Christine Ebersole

Ebersole worked across actor, stage actor, television actor, film actor and musician. This article rests on 9 catalogued compositions, 2 issued recordings and 3 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Christine Ebersole • Born — 21 February 1953 • Birthplace — Winnetka, Illinois, U.S. • Education — MacMurray College • Years Active — 1972–present • Children — 3 • Occupation — Actress, singer, comedian

Ebersole was born outside of Chicago in Winnetka, Illinois, the daughter of Marian Esther (née Goodley) and Robert "Bob" Ebersole. Her father was the president of a steel company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has Swiss-German and Irish ancestry. Ebersole graduated from New Trier High School in 1971. She attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, class of 1975, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

• Illustration — Ebersole in a Saturday Night Live promotional photo, 1981 She met Marc Shaiman when he was 19 and the musical director of her first club act. She appeared in two different parts on Ryan's Hope in 1977 (as a nurse) and 1980 (as Lily Darnell). Ebersole was a cast member of Saturday Night Live during 1981–82, the first full season under new producer Dick Ebersol (their similar surnames being a coincidence), acting as "Weekend Update" co-anchor with Brian Doyle-Murray. Among her impersonations were Mary Travers, Cheryl Tiegs, Barbara Mandrell, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Rona Barrett. Following SNL, she appeared in One Life to Live as daffy Maxie McDermott (receiving an Emmy nomination) and Valerie. She co-starred with Barnard Hughes on the sitcom The Cavanaughs, played the title role in the short-lived sitcom Rachel Gunn, R.N., and guest-starred on Will & Grace, Dolly!, Just Shoot Me, Murphy Brown, Ally McBeal, Samantha Who, Boston Legal, The Colbert Report, and Royal Pains. In 1991, she appeared as the titular Miss Jones in a pilot for an ABC series about a single mother, but the series was not taken up. She appeared in the 1993 television film adaptation of Gypsy starring Bette Midler, and in the 2000 ABC-TV film Mary and Rhoda starring Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper. In 2011, she had a recurring role on the TV Land sitcom Retired at 35. In 2014, she played Carol Walsh on the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son. She has a recurring role on the USA Network television show Royal Pains as Ms. Newberg. Ebersole's films have included Tootsie (1982), Amadeus (1984), Mac and Me (1988), My Girl 2 (1994), Richie Rich (1994), Black Sheep (1996), and My Favorite Martian (1999).

Ebersole has found considerable success on stage. She appeared in Going Hollywood, a musical by David Zippel and Jeremy Shaeffer. She was in the chorus in 1983 with Jerry Mitchell. They were both excited about the possibility of going to Broadway but never made it. She was featured in Paper Moon by Larry Grossman and Ellen Fitzhugh and Carol Hall, which ran at the Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, New Jersey) in September 1993. Off-Broadway, she has appeared in Three Sisters and Talking Heads, and her Broadway credits include On the Twentieth Century, the 1979 revival of Oklahoma! (as Ado Annie), the 1980 revival of Camelot and the 2000 revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man. In 2001, she appeared in the Broadway revival of 42nd Street as Dorothy Brock, for which she won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, She next appeared in the 2002 Broadway revival of Dinner at Eight as Millicent Jordan for which she was nominated for the Tony Award, Featured Actress in a Play. In 2005, she played M'Lynn in the Broadway production of Steel Magnolias. • Illustration — Ebersole performing in Broadway on Broadway, a free promotional concert for Broadway shows, 2006 In 2006, Ebersole took the dual roles of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale ("Big Edie") and Edith Bouvier Beale ("Little Edie") in Grey Gardens, a musical based upon the film of the same name. After a sold-out off-Broadway run, Ebersole remained with the roles when the production moved to Broadway in November 2006, and remained with the show through its closing in July 2007. For this role, she won her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She appeared as Elvira in the 2009 Broadway revival of the Noël Coward comedy Blithe Spirit. She appeared in the musical War Paint, which premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on June 28, 2016, for a run through August 2016. The show began previews at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway on March 7, 2017, and opened on April 6, 2017. It closed on November 5, 2017. She played the role of Elizabeth Arden, opposite Patti LuPone as Helena Rubinstein. The musical had a book by Doug Wright with the music composed by Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics).

