Joanna Gleason (born Joanne Hall; June 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American actress and singer, known for her performances in theatrical musicals and plays, and on film and television.
Her notable film appearances include supporting roles in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997).
[6] Five years later she debuted on Broadway, originating the role of Monica in Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's I Love My Wife (1977),[7] for which she was honored with a Theatre World Award.
She won the Drama Desk Award in the same category the following year for her performances off-Broadway as Virginia in Terrence McNally's It's Only a Play and Trudy in Andrew Bergman's Social Security.
[6] Gleason had her greatest success as the original Baker's Wife in Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, firstly at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego in 1986, before transferring to Broadway the following year.
The following year she played Titsiana in Douglas Carter Beane's The Cartells, a staged soap opera in which the New York Times deemed her "hilarious.
[16] In 1979, Gleason was cast as supporting character Morgan in the television sitcom Hello, Larry starring McLean Stevenson; the series ran for two seasons but was poorly received.
Gleason's numerous guest starring television credits include episodes of The West Wing, The Practice, King of the Hill, Friends, Password Plus, Tracey Takes On..., Murphy Brown, ER, The Outer Limits, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods and The Newsroom.
The two met while performing in Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical Nick & Nora, returned to the stage together in Thorn and Bloom (1998),[22] and collaborated on several films, such as Road Ends, Edie & Pen, Let the Devil Wear Black, and American Perfekt.