Christine Baranski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christine Baranski
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Baranski in 2010
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| Born |
Christine Jane Baranski
May 2, 1952 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Matthew Cowles
(m. 1983; died 2014) |
| Children | 2, including Lily Cowles |
| Awards | Full list |
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress known for her work in movies, television, and theater. She has won many awards for her acting, including a Primetime Emmy Award for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the TV show Cybill.
Baranski is famous for playing the smart lawyer Diane Lockhart in the TV series The Good Wife and its follow-up show, The Good Fight. She also stars as the wealthy Agnes van Rhijn in the historical drama The Gilded Age. These roles earned her several Emmy nominations.
You might also recognize her from popular movies. She played Tanya in Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She was also Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Cinderella's stepmother in Into the Woods.
On stage, Baranski has won two Tony Awards, which are the highest awards for Broadway theater. She won for her performances in the plays The Real Thing and Rumors.
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Early Life and School
Christine Baranski was born in Buffalo, New York. Her parents were Virginia and Lucien Baranski. Her father was the editor of a newspaper for the Polish community. She grew up in a Polish and Catholic neighborhood in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo.
Her grandparents were actors in Poland before they moved to the United States. This family history in acting may have inspired her. In high school, she was the president of her class. After high school, she went to the famous Juilliard School in New York City to study drama. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974.
Acting Career
Baranski has had a successful career on stage, in movies, and on television. She is known for playing smart, sophisticated, and often funny characters.
Stage Performances
Baranski started her acting career in theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1980 in a play called Hide & Seek. She won her first Tony Award in 1984 for her role in The Real Thing. She won a second Tony Award in 1989 for the comedy Rumors.
She has starred in many other Broadway shows, including Hurlyburly, The House of Blue Leaves, and a revival of Boeing Boeing. In 2002, she played Mrs. Lovett in a production of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Kennedy Center. For her amazing work in theater, she was welcomed into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2018.
Movie Roles
Baranski has appeared in many well-known films. One of her most famous roles is Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the musical movie Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Some of her other memorable movie roles include:
- Katherine Archer in The Birdcage (1996)
- Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- Mary Sunshine in the musical Chicago (2002)
- Cinderella's Stepmother in Into the Woods (2014)
- Chef in the animated movie Trolls (2016)
Television Shows
Baranski became a household name in the 1990s playing Maryann Thorpe on the TV show Cybill. Her funny performance won her a Primetime Emmy Award.
She is also famous for playing Diane Lockhart on the legal drama The Good Wife from 2009 to 2016. She continued this role in the spin-off series The Good Fight from 2017 to 2022. Her work as Diane Lockhart earned her many award nominations.
She had a popular recurring role on The Big Bang Theory as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, the very logical and unemotional mother of the main character, Leonard. Since 2022, she has starred in the HBO series The Gilded Age as Agnes van Rhijn, a wealthy woman in 1880s New York City.
Personal Life
Baranski was married to actor Matthew Cowles from 1983 until he passed away in 2014. They had two daughters together. Their daughter Isabel is a lawyer, and their daughter Lily Cowles is also an actress. Baranski lives in Connecticut.
See also
In Spanish: Christine Baranski para niños