Ebersole appears in concerts and cabaret engagements at venues such as the Cinegrill and Cafe Carlyle. She won the 2010 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist in a Major Engagement for her 2009 Café Carlyle cabaret. In 2009 she performed with Michael Feinstein at his club, Feinstein's at Loews Regency, (New York City) in a cabaret titled "Good Friends". She was one of the performers on the Playbill Cruise in September 2011. In November 2011, she performed for two sold-out nights at Birdland in New York City with jazz violinist Aaron Weinstein and his trio. In 2015, Ebersole toured her show Big Noise from Winnetka, which included the 1938 jazz song Big Noise from Winnetka and a stop in Illinois.

Ebersole has been married twice, to actor Peter Bergman from 1976 through 1981, and since 1988 to Bill Moloney, with whom she has adopted three children. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with her family. Ebersole claims to have experienced psychic phenomena. In 2012, Ebersole appeared on InfoWars' radio program The Alex Jones Show, expressing her misgivings about the Federal Reserve System and the Council on Foreign Relations. She has professed belief in the conspiracy theory that the September 11 attacks were carried out by the United States government.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1977–1980 — Ryan's Hope — Lily Darnell — 12 episodes • 1981–1982 — Saturday Night Live — Various — 20 episodes • 1982 — Love, Sidney — Nurse Loring — Episode: "The Accident" • 1983–1985 — One Life to Live — Maxie McDermott — Unknown episodes • 1984 — The Dollmaker — Miss Vashinski — Television film • 1986 — Valerie — Barbara Goodwin — 6 episodes • 1986 — Acceptable Risks — Lee Snyder — Television film • 1986–1989 — The Cavanaughs — Kit Cavanaugh — 26 episodes • 1990 — American Dreamer — Kathleen — 2 episodes • 1990 — Murphy Brown — Maddy — Episode: "The Bummer of 42" • 1991 — Empty Nest — Laura — Episode: "All About Harry" • 1992 — Rachel Gunn, R.N. — Rachel Gunn — 13 episodes • 1993 — Dying to Love You — Cheryl New — Television film • 1993 — Gypsy — Tessie Tura — Television film • 1996 — Hey Arnold! — Lana Vail — Voice, episode: "Heat/Snow" • 1998 — Ally McBeal — Marie Stokes — Episode: "Just Looking" • 1996 — An Unexpected Family — Ruth Whitney — Television film • 1998 — Just Shoot Me! — Margo Langhorne — Episode: "How Nina Got Her Groove Back" • 1999 — Double Platinum — Peggy — Television film • 2000 — Mary and Rhoda — Cecile Andrews — Television film • 2001 — Will & Grace — Candy Pruitt — Episode: "Poker? I Don't Even Like Her" • 2003 — The Electric Piper — Pat Dixon — Voice, television film • 2003 — An Unexpected Love — Sandy — Television film • 2004 — Crossing Jordan — Mrs. Maguire — Episode: "Fire in the Sky" • 2005–2006 — Related — Renee — 10 episodes • 2008 — Cashmere Mafia — Lily Parrish — 2 episodes • 2008 — Boston Legal — Sunny Fields — Episode: "Indecent Proposals" • 2008 — Lipstick Jungle — Maureen — Chapter Fifteen: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Prada" • 2008 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Hilary Regnier — Episode: "Smut" • 2009 — Samantha Who? — Amy — Episode: "The Sister" • 2009–2016 — Royal Pains — Ms. Newberg — 14 episodes • 2010 — Ugly Betty — Frances — Episode: "The Passion of the Betty" • 2011 — Retired at 35 — Susan — 4 episodes • 2012–2014 — Sullivan & Son — Carol Walsh — 33 episodes • 2013 — American Horror Story: Coven — Anna-Lee Leighton — 2 episodes • 2015 — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — Helene — Episode "Kimmy's in a Love Triangle!" • 2015–2018 — Madam Secretary — First Lady Lydia Dalton — 4 episodes • 2016 — Crisis in Six Scenes — Eve — Episode: "Episode 6" • 2016 — Search Party — Mariel — 2 episodes • 2018 — Pose — Bobbi — Episode: "Giving and Receiving" • 2018–2019 — Steven Universe — White Diamond — Voice, 3 episodes • 2018–2019 — Blue Bloods — Lena Janko — 3 episodes • 2019–2024 — Bob Hearts Abishola — Dorothy "Dottie" Wheeler — Main role • 2020 — Steven Universe Future — White Diamond — Voice, 2 episodes • 2021 — The Kominsky Method — Estelle — 2 episodes, Season 3 • 2024 — Accused — Debra — Episode: "Margot's Story" • 2024 — Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story — Norma Young — Television film

