Lisa Edelstein
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| Lisa Edelstein | |
| Born | May 21, 1966 (age 40) Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Notable roles | Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House Rhonda Roth on Relativity |
Lisa Edelstein (born May 21, 1966) is an award-winning American actress and playwright. She currently stars as Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital on the FOX drama House.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Lisa Edelstein was born to Jewish parents Alvin and Bonnie Edelstein on May 21, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Her father is currently a doctor in New Jersey. One of three children, she was raised in Wayne, New Jersey and moved to New York City at the age of 18 to study theatre at New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Fine Arts. While living in New York, she became involved in the club scene known only as "Lisa E.", and caused enough of a stir in the community to be dubbed New York City's "Queen of the Night" by writer James St. James, who briefly refers to Edelstein in his 2003 book "Party Monster". [1].
[edit] Career
After being dubbed a "celebutante" by Newsweek Magazine during her club kid days [2], Edelstein used her newfound celebrity to write, compose and star in an original musical called "Positive Me", in response to the growing AIDS crisis of the early '90s. She was quickly cast as a VJ on "Awake on the Wild Side" for MTV, and guest roles on Mad About You, Wings, and The Larry Sanders Show soon followed. Equally comfortable with comedy or drama, Edelstein has since gone on to appear on some of the hottest shows on television, with recurring roles on Seinfeld (as George Costanza's frustrated girlfriend), The West Wing (as Sam Seaborn's date turned high-priced call-girl), Ally McBeal (as a male-to-female transsexual), and Felicity (as Ben's girlfriend), and a regular roles on ABC's Relativity (as David Conrad's lesbian sister) and Leap of Faith for NBC. She has also completed guest stints on shows including ER, Frasier, Without a Trace and Judging Amy, and has lent her voice to several animated programs including King of the Hill, American Dad, Superman: The Animated Series (as Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's bodyguard, a role she later reprised in several episodes of Justice League) and the 1997 video game adaptation of Blade Runner. Edelstein's film credits include What Women Want with Mel Gibson, Keeping the Faith with Ben Stiller, As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson, and Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy. In 2004, she was cast as Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and frequent character foil to titular character Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) on FOX's hit show House, M.D.. She received a 2005 Satellite Award (Best Supporting Actress) for her role, which has earned her acclaim from fans and critics alike.
[edit] Personal life
Edelstein currently resides in a century-old home in Los Angeles with her cat and three rescue dogs. She is a vegetarian [3] and an avid practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga. She's currently dating Finnish yoga instructor Petri Räisänen. They met on a yoga class in New York where they had a common instructor. She frequently volunteers for the Best Friends Animal Society. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, painting and composing music. [4]
[edit] Trivia
Edelstein is a playwright, having written and composed a musical called Positive Me — an early AIDS-related piece.
Edelstein's left eye is slightly higher than her right. This is a condition called hypertropia.
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Selected films
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Say Uncle | Sarah Faber |
| 2005 | Fathers and Sons | Irene |
| 2003 | Daddy Day Care | Crispin’s Mother |
| 2001 | Black River | Laura |
| 2000 | What Women Want | Dina |
| 2000 | Keeping the Faith | Ali Decker |
| 1999 | 30 Days | Danielle |
| 1998 | Susan's Plan | Penny Myers |
| 1997 | As Good As It Gets | Woman at Table |
| 1991 | The Doors | Makeup Artist |
[edit] Selected television
| Year | Show | Role | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 - Present | House, M.D. | Dr. Lisa Cuddy | |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Sylvia Danforth | The Quick and the Dead |
| 2003 | The Practice | Diane Ward | (2 episodes) |
| 2003 | Without a Trace | Dr. Liana Sardo | Moving On |
| 2002 | Leap of Faith | Patty | |
| 2001 – 2002 | Felicity | Lauren | (6 episodes) |
| 2000 – 2001 | Ally McBeal | Cindy McCauliff | (5 episodes) |
| 1999 – 2000 | The West Wing | Laurie "Brittany" Rollins | (5 episodes) |
| 1999 | Sports Night | Bobbi Bernstein | (2 episodes) |
| 1998 | Frasier | Caitlin | Frasier Gotta Have It |
| 1997 | ER | Aggi Orton | Ambush |
| 1996 – 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Mercy Graves (voice) | (8 episodes) |
| 1996 – 1997 | Relativity | Rhonda Roth | |
| 1995 – 1997 | Almost Perfect | Patty Karp | (9 episodes) |
| 1994 | Seinfeld | Karen | (2 episodes) |
[edit] References
- ^ Hollywood Dog Magazine - November 2006
- ^ "Party Monster" by James St. James (Published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster Books)
- ^ A Chat with Lisa Edelstein - September 4, 2006
- ^ FOX.com Biography
[edit] External links
- Lisa Edelstein at the Internet Movie Database
- Lisa Edelstein - Biography, articles, video and more.
- Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Cuddy - Her Best Quotes from House MD
