50 facts about Judith Light

Light made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House. Learn 50 facts about actress Judith Light.

1. Her full name is Judith Ellen Light.

2. She is an actress and producer.

3. Light is a two-time Tony Award winner.

4. Light made her professional stage debut in 1970.

5. She made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House.

6. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1977 to 1983, where she played the role of Karen Wolek.

7. For the role of Karen Wolek she won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

8. She later starred as Angela Bower in the long-running ABC sitcom Who's the Boss? from 1984 to 1992, and later starred in many television films and short-lived series.

9. She played the recurring role of Elizabeth Donnelly in the NBC legal crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Claire Meade in the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty.

10. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2007 for Claire Meade.

11. She received her first nomination for a Tony Award in 2011, for her performance in the original Broadway play Lombardi.

12. In 2012 and 2013, Light won two consecutive Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play, for her performances in Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties.

13. From 2013 to 2014, Light played the role of villainous Judith Brown Ryland in the TNT drama series, Dallas.

14. In 2014, she began starring as Shelly Pfefferman in the Amazon Studios critically acclaimed dark comedy-drama, Transparent.

15. For her role in Transparent she received Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Television Award nominations.

16. Light was born in Trenton, New Jersey.

17. Her mother Pearl Sue was a model.

18. Her father Sidney Light was an accountant.

19. Light graduated from high school in 1966 at St. Mary's Hall-Doane Academy, now Doane Academy, in Burlington, New Jersey. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in drama.

20. She recalled the university as "rigorous" and "amazing".

21. Afterwards, she started out on stage, making her professional debut in Richard III at the California Shakespeare Festival in 1970.

22. Light made her Broadway debut in A Doll's House in 1975.

23. She also starred in the 1976 Broadway play Herzl.

24. Light also acted for such theatre companies as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

25. In the late 1970s, Light went through a real crisis after a period of not landing any parts.

26. Broke, she almost quit acting, because she felt that she was not contributing to the theater.

27. In 1977, Light was called by her agent to audition for an understudy role in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Having wanted never to be attached to a soap opera or a sitcom, she initially rejected the idea, until she was told that she would have a daily salary of $350. At the audition, she realized that "the format reaches a lot of people", and that she could thereby "make a difference" and "make money" at the same time.

28. Instead of landing an understudy role in Life to Live, she was recast in the role of Karen Wolek, a role that had previously been portrayed by actresses Kathryn Breech and Julia Duffy. This role was quite lucrative for Light.

29. Light landed the leading role of assertive advertising executive Angela Bower on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss?. The show ran for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992.

30. Along with her work in Who's the Boss?, she also starred in the several television films, including Stamp of a Killer alongside Jimmy Smits, critically acclaimed biographical drama The Ryan White Story where she played the mother of HIV/AIDS positive teenager Ryan White, and Wife, Mother, Murderer, in which she played Audrey Marie Hilley.

31. After Who's the Boss?, Light starred in the another ABC sitcom, Phenom, which ran for one season, 1993-94, before being canceled.

32. In 1999, Light returned to the stage in the off-Broadway production of Pulitzer Prize-winning play Wit. She earned strong reviews for her portrayal of university professor battling ovarian cancer, and reprised the role for the national tour.

33. Light shaved her head for the role of Vivian Bearing, a literature professor battling ovarian cancer, in the play.

34. She returned to television with the recurring role of Judge Elizabeth Donnelly in the NBC legal crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2002.

35. In 2006, Light joined the cast of the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty as Claire Meade, the mother of Alexis and Daniel. She was recurring guest-star during first season and was promoted to series regular as of second.

36. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007, and well for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2008, for her performance in show Ugly Betty.

37. In 2015, Light returned to Broadway as Madame Raquin in Thérèse Raquin starring opposite Keira Knightley and Matt Ryan.

38. Light appeared in the number of films in 2000s.

39. In 2014 she appeared in films Last Weekend opposite Patricia Clarkson, and played the role of Melanie Lynskey's character mother in We'll Never Have Paris.

40. In 2010-11, Light appeared as a witty alcoholic Marie Lombardi on Broadway in the play Lombardi and received a nomination for the Tony Award, Featured Actress in a Play.

41. She appeared in the play Other Desert Cities on Broadway from 2011 to 2012 and won her first Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Silda.

42. In 2013, she appeared on Broadway in the play The Assembled Parties and on June 8, 2013, won her second Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of 'Faye'.

43. Light is Jewish.

44. She has been married to television actor Robert Desiderio since 1985.

45. She and her husband met while co-starring on One Life to Live.

46. The couple has no children, and resides in California.

47. She speaks French fluently.

48. She sits on the board of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and spoke at the 1993 March on Washington.

49. She is also a prominent AIDS activist and played Ryan White's mother in the 1989 TV movie on his life The Ryan White Story.

50. Light received Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film nominations for her performance in Transparent.