Kelly Bishop Biography
Carole ”Kelly” Bishop is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as Matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series Gilmore Girls and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey’s Frances “Baby” Houseman in the film Dirty Dancing. Bishop originated the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She also starred as Fanny Flowers in the ABC Family short-lived comedy-drama series Bunheads.
How old is Kelly Bishop? – Age
The American actress is 77 years old as of 28th February 2021. She was born in 1944 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
Who are Kelly Bishop Parents? – Father and Mother
The actress was born to Jane Lenore her lovely mother and Lawrence Boden Bishop her father.
Kelly Bishop Education
The actress’s parents raised her in Denver, Colorado, where she trained to be a ballet dancer, attending the San Jose Ballet School. At eighteen, she headed to New York City and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall.
Who is Kelly Bishop married to? – Spouse
The American actress was a married lady. She was married to the late TV talk show host Lee Leonard. They married 1981, Sadly, her lovely husband died 2018. They both were blessed with one daughter known as Norma Sheryl Leonard. She once dated Peter Miller before marrying her husband.
Kelly Bishop Career
The American dancer at the age of eighteen, she headed to New York City and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. She continued to dance in Las Vegas, Summer Stock and on television until she was cast in 1967 in Golden Rainbow, her first Broad Way role.
Bishop’s big break came when she was cast as the sexy, hard-edged Sheila in the Broadway production of A Chorus Line. Her performance earned her the 1976 Tony Award as “Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical)” as well as the 1976 Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Musical”.
The actress also acted in the Broadway productions of Six Degrees of separation, Neil Simon’s proposals, the Tony Award-winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Bus stop. It wasn’t long before she was cast opposite Jill Clayburgh in Paul Mazursky’s big-screen drama An Unmarried woman (1978).
Bishop was initially cast in a much smaller part in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, but was called upon to play Mrs. Houseman when Lynne Lipton, the actress assigned the role, fell ill during the first week of shooting. She went on to play a “mom” to high-profile stars in features: Howard Stern’s in the Betty Thomas-directed comedy Private Parts (1997), and Tobey Maguire’s in Wonder Boys (2000).
Additional feature credits include Ich und Er (USA: Me and Him, 1988), Queens Logic (1991), Cafe Society (1995), Miami Rhapsody (1995) and Blue Moon (2002). On television, Bishop starred in the Mike Nichols’ The Thorns opposite Tony Roberts and Marilyn Cooper. She played Lisa Ann Walter’s mother on My Wildest Dreams.
She has guest-starred on Kate & Allie, Law & Order, Law Order : Special Victims Unit and Murphy Brown. From 2000 to 2007, the actress starred in the CW Television Network series Gilmore Girls as wealthy New England matriarch Emily Gilmore, mother of Lorelai and grandmother of Rory.
The actress was in Becky shaw at the second stage Theatre in 2008. She then performed briefly in the 2011 revival of Anything Goes alongside Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. She replaced Jessica Walter in the role of Evangeline Harcourt.
The American actress co-starred as Fanny Flowers on the ABC Family program Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Bunheads, in which she reunited with Sutton Foster. The show was canceled after one season. She returned to the role of Emily Gilmore in the miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016) on Netflix.
Kelly Bishop Net worth
The American actress has an estimated net worth of around $4 million as of 2021.