Biography
Personal life
Kazan was born
Lanie Levine
in
Brooklyn,
New York City [1] to an
Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a
bookie and a
Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and artistic".
[2] [3] She serves on the boards of the Young Musician's Foundation,
AIDS Project LA, and
B'nai Brith.
Career
Kazan made her
Broadway debut in
The Happiest Girl in the World
in 1961, followed by
Bravo Giovanni
(1962). She served as understudy to
Barbra Streisand in
Funny Girl
, finally getting to go on eighteen months into the run when the star was felled by a serious throat problem. Coincidentally, both had attended the same high school,
Erasmus Hall High School in
Brooklyn, New York. Kazan's mother alerted the press and, encouraged by rave reviews for her performance, she quit the show and set out to establish herself in a singing career.
As her popularity increased, Kazan posed for a spread in the October 1970 issue of
Playboy
, which was reused in Pocket Playboy #4, issued in 1974. Lainie's appearance in the magazine opened the door for her to headline and operate two different Playboy Jazz Clubs under
Hugh Hefner's oversight called Lainie's Lounge East and West on opposite coasts, one in
Los Angeles and the other in
Manhattan. Her Playboy photographs also inspired the look of
Jack Kirby's
DC Comics superheroine
Big Barda.
Kazan appeared in numerous supper clubs across the country, and she guested on
Dean Martin's variety series twenty-six times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Freida on the
Fran Drescher sitcom The Nanny
and as
Kirstie Alley's mother on
Veronica's Closet
, and guest shots on
St. Elsewhere
(resulting in an
Emmy nomination),
The Paper Chase
,
Touched by an Angel
, and
Will & Grace
. She also was featured in
My Big Fat Greek Life
, a short-lived series based on the
Nia Vardalos hit film
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
which she also starred in. She appeared in a scene as the mother of Adam Sandler's character in
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
, but it was deleted in the feature film. It is however, included in the special features on disc.
Kazan returned to Broadway to recreate her film role for the musical adaptation of
My Favorite Year
, earning a
Tony Award nomination for her performance. More recently she completed a stint in
The Vagina Monologues
. She has also appeared in regional productions of
A Little Night Music
,
Man of La Mancha
,
Gypsy
,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
,
Hello, Dolly!
, and
Fiddler on the Roof
, among others. In 1984, she made a guest appearance on
Faerie Tale Theatre episode
Pinocchio
as Sophia the Blue Fairy.
In recent years, Kazan has kept busy performing on concert stages and in
Las Vegas and
Atlantic City showrooms.
Filmography
- Dayton's Devils
(1968)
- Lady in Cement
(1968)
- Romance of a Horsethief
(1971)
- One from the Heart
(1982)
- My Favorite Year
(1982)
- Lust in the Dust
(1985)
- The Journey of Natty Gann
(1985)
- The Delta Force
(1986)
- Medium Rare
(1987)
- Harry and the Hendersons
(1987)
- '' Married to the Mob
- Beaches
(1988)
- Eternity
(1989)
- Out of the Dark
(1989)
- 29th Street
(1991)
- I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore
(1992)
- The Cemetery Club
(1993)
- Movies Money Murder
(1996)
- Love Is All There Is
(1996)
- The Associate
(1996)
- Allie & Me
(1997)
- The Big Hit
(1998)
- Permanent Midnight
(1998)
- The Unknown Cyclist
(1998)
- Kimberly
(1999)
- The Crew
(2000)
- The Dress Code
(2000)
- What's Cooking?
(2000)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
(2002)
- Eight Crazy Nights
(2002) (voice)
- Returning Lilly
(2002)TV film
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
(2003) (documentary)
- A Good Night to Die
(2003)
- Gigli
(2003)
- Red Riding Hood
(2004)
- Whiskey School
(2005)
- Bratz: The Movie
(2007)
- Beau Jest
(2007)
- You Don't Mess with the Zohan
(2008)
References
- Lainie Kazan Goes Back to Her Roots - New York Times
- JewishJournal.com
- j. - Lainie Kazan bringing cabaret classics to S.F