Lainie Kazan

Hofstra-educated singer/actress Lainie Kazan became a celebrity by indirection. In 1964, Kazan was engaged to understudy Barbra Streisand in the Broadway production of Funny Girl; the disappointed boos and catcalls that often greeted Kazan when she subbed for Streisand were generally dissipated by the standing ovations she'd receive at performance's end. In 1966, Kazan was hired for her first weekly-TV stint on The Dean Martin Summer Show, exhibiting a keen sense of comic timing in the presence of such funsters as Dom DeLuise and Rowan & Martin. A firmly established nightclub star by 1980, Kazan made her official screen bow in 1980's One From the Heart (her actual screen debut in an obscure 1968 film was passed over in the studio publicity). In 1982, she essayed her most memorable screen role, as the brash, blunt Brooklynite Bella Carroca in My Favorite Year; she would repeat this role many years later in the Broadway musical version of that film. The high points in Kazan's subsequent film work (Beaches et. al.) would far outweigh such doomed-from-the-start endeavors as Lust in the Dust (1985). Kazan's series-TV assignments of the 1980s included the role of Rita in the 1986 Robby Benson detective series Tough Cookies, the "best friend" part of Claire Steiner in the Fox Network Patty Duke sitcom Karen's Song, and recurring appearances in the hospital drama St. Elsewhere. Few of these appearances, however were of the zany calibre of Kazan's outrageous portrayal of an Italian-accented fairy godmother in Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre's version of "Pinocchio." Still a top attraction on the supper-club circuit, Lainie Kazan has opened two cabarets bearing her name in New York and Los Angeles. ~by Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Lainie Kazan made herself famous first as a sexy nightclub singer and most recently as an acclaimed actress. She has performed in nightclubs, theaters, on television and in films. A graduate of Hofstra University, Kazan frequently returns to New York to visit her mother, who still lives in the apartment where she grew up. Lainie Kazan gained notoriety as a young singer when she understudied for Barbra Streisand in Broadway's Funny Girl. She performed one matinee and one evening performance, which led to numerous offers including spots on television and variety shows. She performed on The Dean Martin Show a record 26 times and eventually she had her own NBC variety show. Her popularity led to her opening two nightclubs in 1976, Lainie's Room in Los Angeles and Lainie's Room East in New York. In 1980, Kazan began to focus much of her attention on her acting career, performing only occasionally in nightclubs. Her acting career began when her old college friend Francis Ford Coppola offered her a part in One From the Heart. This led to other roles including a starring role in Lust in the Dust and Disney's The Journey of Natty Gann. It was her portrayal of a Jewish mother in My Favorite Year that gained her a Golden Globe nomination. Her film credits also include Beaches and Harry and the Hendersons. She received an Emmy Award nomination for her appearance in St. Elsewhere and a Cable Ace Award nomination for Paper Chase. Although her television and film credits are numerous, Kazan has also had time to make contributions to the American theater. She has appeared in Plaza Suite, A Little Night Music, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and most recently in Nunsense in Boston. Aside from her television, film and stage roles, Lainie Kazan still has time to tour the country singing in nightclubs. She performed for two weeks to standing-room-only audiences at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, one of many hotspots on her tour. Her support of various charities has only increased her popularity; during the 1996-97 season she received the Woman of the Year award from B'nai Brith in Atlanta, and also performed at the annual AIDS Project Los Angeles gala, where she sang with Sarah Brightman. As of 1998, Lainie Kazan can be seen on Fox's Beverly Hills 90210 and the film The Cemetery Club with Danny Aiello. She resides in Los Angeles with her daughter and is continually adding films and nightclubs to her list of credits. ~ Kim Summers, All Music Guide