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Kelly Bishop (born Carole Bishop;[1] February 28, 1944) is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series Gilmore Girls and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey's Frances "Baby" Houseman in the film Dirty Dancing. Bishop originated the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line for which she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2023, she starred as Mrs. Ivey in The Watchful Eye (2023).
Kelly Bishop | |
|---|---|
 Bishop at the ATX TV Festival 2015 for the TV show Gilmore Girls | |
| Born | February 28, 1944 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouses | |
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Bishop was born on February 28, 1944, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2] She grew up in Denver, Colorado, where she trained to be a ballet dancer, and as a teenager, moved to California attending the San Jose Ballet School. At 18, she headed to New York City and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. Bishop continued to dance in Las Vegas, summer stock, and on television until she was cast in 1967 in Golden Rainbow, her first Broadway role.[3][4]
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
Bishop moved to New York City to try to become a ballet dancer. [5] Bishop's big break came when she was cast as the sexy, hard-edged Sheila in the 1975 Broadway production of A Chorus Line, for which she won the 1976 Tony Award as "Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical)" as well as the 1976 Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Musical". Many details of the character Sheila's past were drawn from Bishop's real life, as she helped develop the character during early workshops.[6] She was also cast in Broadway productions of Six Degrees of Separation, Neil Simon's Proposals, the Tony Award-winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Bus Stop.[7]
In film, she was cast opposite Jill Clayburgh in Paul Mazursky's big-screen drama An Unmarried Woman (1978). In the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, she was originally set for a small role, but took on the much bigger role of Mrs. Houseman when Lynne Lipton (originally cast to play the role) fell ill during the first week of shooting.
Bishop went on to play mothers to high-profile stars in features: Howard Stern's in the Betty Thomas-directed comedy Private Parts (1997), and Tobey Maguire's in Wonder Boys (2000). Additional feature credits include Ich und Er (USA: Me and Him, 1988), Queens Logic (1991), Cafe Society (1995), Miami Rhapsody (1995) and Blue Moon (2002).
Bishop debuted on television in Hawaii Five-O. She starred in the Mike Nichols' series The Thorns in 1988. She played Lisa Ann Walter's mother on My Wildest Dreams in 1995. She guest-starred on, among other series, Kate & Allie, Murphy Brown, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
From 2000 to 2007, Bishop starred in The WB/CW series Gilmore Girls as wealthy New England matriarch Emily Gilmore. She reprised her role in the 2016 miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix. She would later reunite with Amy Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls, on Bunheads,[8] which aired from 2012 to 2013 and was canceled after the first season. Bishop has since appeared in television shows including Army Wives, Mercy, The Good Wife, and playing Benedetta in the Golden Globe-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, in which she was again reunited with Sherman-Palladino. Bishop currently stars in the TV drama series The Watchful Eye (which premiered on January 30, 2023) as Mrs. Ivey.
Following the end of Gilmore Girls, Bishop returned to theater, performing in Becky Shaw at the Second Stage Theatre in 2008 and as Evangeline Harcourt in the 2011 revival of Anything Goes alongside Sutton Foster and Joel Grey, as well as appearing in the 2011 movie Friends with Kids.
