Beatrice Jane "Bebe" Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958)<!--Cited source, TV Guide, also confirms birth name Beatrice. It gives no middle name or initial. Note: Cite is live but birthdate appears only in archived version--> is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Drama Desk Awards.
Neuwirth made her Broadway debut in the musical A Chorus Line in 1980. She went on to win two Tony Awards, the first for Best Featured Actress in a Musical playing Nickie in the revival of Sweet Charity (1986) and received her second for Best Actress in a Musical for Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago (1996). She has also starred as Lola in the revival of Damn Yankees (1994) and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010). She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance as Fräulein Schneider in Cabaret (2024).
On television, her breakthrough role was as Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife on the sitcom Cheers, as well as guest appearances in its spin-off Frasier and the 2023 Frasier revival. The role earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Neuwirth was cast as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre in NBC's Law & Order: Trial by Jury which ran for 2005 to 2006. She starred as Nadine Tolliver on the CBS political drama Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2017. She also appeared in recurring roles on Blue Bloods (2013–2019), The Good Wife (2012–2014), The Good Fight (2018–2021), and Julia (2022–2023).
In film, she portrayed Nora Shepherd in the original Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). 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).
Early life
Bebe Neuwirth was born in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother, Sydney Anne Neuwirth, is a painter who also danced as an amateur for the Princeton Regional Ballet Company. she attended the Juilliard School for dance and left after only a year, disliking the school for having a "stifling creative environment" and no Broadway-style dance training. Immediately after leaving Juilliard in 1977, she took singing and jazz classes at a New York City-based YWCA, Neuwirth made her Broadway debut in the role of Sheila Bryant in A Chorus Line in 1980. She later appeared in revivals of Little Me (1982); Sweet Charity (1986), for which she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 40th Tony Awards; and Damn Yankees (1994).
1996 saw Neuwirth play Velma Kelly in the Broadway revival of Chicago. She described the difficulty level of the role as "like performing microsurgery from 8 to 10:20." In 2014 she returned again, this time playing "Mama" Morton, making her the first person to play three different characters at three separate times during the course of a single Broadway run.
She appeared in the musical revue Here Lies Jenny, which featured songs by Kurt Weill. Neuwirth and a four-person supporting cast sang and danced to the song as part of an unspoken, ambiguous story in an anonymous seedy bar possibly in Berlin in the 1930s. The show ran from May 7 through October 3, 2004, in the Zipper Theater in New York. Neuwirth also appeared in the show in San Francisco in 2005. In 2009, Neuwirth toured a one-woman cabaret show with pianist Scott Cady. The cabaret included music by Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Kander and Fred Ebb amongst others. In 2010, she returned to Broadway to create the role of Morticia Addams in the original production of The Addams Family opposite Nathan Lane. In 2023 she was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. In 2024 she returned to Broadway playing Fräulein Schneider in a revival of Cabaret, for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards.
Film and television
While in Los Angeles waiting to receive a Tony for her appearance in Sweet Charity in 1985, Neuwirth auditioned for the role of Dr. Lilith Sternin in the television series Cheers. At the time, Neuwirth was not interested in doing television work and her character was initially planned to be in only one episode of the series.
thumb|right|170px|Neuwirth at the Governor's Ball of the Primetime Emmy Awards on August 25, 1991
Neuwirth's dip into the film industry began in 1989 with small roles in films such as Say Anything... (1989), Pacific Heights (1990), and Penny Ante (1990). In 1990 she started doing supporting roles in films including Green Card (1990), Bugsy (1991), and Malice (1993), in all of which she received acclaim from critics for her performances. The producers had it edited slightly and put into a single theater for a single weekend in November 1996, and it became one of only two TV pilots to be nominated for an Oscar and, at the 69th Academy Awards, the only one to win.
Other small-screen credits include a guest appearance in the second season of NewsRadio, a small role on The Adventures of Pete and Pete (episode: "The Call"), Deadline (2000), Hack (2003), Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as ADA Tracey Kibre, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Nina Laszlo, a modeling agent/suspect, the miniseries Wild Palms, and the fourth season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "First Contact" as Lanel.
Neuwirth appeared as herself in episodes of Will & Grace, Strangers with Candy and Celebrity Jeopardy!. In 2009, she co-starred as Ms. Lynn Kraft in the remake of Fame. She had a recurring role as Caroline Taylor, the literary editor of Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), on the HBO series Bored to Death. She also had a recurring role on Blue Bloods.
