Swoosie Kurtz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Swoosie Kurtz
Kurtz at the 2009 premiere of PoliWood
Born	(1944-09-06) September 6, 1944 (age 80) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1962–present
Parent(s)	Frank Kurtz Jr. (father)

Swoosie Kurtz (pronounced /ˈswuːsi/ SWOO-see) is a talented American actress born on September 6, 1944. She has won many awards for her acting, including an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards.

Swoosie Kurtz first appeared on Broadway in 1975 in a play called Ah, Wilderness. She has been nominated for five Tony Awards, which are very important awards for theater actors. She won two of these awards: one for Fifth of July in 1981 and another for The House of Blue Leaves in 1986.

On television, she has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards and won one in 1990 for Carol and Company. You might know her from TV shows like Sisters (1991–1996), Huff (2004–2006), Pushing Daisies (2007–2009), and the popular comedy Mike & Molly (2010–2016). She has also acted in movies such as Wildcats (1986), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Liar Liar (1997), and Bubble Boy (2001).

Early Life and Her Unique Name

Swoosie Kurtz was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 6, 1944. She was the only child of Margaret "Margo" Rogers and Air Force Colonel Frank Allen Kurtz Jr.. Her father was a brave pilot during World War II.

Her first name, "Swoosie," is very special. It rhymes with "Lucy." Her father gave her this name because of the B-17D Flying Fortress bomber he flew in World War II. That plane was nicknamed "The Swoose," which was a funny name combining "swan" and "goose."

Her Acting Journey

Swoosie Kurtz started acting on television when she was 17. Her first TV appearance was in an episode of The Donna Reed Show in 1962. She also appeared on a show called To Tell the Truth when she was 18, where she had to identify her own father from two other people pretending to be him.

She began her career in theater. Her first big role on Broadway was in 1975. She became widely known in 1978 for her work in two plays: Uncommon Women and Others and A History of the American Film. For the second play, she won a Drama Desk Award.

John Guare and Swoosie Kurtz at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Swoosie Kurtz won Broadway's "triple crown" of awards for her role as Gwen in the play Fifth of July. This means she won the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. She won a second Tony Award in 1986 for her performance in The House of Blue Leaves.

In 1978, she was part of the cast of Mary Tyler Moore's TV show Mary, which also featured David Letterman and Michael Keaton. In 1981, she starred with Tony Randall in the sitcom Love, Sidney. This role earned her the first of her many Emmy Award nominations. She won her first Emmy in 1990 for a guest role on Carol Burnett's comedy show Carol & Company.

From 1991 to 1996, Swoosie Kurtz had her longest TV role as Alex Reed Halsey on the NBC drama Sisters. This role brought her two more Emmy nominations. She also played Lily Charles in the ABC series Pushing Daisies.

Cynthia Nixon, John Hurt, and Swoosie Kurtz at the Tribeca Film Festival showing of An Englishman in New York (2009)

More recently, Swoosie Kurtz has appeared in popular shows like ER, Lost, and Desperate Housewives. She also had recurring roles in That's Life, Still Standing, and Huff. In 2010, she began starring as Joyce Flynn in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly. She has also played Matt LeBlanc's mother in Man with a Plan and Mayim Bialik's mother in Call Me Kat starting in 2021.

Even though she focuses a lot on television, Swoosie Kurtz has been in several big Hollywood movies. These include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), its remake Cruel Intentions (1999), and Liar Liar (1997) with Jim Carrey.

Film and Television Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Awards and Recognitions

Swoosie Kurtz has received many awards and nominations throughout her career for her work in theater, film, and television.

• Tony Awards: She has won two Tony Awards for her roles in Fifth of July (1981) and The House of Blue Leaves (1986). She was also nominated for Tartuffe (1978), Frozen (2004), and Heartbreak House (2007).
• Emmy Awards: She won an Emmy Award in 1990 for her guest appearance in Carol and Company. She has been nominated for eight Emmy Awards in total, including for her roles in Love, Sidney (1982, 1983), Sisters (1993, 1994), And the Band Played On (1994), ER (1998), and Huff (2005, 2006).
• Drama Desk Awards: She won a Drama Desk Award for A History of the American Film (1978) and Fifth of July (1981).
• Outer Critics Circle Awards: She won an Outer Critics Circle Award for Fifth of July (1981).

See also

In Spanish: Swoosie Kurtz para niños