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Bishop resides in South Orange, New Jersey. She was first married to stagehand and electrician Peter Miller in 1970 before divorcing in 1975.[9] She was married to the TV talk show host Lee Leonard until his death in 2018.[10][11]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Step Out of Your Mind | Missy Linden | |
| 1978 | An Unmarried Woman | Elaine Liebowitz | |
| 1982 | O'Hara's Wife | Beth Douglas | |
| 1986 | Solarbabies | Tutor Nover | |
| 1987 | Dirty Dancing | Marjorie Houseman | |
| 1988 | Me and Him | Eleanor Aramis | |
| 1991 | Queens Logic | Maria | |
| 1995 | Miami Rhapsody | Zelda | |
| 1995 | Cafe Society | Mrs. Jelke | |
| 1997 | Private Parts | Ray Stern | |
| 1999 | My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception | Sylvia Wienstein | |
| 2000 | Blue Moon | Peggy's Mother | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Amanda Leer | |
| 2011 | Friends with Kids | Marcy Fryman | |
| 2011 | A Novel Romance | Lily Sparks | |
| 2014 | Saint Janet | Janet Turner |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-0 | Char | Episode: "Oldest Profession - Latest Price" |
| 1981 | Advice to the Lovelorn | Rita Borden | TV film |
| 1982 | Hart to Hart | Laura | Episode: "Hart of Diamonds" |
| 1983 | The New Odd Couple | Charity | Episode: "Murray's Hot Date" |
| 1984 | Kate & Allie | Paulette | Episode: "Baby" |
| 1985 | The Recovery Room | Kaye Brenner | TV film |
| 1987 | As the World Turns | Grace Wescott Andrews | TV series - recurring role, summer 1987 |
| 1988 | The Thorns | Ginger Thorn | Main role (12 episodes) |
| 1989 | One Life to Live | Serena Wyman | 1 episode |
| 1990 | The Baby-Sitters Club | Flora | Episode: "Claudia and the Secret Passage" |
| 1992 | ABC Afterschool Special | Roxanne Holden | Episode: "Summer Stories: The Mall - Part 1" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Marian Borland | Episode: "Intolerance" |
| 1992 | Murphy Brown | Connie Silverberg | Episode: "Me Thinks My Parents Doth Protest Too Much" |
| 1995 | All My Children | Freida Landau | TV series |
| 1995 | My Wildest Dreams | Gloria James | Recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 1996 | One Life to Live | Dr. Robbins | 1 episode |
| 2000, 2008–2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Registrar | Episode: "Slaves" |
| Julia Zimmer | Episodes: "Persona" and "Zebras" | ||
| 2000–2007 | Gilmore Girls | Emily Gilmore | Main role (110 episodes) |
| 2009 | Army Wives | Jean Calhoun | Episode: "Operation: Tango" |
| 2010 | Mercy | Lauren Kempton | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Mrs. Kent (voice) | Episode: "VIP Treatment"; uncredited |
| 2012–2013 | Bunheads | Fanny Flowers | Main role (13 episodes) |
| 2015 | Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll | Elizabeth | Episode: "Supercalifragilisticjuliefriggingandrews" |
| 2015 | Flesh and Bone | Mrs. Hawthorn | Episode: "F.U.B.A.R." |
| 2015–2016 | The Good Wife | Bea Wilson | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Emily Gilmore | Main role (4 episodes) |
| 2021 | Halston | Eleanor Lambert | |
| 2022–2023 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Benedetta | Seasons 4 and 5 recurring role |
| 2023 | The Watchful Eye | Mrs. Ivey[12] | Main role |
| 2024 | Shrinking | Susan[13] | Episode: "Honesty Era" |
Theater
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Golden Rainbow | Cat-Girl/Dancer | Shubert Theatre |
| 1968 | Promises, Promises | Clancy's Lounge Patron/Company Nurse | Shubert Theatre |
| 1968 | Precious Sons | Bea (standby) | |
| 1971 | On the Town | Dance Ensemble | Imperial Theatre |
| 1975 | A Chorus Line | Sheila | Shubert Theatre Originated role Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical |
| 1990 | Six Degrees of Separation | Kitty/Louisa "Ouisa" Kittredge | Vivian Beaumont Theater Replacement |
| 1996 | Bus Stop | Grace Hoylard | Short revival, 29 performances |
| 1997 | The Last Night of Ballyhoo | Boo Levy | Helen Hayes Theatre Replacement |
| 1997 | Proposals | Annie Robbins | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 2011 | Anything Goes | Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt | Stephen Sondheim Theatre August 9, 2011 - January 15, 2012 |
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