Christine Baranski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christine Baranski
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Christine Baranski in 2010
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| Born |
Christine Jane Baranski
May 2, 1952 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | 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 a talented American actress. She is well-known for her roles in many TV shows, movies, and plays. She won an Emmy Award for playing Maryann Thorpe in the TV show Cybill (1995–1998).
Christine Baranski also played Diane Lockhart in the popular legal drama series The Good Wife (2009–2016) and its spin-off, The Good Fight (2017–2022). More recently, she stars as Agnes van Rhijn in the historical drama The Gilded Age (2022–present). She has been nominated for many awards for these roles.
You might also recognize her from movies like The Birdcage (1996), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Chicago (2002), and the musical films Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). She also played Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in the funny TV show The Big Bang Theory, earning four Emmy nominations.
On stage, Baranski has won two Tony Awards. These were for her roles in The Real Thing (1984) and Rumors (1989).
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Early Life and Education
Christine Baranski was born on May 2, 1952, in Buffalo, New York. Her mother was Virginia, and her father, Lucien Baranski, worked as an editor for a Polish newspaper. Christine has Polish roots, and her grandparents were stage actors in Poland before they moved to America.
She grew up in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, in a neighborhood with many Polish and Roman Catholic families. She went to Villa Maria Academy for high school, where she was the class president and a top student. After high school, she studied at New York City's famous Juilliard School from 1970 to 1974. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree there in 1974.
Career Highlights
Stage Performances
Christine Baranski started her acting career on stage. She first performed off-Broadway in 1980 in a show called Coming Attractions. Her first appearance on Broadway was also in 1980, in Hide & Seek.
She won her first Tony Award in 1984 for her role as Charlotte in Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing. She won her second Tony Award for playing Chris Gorman in Neil Simon's Rumors. Other notable Broadway shows she appeared in include Hurlyburly and The House of Blue Leaves.
In 2002, she played Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. She won an award for this role. In 2008, she returned to Broadway in the play Boeing Boeing, which also won two Tony Awards. In 2018, Christine Baranski was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Film Roles
Baranski has acted in many movies, playing a variety of characters. She is well-known for her role as Katherine Archer in The Birdcage (1996), a comedy film. She also played Martha May Whovier in the popular holiday movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
In the musical film Chicago (2002), she played Mary Sunshine. She gained even more fame for her role as Tanya Chesham-Leigh in the musical hit Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). She also appeared as Cinderella's stepmother in the 2014 movie Into the Woods, based on the musical. Some of her other film appearances include Cruel Intentions (1999) and Trolls (2016), where she lent her voice.
Television Appearances
Christine Baranski has had a long career in television. She appeared in short roles on soap operas like All My Children. She became widely known for her role as Maryann Thorpe, Cybill Shepherd's sarcastic friend, in the CBS sitcom Cybill (1995–1998). During this time, she hosted Saturday Night Live and won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
From 2009 to 2019, Baranski had a popular recurring role as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory. She played Leonard Hofstadter's smart but sometimes distant mother, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. This role earned her four Emmy nominations.
From 2009 to 2016, she starred as Diane Lockhart, a top lawyer, in the CBS series The Good Wife. She received six Emmy nominations for this role. She then continued playing Diane Lockhart in the spin-off series The Good Fight from 2017 to 2022, where her character had to start over at a new law firm.
Since 2022, she has been starring as Agnes van Rhijn in the HBO historical drama The Gilded Age. The cast of this show has also received an award nomination for their performance.
Acting Style and Persona
Christine Baranski is known for being able to play many different types of characters. However, she is especially famous for playing smart, sophisticated, and often wealthy women. People often say that her on-screen characters are similar to her real personality.
She once joked that while people think she's always a "sophisticated lady," they should see her when she's watching the Buffalo Bills football team. She said it gets "loud" then! This shows she has a fun, down-to-earth side too.
Personal Life
Christine Baranski was married to actor Matthew Cowles from 1983 until he passed away in 2014. They had two daughters together. Their older daughter, Isabel (born 1984), is a lawyer. Their younger daughter, Lily (born 1987), is also an actress. Christine Baranski lives in Connecticut. She is a devoted Catholic.
Awards and Nominations
Christine Baranski has won many awards throughout her career. These include a Primetime Emmy Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Tony Awards. She has also received the most nominations at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, with 10 nominations!
See also
In Spanish: Christine Baranski para niños
