Jeannie Berlin (born Jeannie Brette May; November 1, 1949) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Elaine May. She is best known for her role in the 1972 comedy film The Heartbreak Kid, for which she received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress. She later played the leading role in Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975), and has acted in films such as Margaret (2011), Inherent Vice (2014), Café Society (2016), The Fabelmans (2022), and You Hurt My Feelings (2023). She also acted in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016), the Amazon Prime series Hunters (2020), and the HBO series Succession (2019–2023).

Early life Born in Los Angeles, California, Berlin is the daughter of actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and director Elaine May (née Berlin) and inventor Marvin May. Elaine May directed The Heartbreak Kid, in 1972, featuring Berlin, whose performance earned her Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Berlin chose to use her mother's maiden name for her stage name.

Career Berlin made her screen debut appearing in a supporting role in the made-for-television film In Name Only starring Eve Arden. She acted on the New York stage and began appearing in a number of films, including Getting Straight (1970), The Strawberry Statement (1970), Move (1970), The Baby Maker (1970), Portnoy's Complaint (1971), and Bone (1972).

In 1972, Berlin's performance in the comedy film The Heartbreak Kid, directed by her mother and with a screenplay by Neil Simon, garnered her Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. She also won National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. In an article for The New York Times by John Gruen he wrote: "What is more, every critic said that Jeannie looks, sounds and acts exactly like her mother. One critic even said that she is a much better actress than her mother . . . 'with real blood coursing through her.' Anyway, this piece will set out to prove that Jeannie Berlin, who looks, talks, and acts exactly like Elaine May, is, in fact, Elaine May's 23‐year‐old daughter, and a person in her own right, even though . . . well, there's just no denying it, she looks, sounds, and acts exactly like her mother."

In 1975, Berlin played a leading role in the romantic comedy film Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York. The film was not well received by critics: Stanley Eichelbaum from San Francisco Examiner noted that "Jeannie is cold and hasn't the inner glow the appeal and magnetism that an actress needs to carry a film." The following year, she had a leading role in "Old Fashioned Murder", an episode of the NBC detective drama series Columbo. Berlin did not act on film or television again until 1990, when she appeared in and co-wrote the screenplay for the comedy-drama film In the Spirit starring her mother alongside Marlo Thomas and Olympia Dukakis.

Berlin appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions in 1990s. She made her Broadway theatre debut in May's play After the Night and the Music in 2005. In 2012, she appeared in the play Other Desert Cities at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. After an extended absence of more than a decade from acting in films, in 2011 she co-starred in Margaret, a psychological drama film starring Anna Paquin. She received positive reviews from film critics and was nominated for the National Society of Film Critics and Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's crime film Inherent Vice (2014) and Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama Café Society (2016).

In 2016, Berlin received positive reviews for her performance as prosecutor Helen Weiss in the HBO miniseries The Night Of. She was named a contender for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nomination, which did not come to fruition. In 2018 she played the President of the United States in the Hulu drama series The First, and the following year was cast as Cyd Peach, the head of the Roys' Fox News–esque TV station in the HBO drama series Succession. In 2020, she had a recurring role in the Amazon Prime Video drama series Hunters playing the grandmother of the lead character. In 2022, she starred in the coming-of-age drama film The Fabelmans directed by Steven Spielberg.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes1970 Getting Straight Judy Kramer The Strawberry Statement Girl with Clipboard On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Girl in Orphanage MoveMyrna The Baby Maker Charlotte1972 Portnoy's Complaint Bubbles Girardi Bone The Girl I figli chiedono perché The Heartbreak Kid Lila Kolodny1973 Why? The Junkie1975 Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York Sheila Levine1990 In the Spirit Crystal Also co-writer2011 Margaret Emily2013 Vijay and I Mrs. Korokowski 2014 Inherent Vice Aunt Reet2016 Café Society Rose Dorfman2018The BoorShort film, writer and director2020Here AfterGoldie2022The FabelmansHaddash Fabelman2023 You Hurt My FeelingsGeorgia I'll Be Right ThereGrace 2026The Bride!Greta

Television Year Title Role Notes1969 In Name Only Heather Television film1971 Two on a Bench Harriet Television film1976 Columbo Janie Brandt Episode: "Old Fashioned Murder"2003 Miss Match Risa Barbeko Episode: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker"2016 The Night Of Helen Weiss Miniseries2018 The First President Cecily Burke Recurring role, 3 episodes2019–2023Succession Cyd Peach Recurring role, 8 episodes2019 SMILF Lillian Wheaton Episode: Sh*t Man, I've Literally Failed"2020–2023 Hunters Ruth Heidelbaum Recurring role, 10 episodes

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 2005 After the Night and the Music Joanne/Gail Biltmore Theatre, Broadway 2012 Other Desert Cities Silda Mark Taper Forum

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryProductionResult 1972 National Society of Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actress The Heartbreak Kid New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Academy Award Best Supporting Actress 2011 Village Voice Film Poll Best Supporting Actress Margaret Boston Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress Indiewire Award Best Supporting Performance 2023 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture The Fabelmans

References

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