Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's series Ugly Betty and Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit. She won a Tony Award in 2012 for her performance on Broadway as Silda in the play Other Desert Cities.
Career[]
In this period, Light was called by her agent to audition for an understudy role in soap opera One Life to Live. Never wanting to be attached to a soap opera or a sitcom, she initially rejected the idea, until she was told that she would have a daily salary of US$350. Instead of landing an understudy role, she was recast in the role of Karen Wolek, a role that had previously been portrayed by actresses Kathryn Breech and Julia Duffy. This role was quite lucrative for Light and spawned one of the show's most-remembered storylines; Light's character became a prostitute after she became bored with her life as a housewife. On trial, Karen saved her friend Viki Lord Riley (Erika Slezak) from being convicted of killing Karen's pimp, Marco Dane by admitting to the entire town, including her faithful husband, Dr. Larry Wolek, that she had been a prostitute. In 1980, this won Light her first Daytime Emmy Award for "Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series"; the scene in which she confessed her guilt in court is held in such high esteem that it is used in acting classes to the current day. Light recalled:
"I was scared before those courtroom scenes. I was afraid to put myself out that much. With the agony of pulling it out piece by piece and having the prosecutor stick the knife in her gut, I couldn't help but let everything spew out of her."
Light won another Emmy in the role in 1981. She appeared in an episode of St. Elsewhere in its first season, in which she played a housewife who became pregnant for the 9th time even though her husband claimed he had a vasectomy. In an effort to punish the doctor who botched the job she took an operating room hostage though it was later revealed that her husband had not had the procedure.
After this success on daytime, she landed the role of assertive advertising executive Angela Bower on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss. Light spent most of the 1990s starring in made-for-TV and feature films. From 2002 to 2010, she had a recurring role on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Judge Elizabeth Donnelly, who served as a Bureau Chief ADA in the Manhattan District Attorney's office before being appointed to the bench in Season 7. From 2006 until 2010, she starred as Claire Meade] on ABC's Ugly Betty. The role earned her an Emmy nomination.
Trivia[]
- Judith is featured in an episode of the podcast "And the Award Goes To..." on August 11, 2020.
Filmography[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Kojak | Laetitia Palmerance | 1 episode |
1977-83, 2013 | One Life to Live |
Cougar |
Daytime soap opera |
1983 | Intimate Agony | Marsha | TV movie a.k.a. Doctor in Paradise |
St. Elsewhere | Barbara Lonnicker | 1 episode | |
Family Ties | Stacey Hughes | 1 episode | |
1984 | The Mississippi | 1 episode | |
Remington Steele | Clarissa Custer | 1 episode | |
You Are the Jury | Elizabeth Harding | 1 episode | |
1986 | Charmed Lives | Angela Bower | 1 episode |
1987 | Stamp of a Killer | Cathy Proctor | TV movie a.k.a. Dangerous Affection |
1989 | The Ryan White Story | Jeanne White | TV movie |
My Boyfriend's Back | Vickie Vine | TV movie | |
1990 | In Defense of a Married Man | Laura Simmons | TV movie |
1991 | Wife, Mother, Murderer | Marie Hilley/Robbi/Teri | TV movie a.k.a. Wife, Mother, Murderer: The Marie Hilley Story |
1984-92 | Who's the Boss? | Angela Bower | 196 episodes Nominated — TV Land Award |
1993 | Men Don't Tell | Laura MacAffrey | TV movie |
1993-94 | Phenom | Dianne Doolan | 22 episodes |
1994 | Betrayal of Trust | Barbara Noël | TV movie a.k.a. Under the Influence |
Against Their Will: Women in Prison | Alice Needham | TV movie a.k.a. Caged Seduction: The Shocking True Story | |
1995 | Lady Killer | Janice Mitchell | TV movie |
1996 | A Husband, a Wife and a Lover | Lisa McKeever | TV movie a.k.a. A Strange Affair |
Murder at My Door | Irene McNair | TV movie | |
A Step Toward Tomorrow | Anna Lerner | ||
1996-97 | Duckman | Ursula Bacon 'Honey' Chicken (voice) | 3 episodes |
1997 | Too Close to Home | Diana Donahue | TV movie |
Cow and Chicken | Nurse (voice) | 1 episode | |
1998 | The Simple Life | Sara Campbell | 7 episodes |
Carriers | Maj. Carmen Travis | TV movie | |
2000 | Joseph: King of Dreams | Zuleika | voice |
2002 | Spin City | Christine | 1 episode |
2004 | The Stones (TV series) | Barbara Stone | 9 episodes |
2006 | Ira and Abby | Arlene Black | |
A Broken Sole | Hilary | ||
Twenty Good Years | Gina | 3 episodes | |
2007 | Save Me (film) | Gayle | |
2006-10 | Ugly Betty | Claire Meade | 72 episodes |
2002–2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Elizabeth Donnelly | 25 episodes |
2011 | Nurse Jackie | Maureen Cooper | 1 episode |
2012 | The Exes | Marjorie | 2 episodes |
2012 | Scrooge & Marley | Narrator | |
2013 | Last Weekend | Veronika Goss | |
2013-present | Dallas (2012 TV series) | Judith Ryland |
References[]
External links[]
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- Template:Official website
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