• Year — Title — Role(s) — Venue — Ref. • 1975–1976 — Angel Street — Nancy (Replacement) — Lyceum Theatre • 1978–1979 — On the 20th Century — Agnes (Understudy) — St. James Theatre • 1979–1980 — Oklahoma! — Ado Annie — National Tour Palace Theatre • 1980–1981 — Camelot — Guenevere — National Tour New York State Theatre • 1985 — Harrigan 'N Hart — Greta Granville — Longacre Theatre • 1993 — Paper Moon — Trixie Delight — Paper Mill Playhouse • 1994 — Allegro — Emily — New York City Center • 1994 — Lady in the Dark — Liza Elliott — New York City Center • 1996 — Getting Away with Murder — Dossie Lustig — Broadhurst Theatre • 1999 — Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 — performer — New York City Center • 1999 — Mame — Mame Dennis — Paper Mill Playhouse • 2000 — Current Events — Diana — Manhattan Theatre Club • 2000 — Gore Vidal's The Best Man — Mabel Cantwell — Virginia Theatre • 2000 — A Connecticut Yankee — Morgan LeFay — New York City Center • 2001–2002 — 42nd Street — Dorothy Brock — Ford Center for the Performing Arts • 2002–2003 — Dinner at Eight — Millicent Jordan — Vivian Beaumont Theatre • 2003 — Talking Heads — Irene Ruddock — Minetta Lane Theatre • 2005 — Steel Magnolias — M'Lynn — Lyceum Theatre • 2006–2007 — Grey Gardens — Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale — Playwrights Horizons Walter Kerr Theatre • 2008 — Applause — Margo Channing — New York City Center • 2009 — Blithe Spirit — Elvira — Shubert Theatre • 2014 — Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — Masha — Mark Taper Forum • 2015 — Ever After — Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent — Paper Mill Playhouse • 2016 — War Paint — Elizabeth Arden — Goodman Theatre • 2017 — Nederlander Theatre

Christine Ebersole was born on 21 February 1953 in Winnetka. Ebersole held the nationality of United States. Ebersole was educated at American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which Ebersole left in 1975, MacMurray College and New Trier High School. Married to: Peter Bergman and Bill Maloney. Ebersole worked as actor, stage actor, television actor and film actor, and the authority record catalogues a further 1 occupations under the same name, among them musician. Ebersole was active from 1972. Ebersole worked in English.

• Award — Year — Category — Nominated work — Result • Daytime Emmy Award — 1984 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — One Life to Live • Tony Awards — 2001 — Best Actress in a Musical — 42nd Street • 2003 — Best Featured Actress in a Play — Dinner at Eight • 2007 — Best Actress in a Musical — Grey Gardens • 2017 — War Paint • Drama Desk Awards — 2001 — Outstanding Actress in a Musical — 42nd Street • 2003 — Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play — Talking Heads • 2006 — Outstanding Actress in a Musical — Grey Gardens • 2017 — War Paint • Drama League Award — 2006 — Distinguished Performance — Grey Gardens • New York Drama Critics' Circle — 2006 — Special Citation — Grey Gardens • Outer Critics Circle — 2001 — Outstanding Actress in a Musical — 42nd Street • 2003 — Outstanding Actress in a Play — Dinner at Eight • 2006 — Outstanding Actress in a Musical — Grey Gardens • 2017 — War Paint