Debra Monk

{{Infobox person

| name = Debra Monk

| image = Debra Monk - 2022.jpg

| caption = Monk in 2022. Photo by Tess Steinkolk.

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|2|27}}

| birth_place = Middletown, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

|education = Frostburg State University (BA)
Southern Methodist University (MFA)

| years_active = 1982–present

| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|singer|writer}}

}}

Debra Monk (born February 27, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and writer, best known for her performances on the Broadway stage. She is the recipient of a Tony Award (1993), two Drama Desk Awards (1988, 2007), the Helen Hayes Award (1994), the Obie Award (2000) and an Emmy Award (1999) for her work.{{cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/debra-monk/bio/146917 |title=Debra Monk Biography |publisher=Tvguide.com |access-date=2014-05-19 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220128015255/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/debra-monk/bio/3030054693/ |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |url-status=live }}

Life and career

Monk was born in Middletown, Ohio on February 27, 1949.{{cite web|url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/134003%7C0/Debra-Monk#overview|title = Debra Monk|accessdate = July 12, 2022|website = Turner Classic Movies}} She was voted "Best Personality" by her graduating class at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1973, she graduated from Frostburg State University. In 1975, Monk was awarded a Master of Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.{{Cite book |last=Hischak |first=Thomas S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvNQEAAAQBAJ&dq=Debra+Monk+Frostburg+State+University&pg=PA501 |title=The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television |date=2008-06-02 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-988732-3 |pages=501 |language=en}}

Monk garnered first attention in theatrical circles as one of the co-writers and co-stars of the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes (1982).{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/debra-monk/ |title=Debra Monk | Movies and Biography - Yahoo Movies |publisher=Movies.yahoo.com |access-date=2014-05-19}} She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for performance in Redwood Curtain (1993). She was nominated for a Tony Award for roles in Picnic (1994), Steel Pier (1997), and Curtains (2007).{{cite web|author=The Broadway League |url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=53408 |title=Debra Monk | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information |publisher=IBDB |access-date=2014-05-19}} In 2000, she won an Obie Award for The Time of the Cuckoo.{{cite web |url=http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Debra&last=Monk&middle= |title=Lortel Archives-The Internet Off-Broadway Database |publisher=Lortel.org |access-date=2014-05-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023080657/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Debra&middle=&last=Monk |archive-date=2013-10-23 }} She returned to the stage in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of Visiting Edna by David Rabe in September 2016.{{cite web|url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/debra-monk-to-replace-rondi-reed-in-play-at-steppenwolf-this-fall/ |title=Debra Monk to replace Rondi Reed in play at Steppenwolf this fall|date=June 22, 2016 |publisher=Chicago Tribune}}

Monk appeared on the Food Channel cooking show Barefoot Contessa, where she cooked Roasted Chicken, Arugula and Bread Salad, and Tri-Berry Crumble.{{Cite web |title=Cooking for Jeffrey: Dinner Party 101 |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/barefoot-contessa-back-to-basics/episodes/cooking-for-jeffrey-dinner-party-101 |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Food Network |language=en}}

Monk has appeared in over 30 films since the early 1990s. She made her film debut in the movie version of Prelude to a Kiss, playing Aunt Dorothy. She later appeared in The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). On television, she has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for a recurring role as Katie Sipowicz in the ABC series, NYPD Blue. She also guest-starred on Law & Order, Desperate Housewives, The Closer, and Girls. Monk had recurring roles in A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–02), Grey's Anatomy (2006–11), and Damages (2007–12).

