Bebe Neuwirth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bebe Neuwirth
Neuwirth in 2023
Born	Beatrice Jane Neuwirth (1958-12-31) December 31, 1958 (age 66) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actress singer dancer
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Paul Dorman ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1991)​ Chris Calkins ​ (m. 2009)​

Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth (born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is famous for her roles on stage and in movies and TV shows. Bebe has won many important awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for her TV work and two Tony Awards for her amazing performances on Broadway. She has also won two Drama Desk Awards.

Early Life and Her Dream to Dance

Bebe Neuwirth was born in Newark, New Jersey. Her dad, Lee Neuwirth, was a mathematician, and her mom, Sydney Anne Neuwirth, was a painter and also danced for fun. Bebe has an older brother named Peter.

When Bebe was five, she started taking ballet lessons. She loved ballet and wanted to be a professional ballet dancer. But as she got older, she realized that ballet training where she lived wasn't quite what she needed. When she was 15, she saw the musical Pippin in New York City. This show changed her mind! She decided she wanted to be a dancer in Broadway musicals instead of a ballerina.

After high school, Bebe went to the Juilliard School to study dance. But she left after only a year because she felt it didn't teach the kind of dance used in Broadway shows. She then took jazz and singing classes in New York City to get ready for her dream career. She also performed with the American Repertory Ballet in ballets like The Nutcracker and in local musicals.

Amazing Career on Stage

Bebe Neuwirth at a charity event in 2006.

Bebe Neuwirth started her Broadway career in 1980 in the musical A Chorus Line. She then appeared in other shows like Little Me and Damn Yankees.

In 1986, she won her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Nickie in Sweet Charity. This was a big achievement!

Her most famous stage role came in 1996 when she played Velma Kelly in the Broadway revival of Chicago. She worked incredibly hard in this role. For this part, she won her second Tony Award, this time for Best Actress in a Musical. She also won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Bebe loved Chicago so much that she returned to the show later. In 2006, she played a different character, Roxie Hart. Then, in 2014, she came back again to play "Mama" Morton. This made her the first person ever to play three different main characters in the same Broadway production of Chicago!

Bebe has also starred as Lola in Damn Yankees (1994) and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010). In 2024, she was nominated for another Tony Award for her role in the musical Cabaret.

Starring on TV and in Movies

While waiting for her Tony Award in Los Angeles in 1985, Bebe tried out for a TV show called Cheers. She got the part of Dr. Lilith Sternin, a very smart and serious character. At first, she was only supposed to be in one episode. But the writers loved her character so much that they kept writing her into more and more episodes!

Lilith ended up marrying Frasier Crane, another character on the show. Bebe played Lilith for many seasons and even became a main star of the show. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in Cheers in 1990 and 1991. Her character Lilith also appeared in the spin-off show Frasier, which earned Bebe another Emmy nomination.

Bebe Neuwirth at the Emmy Awards in 1991.

Bebe has been in many other TV shows too. She was a main character in Law & Order: Trial by Jury from 2005 to 2006. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as Nadine Tolliver in the political drama Madam Secretary. She also had recurring roles in popular shows like Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and Julia.

In movies, Bebe played Nora Shepherd in the original Jumanji (1995) and returned for a small appearance in Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). Some of her other film roles include Say Anything... (1989), Green Card (1990), Bugsy (1991), Celebrity (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).

Personal Life and Charity Work

Bebe Neuwirth married Paul Dorman in 1984, and they later divorced in 1991. In 2009, she married director and writer Chris Calkins.

Bebe is a big animal lover. She has supported groups that help horses and has been part of "Broadway Barks," an event that helps pets find homes. She especially loves cats and has had several over the years.

She also enjoys making pottery in her free time, a hobby she started in high school. Bebe is very active in charity work. After having hip surgeries, she helped create the Dancers’ Resource program at The Actors Fund. This program helps professional dancers with money and health needs. She also supports other charities like Seeds of Peace.

Awards and Recognition

Bebe Neuwirth has won many awards for her acting, singing, and dancing. Here are some of her major awards and nominations:

Images for kids

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  Bebe Neuwirth in 2023

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  Bebe Neuwirth at a charity event in 2006.

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  Bebe Neuwirth at the Emmy Awards in 1991.

See also

In Spanish: Bebe Neuwirth para niños