept the Lord." She expressed, "I have a personal connection with my Savior... I feel very beholden to Him--for me it's a him--I feel He's there for me in my darkest moments." In the same interview she mentioned years ago moving out of an "inappropriate relationship" with a married man, though still remaining friends.

## Stage roles

* Gypsy (1969)
* Stars & Stripes (1970)
* Little Mary Sunshine (1971)
* Peter Pan (1974)
* Kiss Me Kate (1976)
* Festival (1979)
* The Tempest (1979)
* The Babysitter (1980)
* American Mosaic (1982)
* The Cherry Orchard (1983)
* Barbarians (1986)
* Summer & Smoke (1986)
* My One & Only (1987)
* Carousel (1988)
* The Baby Dance (1990–1991)
* The Threepenny Opera (1992)
* The Philadelphia Story (1992–1993)
* The Crimson Thread (1994)
* AdWars (1995)
* Sylvia (1996–1997)
* Wonderful Town (1997)
* Mr. Bundy (1998)
* The Gregory Peck Reading Series (1998)
* Denial (1999)
* Far East (1999)
* 14th Annual Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival (2000)
* Side Man (2000)
* Accomplice (2000)
* The Rainmaker (2000–2001)
* Walking Wounded (2000)
* A Cowardly Cavalcade (2000)
* The Gregory Peck Reading Series (2001)
* 15th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2001)
* 16th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2002)
* The Cherry Orchard (2002)
* Dancing At Lughnasa (2003)
* Tall Tales (2003)
* Romantique (2003)
* Defying Gravity (2003)
* Follies (2004)
* Vincent in Brixton (2004)
* The Night of the Iguana (2004)
* Confidentially Chaikovski (2005)
* Theater 150's 10-Minute Play Festival (2006)
* Mesmeric Mozart (2006)
* 20th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2006)
* Tea At Five (2006, 2009, 2010, 2012)
* The Memory of Water (2007)
* Hamlet (2007)
* A Little Night Music (2007), (2013)
* You Can't Take It With You (2007)
* 22nd Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (2008)
* The Spin Cycle (2008)
* The Price (2009)
* Truth and Justice (2010)
* The Subject Was Roses (2011)
* Steel Magnolias (2011, 2013)
* The Lion in Winter (2011)
* Sex and Education (2014)
* Living on Love (2015)

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | The Magic of Lassie | Kelly Mitchell | |
| 1980 | The Awakening | Margaret Corbeck | |
| 2000 | The Prophet's Game | Francis Aldobrandi | |
| 2001 | Borderline Normal | Vicky Walling | |
| 2001 | Malpractice | Beth Garrett | |
| 2006 | Truth | Meredith | Video |
| 2006 | Lucy's Piano | Alice | Short |
| 2008 | The Delivery | The Red Queen | Short |
| 2015 | Hamlet's Ghost | Justina Keller / Queen Gertrude | |
| 2016 | His Neighbor Phil | Mary | |
| 2023 | Lucky Louie | Pastor Mimi | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | Yesterday's Child | Ann Talbot | TV film |
| 1977 | Lucan | Tashi | "Listen to the Heart Beat" |
| 1977 | In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan | Mary Ellen Quinlan | TV film |
| 1977 | The Gathering | Toni | TV film |
| 1978 | Forever | Katherine Danziger | TV film |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Jenny Lang | "The Caper: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1978 | Long Journey Back | Celia Casella | TV film |
| 1978–79 | Centennial | Elly Zendt | TV miniseries |
| 1979 | The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal | Connie | TV film |
| 1979 | Family | Josie | "Ballerina" |
| 1979 | The Best Place to Be | Maryanne Callahan | TV film |
| 1980 | Hagen | Linda | "Hear No Evil" |
| 1980 | The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story | Anya Andreyev | TV film |
| 1980 | The Babysitter | Joanna Redwine | TV film |
| 1981 | Elvis and the Beauty Queen | Linda Thompson | TV film |
| 1982 | Tomorrow's Child | Kay Spence | TV film |
| 1982–1987 | Remington Steele | Laura Holt | Main role |
| 1985 | Love on the Run | Diana Rockland | TV film |
| 1985 | The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible | Eve | "The Creation" |
| 1985 | A Letter to Three Wives | Debra Bishop | TV film |
| 1987 | Celebration Family | Janet Marston | TV film |
| 1989 | The Man in the Brown Suit | Anne Beddingfeld | TV film |
| 1989 | The Hitchhiker | Heather | "Hootch" |
| 1990 | Personals | Sarah Martin | TV film |
| 1990 | Caroline? | Caroline | TV film |
| 1991 | The Killing Mind | Isobel Neiman | TV film |
| 1991 | The Story Lady | Julie Pollard | TV film |
| 1992 | Breaking the Silence | Janey Kirkland | TV film |
| 1992 | Sexual Advances | Paula Pratt | TV film |
| 1993 | The Hidden Room | Della | "While She Was Out" |
| 1993 | Jericho Fever | Bonnie Whitney | TV film |
| 1994 | Incident in a Small Town | Lily Margaret Bell | TV film |
| 1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Janet Van Dorn (voice) | "Trial" |
| 1994 | Voices from Within | Ann Parkhurst | TV film |
| 1995 | The Great Elephant Escape | Beverly Cunningham | TV film |
| 1995 | Whose Daughter Is She? | Cathy | TV film |
| 1996 | Stop the World – I Want to Get Off | Evie | TV film |
| 1996 | Dead Ahead | Maura Loch | TV film |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Kate Calder | "My Dinner with Andrew" |
| 1997 | Prison of Secrets | Lynn Schaffer | TV film |
| 1999 | Twice in a Lifetime | Dana Hancock / Ann Rutherford | "Ashes to Ashes" |
| 1999 | Diagnosis: Murder | Vanessa Sellars | "The Seven Deadly Sins" |
| 1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Mom | "Simple Wooden Boxes" |
| 2000 | Family Law | Elizabeth Lane | "Second Chance" |
| 2001 | V.I.P. | Bobbi Canary | "Get Vallery" |
| 2001 | Nash Bridges | Joy Larson | "Kill Joy" |
| 2001 | Touched by an Angel | Jessica Albright | "Heaven's Portal" |
| 2003 | Crossing Jordan | Mrs. Sullivan | "Cruel & Unusual" |
| 2003 | Judging Amy | Ms. Friedman | "Marry, Marry Quite Contrary" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1981 | 8th Saturn Awards | Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress | The Awakening | Nominated |
| 1991 | Golden Globe Award | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film | Caroline? | Nominated |