Neuwirth starred as Nadine Tolliver in the 2014 CBS political drama Madam Secretary. In October 2017, Neuwirth announced her decision to leave the series after four seasons. No reason was given. She later reprised the role of Nora Shepherd in Jumanji: The Next Level in 2019; the film grossed $800 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics.
Personal life
In 1984, Neuwirth married Paul Dorman. The two divorced in 1991.
Bebe Neuwirth was born to a Jewish family but was not raised in a religious household. She has described herself as a "cultural Jew" with no formal religious training or temple attendance, though she had some limited exposure to holidays like Hanukkah and Passover as a child.
Neuwirth has supported and worked for several non-profit charity organizations. Following two hip replacement surgeries, and after hearing stories of other dancers facing hip problems, Neuwirth was moved to establish the Dancers' Resource program at The Actors Fund, which caters to financial and physical needs unique to professional dancers. Neuwirth currently serves as vice chair on the board of trustees for The Actors Fund. She has also helped Seeds of Peace. Neuwirth is particularly fond of cats.
|-
| data-sort-value="Adventures of Pinocchio, The" | The Adventures of Pinocchio
| Felinet
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Associate, The" | The Associate
| Camille Scott
|
|-
| Dear Diary
| Annie
|Short film
|-
|rowspan=3|1998
| Celebrity
| Nina
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Faculty, The" | The Faculty
| Principal Valerie Drake
|
|-
| An All Dogs Christmas Carol
| Annabelle/Belladonna
|Voice
|-
| 2020
| Modern Persuasion
| Vanessa Perry
|
|-
| 2021
| Tick, Tick... Boom!
| "Sunday" Legend
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2026
| Don't Say Good Luck
|
| Post-production
|-
| Jumanji: Open World
| Nora Shepherd
| Post-production
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1986–1993
| Cheers
|Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane
| Main cast (81 episodes)
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
| Simon & Simon
| Receptionist
| Episode: "Family Forecast"
|-
| Fame
| Phyllis Turner
| Episode: "Stagefright"
|-
|rowspan=3|1990
| data-sort-value="Famous Teddy Z, The" | The Famous Teddy Z
| Donna Gates
| Episode: "Teddy Gets a Guru"
|-
| data-sort-value="Magical World of Disney, The" | The Magical World of Disney
| Dr. Lilith Sternin
| Episode: "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration"
|-
| Without Her Consent
| Gloria Allred
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| Star Trek: The Next Generation
| Lanel
| Episode: "First Contact"
|-
| 1992
| Wings
| Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane
| Episode: "Planes, Trains and Visiting Cranes"
|-
| 1993
| Wild Palms
| Tabba Schwartzkopf
| 5 episodes
|-
| 1994
| data-sort-value="Adventures of Pete & Pete, The" | The Adventures of Pete & Pete
| Mailwoman McGinty
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1994–1995
| Aladdin
| Mirage
| Voice, 6 episodes
|-
| 1994–2003
| Frasier
| Dr. Lilith Sternin
| 12 episodes
|-
| 1995
| NewsRadio
| Sandi Angelini
| Episode: "Friends"
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
| Duckman
| Tamara La Boinque
| Voice, episode: "Noir Gang"
|-
| Freakazoid!
| Deadpan
| Voice, episode: "The Wrath of Guitierrez"
|-
| Frasier
| Dr. Lilith Sternin
| Episode: "Freddy's Birthday"
|-
|rowspan=1|2024
| Hailey's On It!
| Babs Cadabs
| Voice, episode: "Magician: Impossible"
|}
Stage
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role(s)
! class="unsortable" | Venue
|-
| 1980
| data-sort-value="Chorus Line, A" | A Chorus Line
| Sheila Bryant, u/s Cassie Ferguson
|Shubert Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 1981
| Dancin
| Dancer
|Ambassador Theatre, Broadway
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1982
| Little Me
| Boom Boom Girl
|Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway
|-
| Upstairs at O'Neal's
| Performer
| O'Neal's, Off-Broadway
|-
| 1986
| Sweet Charity
| Nickie, s/b Charity Valentine
| Minskoff Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 1988
| Anything Goes
| Bonnie LaTour
| Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Miami
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1992
| Chicago
| Velma Kelly
| Terrace Theater, Los Angeles
|-
| Kiss of the Spider Woman
| Spider Woman/Aurora
| Shaftesbury Theatre, West End
|-
| 1994
| Damn Yankees
| Lola
| Marquis Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 1995
| Pal Joey
| Melba Snyder
| New York City Center Encores!
