Lorna Luft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lorna Luft
Luft in 2010
Born	(1952-11-21) November 21, 1952 (age 72) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	HB Studio
Occupation	Actress, singer, author
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Jake Hooker ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1993)​ Colin Freeman ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Sidney Luft Judy Garland
Relatives	Liza Minnelli (half-sister)

Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her work on stage, in movies, and on TV. Lorna is the daughter of the legendary singer and actress Judy Garland. Her father was Sidney Luft. She is also the half-sister of actress Liza Minnelli.

Early Life

Lorna Luft was born in Santa Monica, California, on November 21, 1952. Her parents were Judy Garland and Sidney Luft. She went to University High School in Los Angeles. While there, she was part of the school choir. Later, she studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.

Career

Stage and TV Shows

Lorna started her career at age 11. She sang "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" on her mother's TV show, The Judy Garland Show, in 1963. Her siblings, Liza Minnelli and Joey Luft, also appeared. Her mother even sang a special song called "Lorna" for her on the show in 1964.

Lorna later joined her family for a summer concert tour. A big moment was when her mother performed at the famous Palace Theatre on Broadway in 1967. Lorna, who was 14, and her brother Joey, 12, performed with their mother. This show was recorded live and released as an album.

In 1971, Lorna made her Broadway debut. She joined the cast of the musical Promises, Promises. This show was based on the movie The Apartment.

Lorna performed at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1981. She also toured in the musical They're Playing Our Song. In 1982, she played Paulette Rebchuck in the movie Grease 2. The next year, she was Peppermint Patty in the musical Snoopy! The Musical.

She appeared on the TV show Trapper John, M.D. from 1985 to 1986. She also guest-starred in an episode of Murder, She Wrote in 1985. In that episode, she played the daughter of an actress who had been in Guys and Dolls. Lorna herself would later play Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls on tour.

In 1995, Lorna released a special version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". It was a "virtual duet" with her mother, Judy Garland. The music video combined new footage of Lorna with old clips of her mother.

Lorna Luft performing in 2007.

From 2006 to 2008, Lorna performed in the musical White Christmas in the U.K. She also lent her voice to the animated TV series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World.

In 2007, Lorna released her first album, Lorna Luft: Songs My Mother Taught Me. It was produced by Barry Manilow and her husband, Colin R. Freeman. The album celebrated her mother's music. She also toured with a stage show called Songs My Mother Taught Me.

Lorna played the Wicked Witch of the West in a stage version of The Wizard of Oz in England. This was the movie that made her mother famous.

In 2009, she toured the U.K. in the play Pack of Lies. She also appeared in W magazine and recorded for a radio series called Friday Night Is Music Night.

From 2015 to 2017, Lorna toured the U.K. with Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland. This show highlighted her mother's life and music.

Movies

Lorna has appeared in several movies. These include Grease 2 (1982), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), Fear Stalk (1989), 54 (1998), and My Giant (1998). She also had a small role in her mother's 1963 film I Could Go On Singing.

Author

Lorna is also a writer. She wrote the book Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir in 1998. This book was later made into an Emmy-winning TV miniseries called Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows in 2001.

She also co-wrote the 2018 book A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away. This book tells the story of the classic movie A Star Is Born.

Personal Life

Lorna cares about helping others. She takes part in events for children's charities and organizations that help people with AIDS. She has two children, a son named Jesse and a daughter named Vanessa. She also has four grandchildren. Lorna lives in Palm Springs, California, with her second husband, Colin Freeman, who is a composer.

Health

Lorna has faced some health challenges. In 2012, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She completed her treatment in 2013. In 2015, the breast cancer returned, and she had surgery.

In March 2018, Lorna was diagnosed with a brain tumor after collapsing. She had successful surgery to remove the tumor later that month.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Singles

Soundtracks

Other Album Appearances

DVDs

Filmography

Movies

TV Shows

Theatre Performances

Books

• Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir (1998)
• A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away (2018)

See also

In Spanish: Lorna Luft para niños