Joanna P. Adler is an American actress, known for her roles in Off-Broadway plays. She won an Obie Award in 1995. In 2014, she starred in the second season of the Lifetime television series Devious Maids.
Life and career Adler graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and pursued a master's degree in Performance Studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Before completing her thesis, she began her professional acting career working with the internationally renowned theater collaborative, Mabou Mines. She continued to work in New York City's off-Broadway theater community, most notably in the title role of Richard Foreman's Obie Award-winning play Benita Canova, John Guare's Lydie Breeze, and Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.
In 1995, Adler won an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress, for her role in the off-Broadway play The Boys in the Basement. She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Deuce, directed by Michael Blakemore. On television, she has guest-starred in Sex and the City, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, and The Blacklist, and has had recurring roles on Gravity, Are We There Yet?, and Orange Is The New Black.
In December 2013, it was announced that Adler had been cast as a series regular for the second season of the Lifetime television comedy-drama series Devious Maids as Opal, a new maid who is secretive and conniving. In 2018, she appeared in FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story in a recurring role as Mary Ann Schillaci Cunanan, mother of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who was portrayed by Darren Criss.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1993The Five SpotNeurotic Girl 1996The ProprietorNew York – F. Freemder 1997 Ties to RachelDeke 1998A Perfect MurderVyczowski 1998 Side StreetsPolicewoman 1998The Silent Love of the FishThe BoyShort film 1999Just the TicketVickie 1999 A Fish in the BathtubHeather2000 Down to YouPiercing Woman 2000Drop Back Ten McCue's Bartender 2001 Trigger HappyKatja 2003 The EventGaby 2003School of RockSummer's Mother 2004Book of LoveMelissa 2004 BoutiqueCordeliaShort film2004 My Mom and DadBettyShort film 2006 Shut Up and SingSheila2006 The Big Bad SwimDr. Gaskill 2010 An Invisible SignLisa's Mom2013 Dinner@40AbbyShort film2014 Revenge of the Green DragonsProsecutor Gwen Shore 20145 Flights UpBoy's Mother 2014 Kill Me Waitress Short film 2016 Almost Paris Lauren 2018 Alex Strangelove Holly Truelove 2018 Can You Ever Forgive Me? Arlene 2020 An American Pickle Professor Kim Ecklund 2021 Tick, Tick... Boom! Molly
Television Year Title Role Notes 1998 Sex and the CitySydEpisode: "Bay of Married Pigs" 2000 CosbyDr. BallEpisode: "The Song Remains the Same" 2008New AmsterdamTechEpisode: "Soldier's Heart"2008 Law & Order: Criminal IntentAnna NobileEpisode: "Legacy"2009The UnusualsJennifer GoodmanEpisode: "42" 2009Ugly BettyWedding PlannerEpisode: "In the Stars" 2006, 2010Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSarah Gallagher / Persephone JamesEpisodes: "Informed" and "Savior" 2002, 2009, 2010 Law & OrderBarbara Speight / Amber WoodsEpisodes: "Missing", "Great Satan" and "Love Eternal" 2010GravitySissy RosenblumRecurring role, 4 episodes 2010, 2011 30 RockDonna StraunkEpisodes: "When It Rains, It Pours" and "It's Never Too Late for Now" 2012 The Good WifeMiss LedgerEpisode: "Don't Haze Me, Bro"2012Chicago FireSondra ShermanEpisode: "One Minute" 2011–2012 Are We There Yet?Mrs. PhillipsRecurring role, 9 episodes 2006–2013The Venture Bros.Myra Brandish (voice)7 episodes2013, 2015Orange Is the New BlackChaplain RoyceRecurring role, 4 episodes2014 Devious MaidsOpal SinclairSeries regular, 13 episodes2016The TickDr. CreekEpisode: "The Tick" (pilot)2017The BlacklistKathryn NemecEpisode: "Requiem"2017The SinnerDetective Farmer3 episodes2018The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime StoryMary Ann CunananRecurring2018New Amsterdam (2018 TV series)FayeEpisode: "Boundaries" 2019The ResidentDawn Long 1 episode "Flesh of the Flesh (3x02)"2022BillionsAlaska Faire Episode: "Succession"
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