Bebe Neuwirth
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Princeton, New Jersey, USA
A versatile actress who has displayed a talent for both comedy and drama, Bebe Neuwirth is also a gifted dancer and vocalist who has won acclaim for her work on the musical stage, though she's still best known to television viewers as Lilith Sternin, Frazier Crane's tightly wound girlfriend (and later wife) on the popular comedy Cheers. Born Beatrice Neuwirth on New Year's Eve, 1958, she was raised in Princeton, NJ, where her father, Lee Neuwirth, was a mathematician and her mother, Sydney Anne Neuwirth, was an artist. Bebe began taking dance lessons at the age of five, and, while a student at Princeton High School, she began appearing in local ballet productions and community theater productions. After high school, Neuwirth studied dance at New York's prestigious Juilliard School, and in 1980 she made her professional debut as Shelia, a once-famous dancer looking to make a comeback, in a touring production of the long-running musical A Chorus Line. In 1982, Neuwirth hit Broadway in two different shows, Dancin', directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and Little Me. In 1986, Neuwirth won the starring role in another Fosse musical, a revival of Sweet Charity, which later earned her a Tony award and cemented her reputation on Broadway. That year also marked Neuwirth's television debut (not counting a brief appearance as a member of the Whitney Dance Theater on the daytime drama The Edge of Night in 1981) with her first appearance as Lilith Sternin on Cheers; Lilith soon became a regular fixture on Cheers and Neuwirth won two Emmy awards for her work until Lilith was written out of the show (at Neuwirth's request) in 1992, to allow Neuwirth to pursue film and stage work. Lilith, however, occasionally made return visits to Cheers, and later on Kelsey Grammer's spin-off series, Frasier. Neuwirth made her feature-film debut in 1989 with a small role as a guidance counselor in Say Anything..., and while a steady stream of supporting roles followed in such films as Bugsy, Green Card, and Jumanji, she had a hard time finding screen roles which suited her edgy charm. She continued to have better luck on-stage, and in 1997 her performance in the Broadway revival of Chicago won her the Tony and Drama Desk awards. After scoring meatier roles in the films Summer of Sam and Liberty Heights, Neuwirth returned to episodic television in the well-reviewed but short-lived drama series Deadline, in which she worked alongside Oliver Platt, Lili Taylor, and Tom Conti. In 2002, Neuwirth finally scored a film role that truly suited her talents as Diane, a sexy fourtysomething woman who seduces her best friend's teenage son in the independent comedy Tadpole. She had a small part in the romantic comedy How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and in 2005 she landed a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2009 she played one of the teachers at a high school for the performing arts in the remake of Fame.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
47% | Modern Persuasion |
|
— | 2020 |
70% | Humor Me |
|
— | 2018 |
80% | The Standbys |
|
— | 2014 |
24% | Fame |
|
$22.5M | 2009 |
No Score Yet | Ingredients |
|
— | 2009 |
No Score Yet | Adopt a Sailor |
|
— | 2008 |
61% | Game 6 |
|
— | 2005 |
16% | The Big Bounce |
|
$6.4M | 2004 |
No Score Yet | Broadway's Lost Treasures II |
|
— | 2004 |
36% | Le Divorce |
|
$9M | 2003 |
42% | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days |
|
$105.8M | 2003 |
No Score Yet | All Dogs Christmas Carol |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina |
|
— | 2002 |
78% | Tadpole |
|
$2.9M | 2002 |
90% | Getting to Know You |
|
— | 2000 |
No Score Yet | Cupid & Cate |
|
— | 2000 |
No Score Yet | My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs |
|
— | 2000 |
85% | Liberty Heights |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Extremely Dangerous |
|
— | 1999 |
51% | Summer of Sam |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Dash and Lilly |
|
— | 1999 |
52% | The Faculty |
|
— | 1998 |
40% | Celebrity |
|
— | 1998 |
No Score Yet | An All Dogs Christmas Carol |
|
— | 1998 |
No Score Yet | Edith Piaf: La Vie en Rose |
|
— | 1998 |
28% | The Associate |
|
— | 1996 |
35% | The Adventures of Pinocchio (Les aventures de Pinocchio) |
|
— | 1996 |
20% | All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 |
|
— | 1996 |
55% | Jumanji |
|
— | 1995 |
57% | Malice |
|
— | 1993 |
No Score Yet | Wild Palms |
|
— | 1993 |
No Score Yet | The Paint Job |
|
— | 1993 |
85% | Bugsy |
|
— | 1991 |
60% | Green Card |
|
— | 1990 |
No Score Yet | Without Her Consent |
|
— | 1990 |
98% | Say Anything... |
|
— | 1989 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet |
Match Game
2016-2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Blue Bloods
2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Madam Secretary
2014-2019
|
|
|
93% |
The Good Wife
2009-2016
|
|
|
79% |
Bored to Death
2009-2011
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Cleveland Show
2009-2013
|
|
|
78% |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Will & Grace
1998-2006
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
American Experience
1988
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Cyberchase
2002
|
|
|
20% |
Hack
2002-2004
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Great Performances
2000
|
|
|
93% |
Frasier
1993-2004
|
|
|
58% |
Deadline
2000-2001
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
All Dogs Go to Heaven
1996-1998
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Magic School Bus
1994-1997
|
|
|
95% |
NewsRadio
1995-1999
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
1993-1996
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Cheers
1982-1993
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Wings
1990-1997
|
|
|
91% |
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987-1994
|
|
|
Quotes from Bebe Neuwirth's Characters
Principal Valerie Drake: | Coach Willis. What can I do for you? |
Coach Joe Willis: | You look...very, very pretty tonight, Miss Drake. |
Coach Joe Willis: | You look very, very pretty tonight, Miss Drake. |
Principal Valerie Drake: | Have you been drinking, Coach? |
Coach Joe Willis: | I'm sorry to bother you, but...I can't seem to find a pencil. |
Coach Joe Willis: | I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't seem to find a pencil. |
Principal Valerie Drake: | You don't need a pencil, Coach. You need a good night's sleep. |
Coach Joe Willis: | I need a pencil. |
Principal Valerie Drake: | Sleep it off, Coach. |
Coach Joe Willis: | Do you have a pencil? |
Principal Valerie Drake: | Jesus Christ, yes, I have a pencil. I have plenty of pencils. Look, why don't you and your pencil go home. It's late. |
Coach Joe Willis: | You look...very, very pretty tonight. |
Coach Joe Willis: | You look very, very pretty tonight. |
Principal Valerie Drake: | Harassment has a really fine line, Coach. Haven't you read your handbook? |
Coach Joe Willis: | (stabs Principle Drake in the hand with a pencil) - I've always wanted to do that. |
Coach Joe Willis: | (stabs Principle Drake in the hand with a pencil) I've always wanted to do that. |