# Kyra Sedgwick

Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (/ˈkɪərə ˈsɛdʒwɪk/ KEER-ə SEJ-wik; born August 19, 1965) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the crime drama The Closer (2005–2012), for which she won a Golden Globe in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2010. She also starred in the 1992 TV film Miss Rose White, which won an Emmy Award. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the 1995 film Something to Talk About. Sedgwick's other film credits include Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Cameron Crowe's Singles (1992). She also had a recurring role as Madeline Wuntch on the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

## Early life

Sedgwick was born in New York City on August 19, 1965, the daughter of Patricia (née Rosenwald), a speech teacher and educational/family therapist, and Henry Dwight Sedgwick V, a venture capitalist. Her mother was Jewish and her father was Episcopalian and of English heritage. Sedgwick has identified as Jewish and has stated that she participates in Passover seders.
She is a descendant of William Ellery, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, and Ellery Sedgwick, an editor of The Atlantic Monthly. She is the sister of actor Robert Sedgwick, the half-sister of jazz guitarist Mike Stern, the first cousin once removed of actress Edie Sedgwick, and the niece of writer John Sedgwick. She is the aunt of R&B singer George Nozuka, actor Philip Nozuka, and singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka (their mother, Holly, is Sedgwick's half-sister).
Sedgwick's parents separated when she was four and divorced when she was six.
Sedgwick graduated from Friends Seminary and attended Sarah Lawrence College before transferring to the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a theater degree.

## Career

Sedgwick obtained her first acting job in 1982 on the television soap opera Another World, portraying Julia Shearer, troubled granddaughter of Liz Matthews. In 1988, she appeared in a TV version of Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky. In 1989, Sedgwick played the role of Donna in the Oscar-winning Born on the Fourth of July.
Sedgwick played the title role in the Emmy Award–winning 1992 TV film Miss Rose White as a Jewish immigrant who comes to terms with her ethnicity. During the 1990s, she appeared in several Hollywood movies, including Singles (1992), Heart and Souls (1993), Something to Talk About (1995; for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture), Phenomenon (1996; in which she played the love interest of John Travolta's character), and Critical Care (1997).
Sedgwick has starred alongside her husband Kevin Bacon in Pyrates (1991) and The Woodsman (2004). Other film credits include Secondhand Lions (2003), The Game Plan (2007), The Possession (2012), and The Edge of Seventeen (2016).
Sedgwick is best known for starring as Brenda Leigh Johnson in the television series The Closer. She played this role from 2005 to 2012. In 2007, she began earning approximately $300,000 per episode on The Closer. For portraying Brenda, Sedgwick earned six consecutive nominations for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (winning once), five consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (winning once), and seven nominations for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. The Closer aired its final episode on August 13, 2012, following the completion of its seventh season; the series's broadcaster TNT stated that the decision to end the series was made by Sedgwick. The first episode of Major Crimes—a sequel series that did not feature Sedgwick, but included many other cast members from The Closer—aired immediately following the final episode of The Closer.
Sedgwick produced the television series Proof for TNT. The show debuted in 2015 and aired for one season.
In 2017, Sedgwick directed Story of a Girl, a television film based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Sara Zarr. The film marked Sedgwick's directorial debut. It starred Sedgwick's husband Kevin Bacon; her daughter Sosie Bacon; and others. Story of a Girl aired on the Lifetime network.
Sedgwick portrayed the character of Madeline Wuntch in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She also played the lead role of Jean Raines in the comedy pilot My Village, written by Kari Lizer. My Village was approved by ABC and re-titled Call Your Mother on May 21, 2020, for the 2020–2021 television season.
In 2023, Sedgwick played the role of Aunt Julia in season 2 of the drama series The Summer I Turned Pretty.

## Personal life

Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon were married on September 4, 1988, about 18 months after meeting on the set of PBS's adaptation of Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky. They have two children, Travis Sedgwick Bacon and actress Sosie Bacon. The family splits their time between New York City and the family farm in Connecticut.

## Honors

* 2005: Received the Copper Wing Tribute Award presented to her during the Phoenix Film Festival.
* 2009, June 8: Inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame receiving a star for her contribution to television. The star is located at 6356 Hollywood Boulevard.
* 2013: Honored with the President's Award by the Society of Camera Operators.
* 2017: Received the John Cassavetes Award presented to her during the Denver International Film Festival.

## Awards and nominations

| Association | Year | Category | Title | Result |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | 2017 | Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature | Story of a Girl | Won |
| American Comedy Awards | 1996 | Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Something to Talk About | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | 1996 | Best Supporting Actress | Something to Talk About | Nominated |
| Directors Guild Awards | 2018 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Miniseries | Story of a Girl | Nominated |
| DVD Exclusive Awards | 2001 | Best Actress | Labor Pains | Won |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | 2017 | Best International Feature Film | Story of a Girl | Nominated |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | 2017 | Audience Award | Story of a Girl | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | 2006 | Drama Lead Actress | The Closer | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | 2007 | Drama Lead Actress | The Closer | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | 2008 | Drama Lead Actress | The Closer | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | 2015 | Comedy Guest Actress | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 1993 | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Miss Rose White | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 1996 | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Something to Talk About | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2006 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2007 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2008 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2009 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2010 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2011 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Gracie Allen Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Female Lead – Drama Series | The Closer | Won |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2005 | Best Female Lead | Cavedweller | Nominated |
| MTV Movie + TV Awards | 1997 | Best Kiss (shared with John Travolta) | Phenomenon | Nominated |
| People's Choice Awards | 2009 | Favorite Television Drama Diva | The Closer | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2007 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2010 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The Closer | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2005 | Best Actress in a Series – Drama | The Closer | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2005 | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | The Woodsman | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2006 | Best Actress in a Series – Drama | The Closer | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2007 | Best Actress in a Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2008 | Best Actress in a Series – Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 1994 | Best Supporting Actress | Heart and Souls | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2007 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2008 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2009 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2010 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2011 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2012 | Best Actress on Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2007 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2010 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2010 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2011 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2011 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2012 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| Television Critics Association Awards | 2006 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Closer | Nominated |
| TV Guide Awards | 2012 | Favorite Actress | The Closer | Nominated |