Cady Huffman Explained

Cady Huffman
Birth Place:Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Spouse:William Healy (1994–2011)
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:1985–present

Cady Huffman (born February 2, 1965)[1] is an American actress.

Early life

Huffman was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Lorayne, a pre-school assistant director turned realtor, and Clifford Huffman, an attorney. She is the younger sister of actor Linus Huffman and automotive writer John Pearley Huffman, whose work often appears in Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines and The New York Times. She attended public schools in Santa Barbara (skipping the fourth grade) and graduated from the local San Marcos High School in June 1982. Huffman started performing in Santa Barbara's very active local theater community well before her teenage years. She also studied ballet at The Goleta School of Ballet and performed numerous classical ballets with the school's company.

Career

Huffman first came to Broadway as a replacement cast member in the hit musical La Cage aux Folles (1985), and was quickly cast in Bob Fosse's Big Deal, to be followed by a Tony-Award nomination for her performance in The Will Rogers Follies (1991). In 2001, she played the role of Ulla in the original cast of the Broadway musical The Producers, by Mel Brooks. Huffman received the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the role.

She made her film debut in the film Hero (1992). She has since appeared in Space Marines (1996),[2] Romance & Cigarettes and The Nanny Diaries. She also appeared in the 2010 film The Company Men.[3] During 2003 and 2004, she produced, starred in and acted as production designer for the independent film Sunday on the Rocks directed by Joe Morton.[4]

On television, she has had guest starring roles on programs such as Frasier, and Mad About You. She appeared as herself in several guest spots on the television series Curb Your Enthusiasm during 2004. The series' fourth season plot involved Larry David joining the cast of The Producers. Beginning in August 2005, Huffman took over for Kimberlin Brown as Dr. Paige Miller on One Life to Live. Her last episode aired on January 23, 2006. During 2011 and 2012, she has appeared in episodes of The Good Wife.

She was a regular food judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America,[5] described by host Alton Brown as "the Kitty Carlisle" of the series.

During July and August 2007, Huffman starred in the Off-Broadway play Surface to Air written by David Epstein and directed by James Naughton, in a rare dramatic part for the actress who usually appears on stage in musicals.[6] In May 2009, she appeared in the new musical Pirates! in the Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, production.[7] She appeared alongside The Producers co-star Nathan Lane in The Nance which opened on Broadway on April 15, 2013. She was nominated for a 2013 Outer Critics Circle Award for her work in that play. In 2014, she played a major role in the Off-Broadway rock musical Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter.

In July 2017 she directed City of Light, a musical by Gabrielle Wagner, Julie Weiner and Jan Roper at the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival.[8]

In June 2023 she directed Anything Goes, a musical by Cole Porter, Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse at Black Rock Theater in Fairfield, CT.[9]

Personal life

She now lives in Brooklyn, New York City.[10]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992HeroLeslie Sugar, Flight Attendant
1997Space MarinesDar Mullins
2004Sunday on the RocksGayle
2004Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer!Billy's MotherShort film
2005Romance & CigarettesFemale Dancer & Singer
2006Twenty Dollar DrinksBettyShort film
2007Itty Bitty Titty CommitteeLola
2007Divorcing Mom
2009DareDr. Kolton
2010Joanna
2010ChooseAlice
2012Young(ish)Middle-Aged WomanShort film, completed
2013Molly's Theory of Relativity[11] Natasha

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994Episode: "George Goes Too Far"
1995Pig StyRitaEpisode: "Leap Into an Open Grave"
1995Mad About YouBarking WomanEpisode: "Up in Smoke"
1996Vows of DeceptionMary JoTV movie
1997ColumboThe ReceptionistEpisode: "A Trace of Murder"
2003Pamela WintersEpisode: "Cuba Libre"
2004Curb Your EnthusiasmCady Huffman4 episodes
2004FrasierAmber LiciousEpisode: "Detour"
2005Penny SterbaEpisode: "The Abominable Showman"
2005–2006One Life to LiveDr. Paige MillerTV series
2010Submissions OnlyAndrea DodsonEpisode: "Old Lace"
2011–2012Marina Vassel4 episodes
2012Maureen ManningEpisode: "Home Invasions"
2016–2017Blue BloodsSheila GormleyEpisodes: "Mob Rules"
& "Not Fade Away"
2017–PresentAfter ForeverLisa4 episodes

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985La Cage aux FollesAngeliqueReplacement
1986Big DealDancerUnderstudy: Pearl
1991Ziegfeld's Favorite1991 nominee: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
1997Steel PierRita Racine / Shelby Stevens
1999Dame Edna: The Royal TourThe Gorgeous Ednaette #1Replacement
2001–2003Ulla2001 winner: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
2006Plain and Fancy[12] Ruth WintersMusicals in Mufti, York Theatre Company
2013Sylvie
2023 Dirty BlondeJo, MaeCV Rep

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cady Huffman (Performer) . Playbill.
  2. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/477555/Space-Marines/full-credits.html ' "Space Marines Credits"
  3. http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-company-men-v483523/cast-crew " The Company Men Cast and Crew'
  4. Web site: Review: 'Sunday on the Rocks'. Harvey. Dennis. March 24, 2004 . Variety . September 13, 2017.
  5. Ferri, Josh. "Tony Winner Cady Huffman on Being 'Empowered' by Lena Dunham & Re-Teaming With Nathan Lane in 'The Nance' " broadway.com, April 15, 2013
  6. Gans, Andrew. "Naughton Will Direct Smith, Huffman, Altman and Bryggman in 'Surface to Air' " Playbill, June 6, 2007
  7. Gans, Andrew. "Huntington's 'Pirates!', with Huffman, Kazee, Alvin, Dixon, Opens May 20" Playbill, May 20, 2009
  8. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Cady-Huffman-to-Direct-New-Musical-CITY-OF-LIGHT-at-SheNYC-Festival-20170629 "Cady Huffman to Direct New Musical City Of Light at SheNYC Festival"
  9. Web site: Lauterborn . Mike . Fairfield's Broadway Method Academy is Now Black Rock Theater . 2023-06-28 . www.hamlethub.com . en-gb.
  10. Ferri, Josh. "Tony Winner Cady Huffman on Being 'Empowered' by Lena Dunham & Re-Teaming With Nathan Lane in 'The Nance' " broadway.com, April 15, 2013
  11. News: Scheck . Frank . Molly's Theory of Relativity: Film Review . . March 6, 2013 .
  12. Portantiere, Michael. "Anderson, Huffman, Noseworthy, Rae, et al. Cast in York's 'Plain and Fancy' " theatermania.com, October 19, 2006