ELIZABETH PERKINS
Name: Elizabeth Perkins
Born: 18 November 1960 Queens, New York, U.S.
Elizabeth Perkins (born November 18, 1960) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe award-nominated
American film, television and theater actress.
Perkins was born in Queens, New York City, the daughter of Jo Williams, a drug
treatment counselor and concert pianist, and James Perkins, a farmer, writer and
businessman. Her paternal grandparents were Greek immigrants who anglicized
their surname from "Pisperikos" to "Perkins" when they immigrated to the United
States. Perkins was raised in Vermont; her parents divorced in 1963. After
finishing high school at Northfield Mount Hermon School she spent three years in
Chicago studying acting at the famous Goodman School of Drama. In 1984, she made
her theatrical debut on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and
afterward worked in a number of ensemble companies, including The New York
Shakespeare Festival and the Steppenwolf Theater. She has always considered
theater work to be a priority in her career.
She was listed as one of the twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John
Willis' Screen World, and she has since landed numerous film roles. Perkins made
her film debut in 1986 in Edward Zwick's About Last Night... and had a career
breakthrough co-starring with Tom Hanks in Big. She received critical acclaim
for her performance in Barry Levinson's Avalon, and was the stand-out actor
opposite William Hurt in The Doctor (1991), in which she received critical
acclaim for her performance as a terminal cancer patient.
In 1993, Perkins made her television debut in For Their Own Good. She later
starred in the comedy series Battery Park and If These Walls Could Talk, and has
since regularly appeared in television films. Recently, Perkins appeared as a
psychiatrist in the 2005 suspense thriller, The Ring Two, starring Naomi Watts.
Perkins plays Celia Hodes, upstanding PTA mother, alongside Mary-Louise Parker
and Justin Kirk on the Showtime series Weeds. Thanks to her work on Weeds,
Perkins has received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in
a TV Series, Miniseries or Made for TV Motion Picture (in 2006 and 2007). She
has also been nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a
Comedy Series. At a screening of the season 2 finale of Weeds, at the Museum of
TV and Radio on October 25, 2006, Perkins said that she considers playing Celia
Hodes her favorite role in her career because she is so different than
characters she is usually cast for.
Name: Elizabeth Perkins
Born: 18 November 1960 Queens, New York, U.S.
Elizabeth Perkins (born November 18, 1960) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe award-nominated
American film, television and theater actress.
Perkins was born in Queens, New York City, the daughter of Jo Williams, a drug
treatment counselor and concert pianist, and James Perkins, a farmer, writer and
businessman. Her paternal grandparents were Greek immigrants who anglicized
their surname from "Pisperikos" to "Perkins" when they immigrated to the United
States. Perkins was raised in Vermont; her parents divorced in 1963. After
finishing high school at Northfield Mount Hermon School she spent three years in
Chicago studying acting at the famous Goodman School of Drama. In 1984, she made
her theatrical debut on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and
afterward worked in a number of ensemble companies, including The New York
Shakespeare Festival and the Steppenwolf Theater. She has always considered
theater work to be a priority in her career.
She was listed as one of the twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John
Willis' Screen World, and she has since landed numerous film roles. Perkins made
her film debut in 1986 in Edward Zwick's About Last Night... and had a career
breakthrough co-starring with Tom Hanks in Big. She received critical acclaim
for her performance in Barry Levinson's Avalon, and was the stand-out actor
opposite William Hurt in The Doctor (1991), in which she received critical
acclaim for her performance as a terminal cancer patient.
In 1993, Perkins made her television debut in For Their Own Good. She later
starred in the comedy series Battery Park and If These Walls Could Talk, and has
since regularly appeared in television films. Recently, Perkins appeared as a
psychiatrist in the 2005 suspense thriller, The Ring Two, starring Naomi Watts.
Perkins plays Celia Hodes, upstanding PTA mother, alongside Mary-Louise Parker
and Justin Kirk on the Showtime series Weeds. Thanks to her work on Weeds,
Perkins has received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in
a TV Series, Miniseries or Made for TV Motion Picture (in 2006 and 2007). She
has also been nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a
Comedy Series. At a screening of the season 2 finale of Weeds, at the Museum of
TV and Radio on October 25, 2006, Perkins said that she considers playing Celia
Hodes her favorite role in her career because she is so different than
characters she is usually cast for.