Rebecca Pidgeon

{{short description|American actress, singer, and songwriter (born 1965)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Rebecca Pidgeon

| image = Rebecca Pidgeon by David Shankbone.jpg

| caption = Pidgeon at the premiere of Redbelt, April 2008

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|10|10|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

| nationality = American, British

| occupation = Actress, singer, songwriter

| years_active = 1986–present

| children = 2, including Clara Mamet

| spouse = {{marriage|David Mamet|1991}}

| module =

{{Infobox musical artist

| embed = yes

| background = solo_singer

| genre = Folk, pop

| instrument = Guitar, vocals

| label = Chesky, Decca

| associated_acts =Ruby Blue

| website = {{URL|rebeccapidgeonmusic.com}}

}}

Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 10, 1965) is an American-British actress who has appeared on stage and in feature films. She is also a singer, songwriter and recording artist.

Early life

Pidgeon was born to English parents in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while her father, Carl R. Pidgeon, was a visiting professor at MIT.{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05EFD8113BF936A35757C0A96E958260|work=The New York Times|title=FILM; A Deft Stage Presence Moves Into the Movies|first=Laura|last=Winters|date=April 5, 1998|access-date=May 22, 2010}}[https://books.google.com/books?cd=1&id=LV1IAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22CARL+PIDGEON%22+rebecca&q=%22Carl+Pidgeon%22 Carl Pidgeon biodata] Her mother, Elaine, is a yoga teacher. Her paternal grandmother, Monica Pidgeon, the editor of Architectural Design, was the sister of artist Olga Lehmann and academic Andrew George Lehmann.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/6389665/Monica-Pidgeon.html|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Monica Pidgeon|date=October 20, 2009}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/sep/21/monica-pidgeon-obituary|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Diana|last=Rowntree|title=Monica Pidgeon obituary|date=September 21, 2009}}

Pidgeon moved to Edinburgh, Scotland in 1970 with her parents. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London with classmates Clive Owen and Liza Tarbuck.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodpreviews.com/rebecca-pidgeon.html|title=Hollywood previews|access-date=23 March 2012|work=hollywoodpreviews.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225123044/http://www.hollywoodpreviews.com/rebecca-pidgeon.html |archive-date=25 December 2013}}

Career

From 1986 to 1990, Pidgeon was the lead singer of the British folk/pop band Ruby Blue. She left the group shortly after they signed to a major record label. She released the album The Raven in 1994, followed by The New York Girls' Club (1996), and The Four Marys (1998), a collection of traditional Celtic folk songs. Tough on Crime (2005) featured Walter Becker on guitar and Billy Preston on keyboards. Behind the Velvet Curtain (2008) included a cover version of the Beach Boys song "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Slingshot was released in 2012.{{cite web|title=Discography|url=http://rebeccapidgeonmusic.com/music/|website=Rebecca Pidgeon Music|access-date=23 May 2016}}

She appeared in her first feature film, The Dawning, in 1988, then starred in David Mamet's plays and films, beginning with the movie Homicide and the play Oleanna, a part Mamet wrote for her. She composed the music for the film version, which starred Debra Eisenstadt in her role.

Pidgeon has had roles in additional Mamet films, including The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Winslow Boy (1999), State and Main (2000), Heist (2001) and Redbelt (2008). She had a supporting role in Red (2010). In the 2013 television movie Phil Spector, she played a supporting role and also sang "Spanish Harlem" over the closing credits. She appeared in the U.S. television series The Unit as Charlotte Ryan, and in the 2007 television film Jesse Stone: Sea Change as Leeann Lewis, a murder/bank robbery suspect.{{IMDb name|682071}}

Personal life

Pidgeon is married to American writer and director David Mamet, whom she met while appearing in his play Speed-the-Plow at the National Theatre, London. Pidgeon and Mamet have two children, actress Clara and Noah, in addition to Mamet's two older children, Willa and Zosia.

Pidgeon, who was born to a non-practising Christian family, is a student of yoga as taught by B.K.S. Iyengar.

She holds dual American/British citizenship.

Discography

The Raven (Chesky, 1994)
The New York Girls' Club (Chesky, 1996)
The Four Marys (Chesky, 1998)
Tough on Crime (Fuel 2000, 2005)
Behind the Velvet Curtain (Great American Music, 2008)
Slingshot (Toy Canteen, 2011)
Blue Dress On (Toy Canteen, 2013)
Bad Poetry (Toy Canteen, 2014)
Sudden Exposure to Light/Comfort (Toy Canteen, 2019)
Parts of Speech Pieces of Sound (Toy Canteen, 2022){{cite web|url=https://glidemagazine.com/280428/album-premiere-rebecca-pidgeon-explores-connection-between-yoga-and-music-on-compelling-parts-of-speech-pieces-of-sound|title=Album Premiere: Rebecca Pidgeon Explores Connection Between Yoga and Music on Compelling 'Parts of Speech Pieces of Sound'|date=September 21, 2022|website=Glide Magazine |author1=Glide }}
Songs of LA (2024)