Judith Light
Judith Ellen Light was born on Feb. 9, 1949 in Trenton, NJ. Shortly after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in drama, Light became a professional stage actor, making her way to Broadway by 1975 with a role in the contemporaneous revival of "A Doll's House." Just two years later, Light landed her breakout role on the soap opera "One Life to Live" (ABC 1968-2012), on which she'd star through 1983. Light's performance as the character Karen Wolek earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. Upon leaving the series, she became the costar of the popular sitcom "Who's the Boss?" (ABC 1984-1992), on which she played single parent Angela Bower. Following the conclusion of the series, it would be more than a decade before Light landed another regular television role; in the interim period, she worked again on the stage and in notable one-off and recurring performances, namely on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC 1999-). Her next regular role came with the comedy series "Ugly Betty" (ABC 2006-2010), which earned Light her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Not long afterward, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the 2011 Broadway production of "Lombardi." Though she did not win, she'd go on to win a Tony the following year for her role in "Other Desert Cities" and another in 2013 for "The Assembled Parties." Her next such accolade would come by way of her performance on the dramedy series "Transparent" (Amazon 2014-19), on which she played the narcissistic Shelly Pfefferman. In addition to two Emmy nominations, her work on the series earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Photos
Judith Light
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
100% |
|
Out of My Mind | Mrs. V. (Character) | - | 2024 |
90% | No Score Yet | The Young Wife | Cookie (Character) | - | 2023 |
71% | No Score Yet | Down Low | Unknown (Character) | - | 2023 |
88% |
|
The Menu | Anne (Character) | $38.5M | 2022 |
77% |
|
The Same Storm | Shirlee Salt (Character) | - | 2021 |
87% |
|
Tick, Tick... Boom! | Rosa Stevens (Character) | - | 2021 |
57% |
|
Ms. White Light | Val (Character) | - | 2019 |
83% |
|
Before You Know It | Sherrell Ghearhardt (Character) | $151.2K | 2019 |
17% |
|
Hot Air | Judith Montefiore-Salters (Character) | - | 2018 |
No Score Yet |
|
Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story | Matron Grady (Character) | - | 2018 |
64% |
|
Digging for Fire | Grandma (Character) | $119.4K | 2015 |
33% |
|
We'll Never Have Paris | Jean (Character) | - | 2014 |
38% |
|
Last Weekend | Veronika Goss (Character) | $6.1K | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rhymes With Banana | Unknown (Character) | - | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Heart of Broadway: The Ensemble Behind Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS | Unknown (Character) | - | 2011 |
68% |
|
Save Me |
Gayle (Character), Producer |
$82.4K | 2007 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Broken Sole | Hilary (Character) | - | 2007 |
68% |
|
Ira and Abby | Arlene Black (Character) | $220.2K | 2006 |
No Score Yet |
|
Joseph: King of Dreams | Zuleika (Voice) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet |
|
Carriers | Maj. Carmen Travis (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
Too Close to Home | Diana Donahue (Character) | - | 1997 |
60% | No Score Yet | Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End | Self | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder at My Door | Irene McNair (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Strange Affair | Lisa McKeever (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Step Toward Tomorrow | Anna Lerner (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
Lady Killer | Janice Mitchell (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Betrayal of Trust | Barbara Noël (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet |
|
Against Their Will: Women in Prison | Alice Needham (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet |
|
Men Don't Tell | Laura MacAffrey (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Wife, Mother, Murderer |
Marie Hilley/ |
- | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In Defense of a Married Man | Laura Simmons (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Ryan White Story | Jeanne White (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet |
|
My Boyfriend's Back | Vickie Vine (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dangerous Affection | Cathy Proctor (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Intimate Agony | Marsha (Character) | - | 1983 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
92% | 91% | Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Helen Villigan (Character) | 2024 |
96% | 89% | Julia | Blanche Knopf (Character) | 2022-2023 |
71% | 84% | Shining Vale | Joan (Character) | 2022-2023 |
98% | 81% | Poker Face | Irene Smothers (Guest Star) | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Accidental Wolf | Unknown (Character) | 2022 |
51% | 80% | The Politician | Dede Standish (Character) | 2020 |
96% | 82% | Manhunt | Bobi Jewell (Character) | 2020 |
91% | 76% | Transparent | Shelly Pfefferman (Character) | 2014-2017 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen | Guest | 2016 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Talk | Guest | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rachael Ray | Guest | 2016-2017 |
55% | 76% | Doubt | Carolyn Rice (Guest Star) | 2017 |
75% | 84% | I'm Sorry | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2017 |
No Score Yet | 50% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 61% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2015 |
No Score Yet | 12% | The View | Guest | 2015 |
75% | 93% | Dallas | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2013-2014 |
96% | 90% | Raising Hope | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | 76% | The Exes | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2012 |
81% | 88% | Nurse Jackie | Maureen Cooper (Guest Star) | 2011 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wendy Williams Show | Guest | 2011 |
78% | 83% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Judge Elizabeth Donnelly (Guest Star) | 2002-2007 2009-2010 |
97% | 83% | Ugly Betty | Claire Meade (Character) | 2006-2010 |
26% | No Score Yet | Twenty Good Years | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2006 |
No Score Yet | 64% | Family Guy | Herself (Guest Voice) | 2006 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Stones | Barbara Stone (Character) | 2004 |
68% | No Score Yet | Spin City | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 |
44% | No Score Yet | Phenom | Dianne Doolan (Character) | 1993-1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who's the Boss? | Angela Bower (Character) | 1984-1992 |
No Score Yet | 89% | Family Ties | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kojak | Laetitia Pomerantz (Guest Star) | 1977 |