Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She has received two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.
Ebersole made her Broadway debut in the play Angel Street (1975). She won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for playing a prima donna in the musical revival 42nd Street (2001) and for her dual roles as Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale in the original musical Grey Gardens (2006). She was Tony-nominated for playing a society matron in Dinner at Eight (2003), and Elizabeth Arden in War Paint (2017).
On film, she made her film debut with a minor role as an actress in the romantic comedy Tootsie (1982) before portraying Caterina Cavalieri in Academy Award-winning period biographical drama film Amadeus (1984). She has also acted in films such as Mac and Me (1988), Dead Again (1991), Richie Rich (1994), Black Sheep (1996), True Crime (1999), The Big Wedding (2013), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Licorice Pizza (2021).
On television, she got her start on the soap opera Ryan's Hope (1977–1980) and as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1981–1982). She earned an Emmy Award nomination for her work in One Life to Live. She has co-starred on the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son (2012–2014), the comedy-drama Royal Pains, the animated series Steven Universe (2018–2019), and the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024).
Early life and education 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.
Career
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),Hamlin, Jesse. San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2010 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.Gans, Andrew. "'Royal Pains' TV Series, with Tony Winner Ebersole, Debuts June 4" Playbill, June 4, 2009Abrams, Natalie. "First Look: NBA star Muggsy Bogues cameos on 'Royal Pains'" Entertainment Weekly, May 28, 2015
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).
Stage 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,Jones, Kenneth and Simonson, Robert. Playbill, March 12, 2002 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.Jones, Kenneth. "Still Teasing: 'Steel Magnolias' Plays Its 100th Performance June 30" Playbill, June 30, 2005
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.Gans, Andrew, and Jones, Kenneth."'Grey Gardens 'Will Close on Broadway July 29" playbill.com, July 2, 2007 She appeared as Elvira in the 2009 Broadway revival of the Noël Coward comedy Blithe Spirit.Gans, Andrew."'Blithe Spirit' Revival, with Lansbury, Ebersole and Everett, Opens on Broadway March 15" Playbill, March 15, 2009
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).Gans, Andrew. "Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Apply 'War Paint', Starting Tonight" Playbill, June 28, 2016Gans, Andrew. "Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Apply 'War Paint' on Broadway, Starting March 7" Playbill, March 7, 2017
Concerts 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.Gans, Andrew. "Tony Winner Christine Ebersole Begins Carlyle Engagement Jan. 11" Playbill, January 11, 2011 In 2009 she performed with Michael Feinstein at his club, Feinstein's at Loews Regency, (New York City) in a cabaret titled "Good Friends".Holden, Stephen. "Channeling a Chummier Time, in Tandem" The New York Times, September 11, 2009 She was one of the performers on the Playbill Cruise in September 2011.Rudetsky, Seth. "Onstage & Backstage: A Playbill Cruise With Christine Ebersole, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Andrea Martin and Debra Monk" playbill.com, Sep 26, 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.Gans, Andrew. Playbill, November 22, 2011
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.
Recording She also has appeared on several albums. She was featured on the Bright Lights, Big City concept album. She also released an album of Noël Coward songs after browsing through them for scene change music for Blithe Spirit.Jones, Kenneth. Playbill, March 31, 2009 She also voiced White Diamond in Steven Universe.
Personal life 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.Drexel, Paul. "Night and Day" New Jersey Monthly, December 19, 2007 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.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1982 Tootsie Linda 1984 Amadeus Caterina Cavalieri 1984 Thief of Hearts Janie Pointer 1988 Mac and Me Janet Cruise 1990 Ghost Dad Carol 1991 Dead Again Lydia Larsen 1992 Folks! Arlene Aldrich 1992 The Lounge People Cynthia Lewis 1994 My Girl 2 Rose Zsigmond 1994 Richie Rich Regina Rich 1996 Black Sheep Governor Evelyn Tracy 1996 Pie in the Sky Mom Dunlap 1997 'Til There Was You Beebee Moss 1999 My Favorite Martian Mrs. Brown 1999 True Crime Bridget Rossiter 2009 Confessions of a Shopaholic TV show host 2010 The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! Bossom Buddies Singer 2013 The Big Wedding Muffin 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street Leah Belfort 2019 Steven Universe: The Movie White Diamond Voice role 2019 Driveways Linda 2021 Licorice Pizza Lucille Doolittle 2025 Is This Thing On? Marilyn 2026 Starbright Grandmother
Television