|-
| rowspan="2" |1996
| Chicago
| Velma Kelly
| New York City Center Encores!
|-
| Noël Coward in Two Keys
| Maud Caragnani in Come Into the Garden, Maud<br>Hilde Latymer in A Song at Twilight
| Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbor
|-
|1996–1998
| Chicago
| Velma Kelly
| Ambassador Theatre, Broadway
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| data-sort-value="Threepenny Opera, The" | The Threepenny Opera
| Jenny Diver
| American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco
|-
| data-sort-value="Taming of the Shrew, The" | The Taming of the Shrew
| Katherina Minola
| Williamstown Theatre Festival
|-
| rowspan="2"|2001
| Fosse
| Various
| Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway
|-
| Everett Beekin
| Anna/Nell
| Mitzi Newhouse Theater, Off-Broadway
|-
| rowspan="2"|2002
| Funny Girl
| Fanny Brice
| Concert, New Amsterdam Theatre
|-
| data-sort-value="Exonerated, The" | The Exonerated
| Sunny Jacobs
|45 Bleecker Theater, Off-Broadway
|-
| 2003
| Writer's Block
| Sheila
|Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway
|-
| 2004
| Here Lies Jenny
| Jenny
|Zipper Theatre, Off-Broadway
|-
| 2005
| Ashley Montana Goes Ashore in the Caicos … Or What Am I Doing Here?
| Performer
| The Flea Theater, Off-Off-Broadway
|-
| 2006–2007
| Chicago
| Roxie Hart
| Ambassador Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 2009
| rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Addams Family, The" |The Addams Family
| rowspan="2"|Morticia Addams
| The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre, Chicago
|-
| 2010–2011
| Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway
|-
| rowspan="2"|2012
| data-sort-value="Midsummer Night's Dream, A" | A Midsummer Night's Dream
| Hippolyta/Titania
|Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway
|-
| Golden Age
| Maria Malibran
|New York City Center, Off-Broadway
|-
| 2014
| Chicago
| Matron "Mama" Morton
| Ambassador Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 2018
| Hey, Look Me Over!
| Mimi
| New York City Center Encores!
|-
| 2019
| data-sort-value="Small Fire, A" | A Small Fire
| Emily Bridges
| Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Philadelphia
|-
| 2022
| data-sort-value="Bedwetter, The" | The Bedwetter
| Nana
| Atlantic Theater Company, Off-Broadway
|-
|2024
|Gutenberg! The Musical!
|The Producer <small>(one night only)</small>
|James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 2024–2025
| Cabaret
| Fräulein Schneider
|August Wilson Theatre, Broadway
|}
Audiobooks
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Production company
|-
| 2004
| Snow, Glass, Apples
| The Queen
| Audible
|-
| 2020
| The Sandman
| The Siamese Cat
| Audible
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
| Drama Desk Awards
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
| rowspan="2"| Sweet Charity
|
|-
| Tony Awards
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
| rowspan="4"| Cheers
|
|-
| Viewers for Quality Television
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1991
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
|
|-
| Viewers for Quality Television
| Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
|
|-
| 1995
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
| Frasier
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1997
| Drama Desk Awards
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical
| rowspan="2"| Chicago
|
|-
| Tony Awards
| Best Actress in a Musical
|
|-
| 1998
| Annie Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting, Female
| All Dogs Go to Heaven
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
| American Comedy Awards
| Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series
| Frasier
|
|-
| Primetime Emmy Awards
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
| Dash and Lilly
|
|-
| 2000
| American Comedy Awards
| Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series
| Frasier
|
|-
| 2003
| Satellite Awards
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
| Tadpole
|
|-
|rowspan=3|2024
| Drama Desk Awards
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
| rowspan="3"| Cabaret
|
|-
| Tony Awards
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical
|
|-
| Outer Critics Circle Awards
| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
|
|}
References
External links
- Bebe Neuwirth – Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org