Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for "St. Elsewhere" and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for "My Favorite Year". She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in "My Favorite Year" (1982). Kazan played Maria Portokalos in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and its sequel film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2". Early life. Kazan was born Lainie Levine in Brooklyn as the daughter of  Carole (née Kazan) and Benjamin Levine. Carole was of Sephardic Jewish extraction from Spain and Turkey; the family moved to Jerusalem. Benjamin, who was of Russian-Jewish descent, worked as a gambling bookmaker. Kazan has described her mother as "neurotic, fragile and artistic." Kazan attended Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School with Barbra Streisand, for whom she would later understudy. She graduated in 1956. Kazan studied theatre at HB Studio and graduated from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York in 1960. While at Hofstra, Kazan appeared in school musicals written and directed by a classmate director Francis Ford Coppola as  well as actor James Caan. Career. Kazan made her Broadway debut in 1961 with the musical "The Happiest Girl in the World." She appeared the following year in another musical, "Bravo Giovanni," and understudied Barbra Streisand for the lead role of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" (1964). When Streisand could not perform due to a throat condition, Kazan took her place in a matinee and evening performance for one day of the show's run. Her popularity increasing, Kazan posed nude for the October 1970 issue of "Playboy," which was reused in "Pocket Playboy" #4, issued in 1974. Her appearance  in the magazine opened the door for her to headline and operate two different Playboy Jazz Clubs. Overseen by Hugh Hefner, the clubs were named Lainie's Room West and Lainie's Room East, each on opposite coasts, with the first one located in Los Angeles and the other in Manhattan. Her "Playboy" photographs inspired the look of Jack Kirby’s superheroine Big Barda. Along with appearing in numerous supper clubs across the country, Kazan guest-starred on Dean Martin’s variety series 26 times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Frieda on the Fran Drescher sitcom  The Nanny, the mother of Kirstie Alley's character on "Veronica's Closet," and various guest roles, including one on "St. Elsewhere" that resulted in an Emmy nomination. Her other television work has included "The Paper Chase," "Columbo", "Touched by an Angel," and "Will & Grace". Kazan played Maria Portokalos, the mother of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) in the films "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2." Following the first film in the franchise, Kazan was featured in "My Big Fat Greek Life," a short-lived series based on the film. Other recent film work includes  the mother of Adam Sandler’s character in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." Although the scene was deleted in the feature film, it is included on the DVD in the special features section. Kazan appeared as singer Ava St. Clair with Kevin James in two episodes of "The King of Queens". A life member of The Actors Studio, Kazan returned to Broadway to recreate her film role for the musical adaptation of "My Favorite Year," earning a Tony Award nomination for her performance. She completed a stint in "The Vagina Monologues." She has appeared in regional productions of  A Little Night Music, "Man of La Mancha," "," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "Hello, Dolly!," and "Fiddler on the Roof". In 1984, she made a guest appearance on the "Faerie Tale Theatre" episode “Pinocchio” as Sophia the Blue Fairy. In the "Ugly Betty" episode "Fire and Nice," Kazan played Dina Talercio, the mother of Bobby (Adam Rodriguez), who becomes the character's brother-in-law. In 2010, Kazan joined the cast of "Desperate Housewives" for season 7. She played the role of Mrs. Maxine Rosen, a self-employed business owner and neighbor to Susan Delfino. Personal life. After meeting  musical director-arranger Peter H.B. Daniels on the Broadway musical "Funny Girl", in which Kazan was a cast member and he was associate orchestra conductor, the two began a five-year relationship. They married sometime after the 1971 birth of their daughter Jennifer. The marriage did not last, and Kazan was single again by 1976. In the 1970s, Kazan was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Since then, she has dedicated time to public education about DVT. Beginning in 2012, Kazan became an adjunct professor at UCLA, teaching acting classes and directing her students in drama-department production. She  has served on the boards of the Young Musicians’ Foundation, AIDS Project LA, and B'nai Brith, the California Jazz Foundation, and her alma mater, Hofstra University. On April 9, 2016, Kazan was injured in a head-on collision. Kazan was driving her car when the collision occurred in front of a Greek restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California, which necessitated that she be hospitalized. In December 2017, outside a California supermarket, Kazan was arrested for shoplifting. Prosecutors reached a plea deal with her. Discography. As guest vocalist. With Benny Carter