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
1992 \| Prelude to a Kiss \| Aunt Dorothy \|
1993 \| For Love or Money \| Mrs. Wegman \|
1993 \| Fearless \| Alison \|
1994 \| Quiz Show \| Kintner's Secretary \|
1995 \| Redwood Curtain \| Geneva \|Television film
1995 \| The Bridges of Madison County \| Madge \|
1995 \| Jeffrey \| Mom \|
1995 \| Reckless \| Therapist \|
1996 \| Bed of Roses \| Mrs. Farrell \|
1996 \| Mrs. Winterbourne \| Lieutenant Ambrose \|
1996 \| The Substance of Fire \| Martha Hackett \|
1996 \| The First Wives Club \| Jilted Lover \|
1996 \| Extreme Measures \| Dr. Judith Gruszynski \|
1997 \| KnitWits \| Catherine \|Short film
1997 \| In & Out \| Mrs. Lester \|
1997 \| The Devil's Advocate \| Pam Garrety \|
1997 \| Ellen Foster \| Aunt Nadine \|Television film
1998 \| Bulworth \| Helen \|
2000 \| Center Stage \| Nancy \|
2003 \| Briar Patch \| Officer Avon \|
2003 \| The Music Man \| Mrs. Paroo \|Television film
2003 \| Milwaukee, Minnesota \| Edna Burroughs \|
2003 \| Eloise at the Plaza \| Maggie \|Television film
2003 \| Eloise at Christmastime \| Maggie \|Television film
2004 \| Palindromes \|Mama Sunshine \|
2005 \| Dark Water \| Dahlia's Teacher \|
2005 \| The Producers \| Lick Me-Bite Me \|
2007 \| The Savages \| Nancy Lachman \|
2008 \| The Great Buck Howard \| Doreen \|
2009 \| Love and Other Impossible Pursuits \| Laura \|
2011 \| Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! \| Petunia \|Television film
2012 \| One for the Money \| Mrs. Plum \|
2012 \| The Brass Teapot \| Trudy \|
2013 \| Ass Backwards \| Pawn Shop Owner \|
2013 \| Reaching Home \| Janet \|Short film
2014 \| This Is Where I Leave You \| Linda \|
2015 \| Demolition \| Davis' Mom \|
2019 \|Standing Up, Falling Down \|Jeanie Rollins \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

1992

| Prelude to a Kiss

| Aunt Dorothy

1993

| For Love or Money

| Mrs. Wegman

1993

| Fearless

| Alison

1994

| Quiz Show

| Kintner's Secretary

1995

| Redwood Curtain

| Geneva

|Television film

1995

| The Bridges of Madison County

| Madge

1995

| Jeffrey

| Mom

1995

| Reckless

| Therapist

1996

| Bed of Roses

| Mrs. Farrell

1996

| Mrs. Winterbourne

| Lieutenant Ambrose

1996

| The Substance of Fire

| Martha Hackett

1996

| The First Wives Club

| Jilted Lover

1996

| Extreme Measures

| Dr. Judith Gruszynski

1997

| KnitWits

| Catherine

|Short film

1997

| In & Out

| Mrs. Lester

1997

| The Devil's Advocate

| Pam Garrety

1997

| Ellen Foster

| Aunt Nadine

|Television film

1998

| Bulworth

| Helen

2000

| Center Stage

| Nancy

2003

| Briar Patch

| Officer Avon

2003

| The Music Man

| Mrs. Paroo

|Television film

2003

| Milwaukee, Minnesota

| Edna Burroughs

2003

| Eloise at the Plaza

| Maggie

|Television film

2003

| Eloise at Christmastime

| Maggie

|Television film

2004

| Palindromes

|Mama Sunshine

2005

| Dark Water

| Dahlia's Teacher

2005

| The Producers

| Lick Me-Bite Me

2007

| The Savages

| Nancy Lachman

2008

| The Great Buck Howard

| Doreen

2009

| Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

| Laura

2011

| Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!

| Petunia

|Television film

2012

| One for the Money

| Mrs. Plum

2012

| The Brass Teapot

| Trudy

2013

| Ass Backwards

| Pawn Shop Owner

2013

| Reaching Home

| Janet

|Short film

2014

| This Is Where I Leave You

| Linda

2015

| Demolition

| Davis' Mom

2019

|Standing Up, Falling Down

|Jeanie Rollins

=Television=

Year ! Title ! Role ! width="55%"\| Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
1989	One Life to Live	Nurse Medford	1 Episode
1990	American Playhouse	Psychiatrist	Episode: "Women & Wallace "
rowspan=2\|1992	Loving	Sandra Thorpe	1 episode
Lifestories: Families in Crisis	Karen Bell	Episode:"Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story "
1994	Law & Order	Kathleen O'Brien	Episode: "Coma"
1996–2001	NYPD Blue	Katie Sipowicz	17 episodes (1999 – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series)
rowspan=2\|1998	Dellaventura	Madison Harcourt	Episode: "Made in America"
LateLine	Clare Cunningham	Episode: "Requiem for a Horse"
2001–02	A Nero Wolfe Mystery	Various roles	8 episodes
2002	Law & Order	Dr. Madelyn Stahl	Episode: "Born Again"
rowspan=2\|2003	The Wonderful World of Disney	Maggie	2 episodes
Frasier	Nurse Karen	Episode: "No Sex Please We're Skittish"
2005	Law & Order	Judge G. Proctor	Episode: "In God We Trust"
2006–11	Grey's Anatomy	Louise O'Malley	7 episodes
2006	Desperate Housewives	Marcella	Episode: "Children and Art"
2007–12	Damages	Denise Parsons	12 episodes
2007	Notes from the Underbelly	Andrew's Mom	Episode: "Mother's Milk "
2007	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Warden Pellis	Episode: "Untethered "
rowspan=3\|2009	Glee	Mrs. Schuester	Episode: "Acafellas"
The Closer	Mary Summer	Episode: "Blood Money "
Ghost Whisperer	Anne Sullivan	Episode: "Till Death Do Us Start "
2010	Brothers & Sisters	Alexandra Kirby	Episode: "Call Mom"
2012	White Collar	Mrs. Mitchell	Episode: "Pulling Strings"
2014	Girls	Dr. Stern	2 episodes
2014	Hot in Cleveland	Loretta	Episode: "Win Win"
2014–18	Mozart in the Jungle	Betty Cragdale	26 episodes
2014	Reckless	Judge Gertrude Moss	5 episodes
2015	Madam Secretary	Mary Lou Boris	Episode: "The Ninth Circle"
2015	The Jack and Triumph Show	Young June	2 episodes
2015	Difficult People	Bunny Tack	Episode: "Difficult Christmas"
2015	Blindspot	Colonel Powers	Episode: "A Stray Howl"
2015–17	Sneaky Pete	Connie Persikof	2 episodes
2016–17	Mercy Street	Dr. Foster's Mother	2 episodes
2016	Crowded	Linda	Episode: "Come Back"
2016	The Good Wife	Tracy Mintz	Episode: "Judged"
2016	The Characters	Kim	Episode: "John Early "
rowspan=3\|2017	Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics	Herself	Episode: “Dinner Party 101”
NCIS: New Orleans	CEO Sarah Laroche	Episode: “Hell on the High Water”
Mr. Mercedes	Capt. Brooke Hockney	2 episodes
2018	Dietland	Mrs Kettle	5 episodes
2018–19	Tell Me a Story	Esther Thorn	4 episodes
2019	At Home with Amy Sedaris	Mrs. Bjornson	Episode: “Thanksgiving”
2019	Instinct	Judge Gillespie	Episode: “Finders Keepers”
2019–23	New Amsterdam	Karen Brantley	16 episodes
2022	The Gilded Age	Armstrong	Series Regular (2023 – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series nomination)
2023	American Horror Story: Delicate	Virginia Harding	4 episodes

Stage

=Broadway=

Pump Boys and Dinettes - 1982 (also co-author and co-director)
Prelude to a Kiss - 1990
Nick & Nora - 1991
Redwood Curtain - 1993 - Tony Award
Picnic - 1994 - Tony Award nomination
Company - 1995
Steel Pier - 1997 - Tony Award nomination
Ah, Wilderness! - 1998
Thou Shalt Not - 2001
Chicago - 2005
Curtains - 2007 - Tony Award nomination
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - 2012

=Off-Broadway=

The Time of the Cuckoo - Obie Award
Ancestral Voices
The Seagull
Death Defying Acts - 1995
Three Hotels - 1993
Oil City Symphony - 1986 (co-author, Drama Desk Award)
Assassins - 1990

References

External links

{{IBDB name}}
{{IMDb name}}
{{IOBDB name|459}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131023080657/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Debra&middle=&last=Monk archive])
[http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Star_File.aspx?ci=541115 Star File: Debra Monk] at Broadway.com
{{Playbill person}}
{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017201725/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/101310.html |title=PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Debra Monk (August 9, 2006) |date=mdy}}

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Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from Maryland

Category:Actresses from Ohio

Category:American film actresses

Category:American musical theatre actresses