Constance Ann Shulman[1](born April 4, 1958[2]) is an American actress. In 1987, Shulman originated the role of Annelle in the first production ofSteel Magnoliasoff Broadway.She later appeared in filmsFletch Lives(1989),Men Don't Leave(1990), andFried Green Tomatoes(1991). She voiced Patti Mayonnaise in the animated sitcomDoug(1991–99) and the 1999 filmDoug's 1st Movie.She played Yoga Jones in the Netflix comedy-drama series,Orange Is the New Blackfrom 2013 to 2017, for which she received threeScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Constance Shulman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Constance Ann Shulman April 4, 1958 |
| Alma mater | University of Tennessee |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingGus Birney |
Life and career
editA native ofJohnson City, Tennessee,[3]Shulman is one of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lipner Shulman,[4]a Jewish-American couple who had recently relocated fromFall River, Massachusetts.[3]She is also the granddaughter of JudgeSadie Lipner Shulman.[5][1]In 1980, she graduated from theUniversity of Tennesseewith a bachelor's degree in both speech and theater.[6]She moved to New York City to study acting at theCircle in the Square Theatre Schooland pursue an acting career.[7]In 1987, Shulman originated the role of Annelle in the first production ofSteel Magnoliason Off-Broadway.[8]In 1989, she made her screen debut in the comedy filmFletch Lives,playing Cindy Mae. She later had supporting parts in filmsLost Angels(1989),Men Don't Leave(1990), andFried Green Tomatoes(1991).
On television, Shulman worked as a voice actress, playing Patti Mayonnaise onDougfrom 1991 to 1999.[9]In the early 1990s, Shulman appeared in a series ofKraft mayonnaisecommercials.[10]She was also a regular cast member in the short-lived 1996ABCsitcom,The Faculty,playing the best friend ofMeredith Baxter's character,[11]and theDolly Partonunaired CBS sitcomHeavens to Betsy(1994).[12]In the late 1990s Shulman left the screen to raise her two children.[7]
In 2013, Shulman was cast in a recurring role as "Yoga Jones" in theNetflixcomedy-drama series,Orange Is the New Black.Along with the rest of the cast, she received aScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Seriesin 2015, 2016 and 2017.[13]She left the series after five seasons in 2017 and appeared in the series finale in 2019. She later appeared in filmsNasty Baby(2015) andMost Likely to Murder(2018) and guest-starred onLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,Broad City,andThe Blacklist.
In 2015, Shulman starred in off-Broadway production ofBarbecuereceivingBarbecuenomination.[14]In 2018, Shulman received positive reviews andDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Playnomination for her performance in the playBobbie Clearly.[15][16][17]In 2019 she performed in the Broadway revival ofThe Rose Tattoo.[18]In 2021, Shulman starred in the independent filmsGiving Birth to a Butterflyplaying a former actress likeNorma Desmond,[19]andStrawberry Mansion.Both films have received positive reviews from critics.[20][21]In 2022, she had a recurring role in the HBO Max comedy series,Search Partyand later was cast as a series regular in the Showtime comedyThe Curse.[22]In 2023 she starred in theManhattan Theatre Clubproduction ofThe Best We Could.[23]
Personal life
editShe is married to fellow actorReed Birney,and their daughterGus Birneyis an actress.[24]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Fletch Lives | Cindy Mae | |
| 1989 | Lost Angels | Beautician | |
| 1990 | Men Don't Leave | Carly | |
| 1990 | Reversal of Fortune | Pharmacist | Uncredited |
| 1991 | He Said, She Said | Make-Up Girl | |
| 1991 | McBain | Dr. Blazier | |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoes | Missy | |
| 1993 | Weekend at Bernie's II | Tour Operator | |
| 1999 | Doug's 1st Movie | Patti Mayonnaise | Voice role |
| 1999 | Sweet and Lowdown | Hazel | |
| 2008 | A Jersey Christmas | Connie | |
| 2009 | Finding Jean Lewis | Connie Lewis | Short film |
| 2015 | Nasty Baby | Bishop's Girlfriend | |
| 2016 | Better Off Single | Unemployment Worker | |
| 2017 | Sylvio | Tina | |
| 2017 | The Broken Ones | Rowland | |
| 2018 | Mama Jane | Jane | Short film |
| 2018 | Most Likely to Murder | Lowell's Mom | |
| 2020 | Central Standard | Poppy | |
| 2020 | Smithtown | Cindy Cohen | |
| 2021 | Giving Birth to a Butterfly | Monica | |
| 2021 | Strawberry Mansion | Martha | |
| 2022 | Funny Pages | Mrs. Ochs | |
| 2024 | Darla in Space | Leona Peterson | |
| TBA | Caravan | Margaux |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Bonnie Sayles | Episodes: "Here's Why You Should Lock Your Bathroom Door" and "Here's a Little Night Music" |
| 1991 | Lethal Innocence | Nell Willis | Television film |
| 1991–1992 | Loving | Maggie | Recurring role |
| 1991–1999 | Doug | Patti Mayonnaise | Voice role Main role, 52 episodes |
| 1994 | Heavens to Betsy | Donna | 6 episodes |
| 1996 | The Faculty | Shelly Ray | 13 episodes |
| 2013–2017; 2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Yoga Jones | Recurring role, 48 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series(2015–17) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Daycare Manager | Episode: "Wednesday's Child" |
| 2017 | Broad City | Oda | Episode: "Sliding Doors" |
| 2017 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Milly Sparkles | Voice role, 1 episode |
| 2018 | The Blacklist | Fiona | Episode: "Ilyas Surkov (No. 54)" |
| 2019 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Dr. Sphinxson | Episode: "Radical Rescue" |
| 2022 | Search Party | Helen | 3 episodes |
| 2023– | The Curse | Elizabeth | Recurring role |
References
edit- ^ab"Miss Shulman, Mr. Taylor".The Daily News Journal.June 15, 1975. p. 22. Retrieved August 30, 2023. See also:
- ^"Today in History: Today's Birthdays".Republican & Herald.April 4, 2022.ProQuest2646788499.
Writer-producer David E. Kelley is 66. Actor Constance Shulman is 64. Actor Phil Morris is 63.
.See also:- "Celebrity Birthdays".Montgomery Advertiser.April 4, 2016. p. 2A.ProQuest2058693189.
Writer-producer David E. Kelley ( "Ally McBeal," "The Practice" ) is 60. Actor Constance Shulman ( "Orange Is the New Black" ) is 58. Actor Hugo Weaving is 56.
- "Celebrity Birthdays".Montgomery Advertiser.April 4, 2016. p. 2A.ProQuest2058693189.
- ^abRizzo, Frank (March 12, 1993). "Southern actress helps change image of 'belle' as fragile blossom to STEELmagnolia;Actress Shulman's career blossoms as image of Southern belle withers.Hartford Courant.pp. B1,B8.Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^King, Andrea Shea (July 7, 2001)."Out & About: Patriotic spirit soars at benefit".Florida Today.p.. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^"Deaths: Shulman".The Boston Globe.December 25, 1998. p. B8. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^McRary, Amy (March 29, 2017)."'Orange is New Black' actress says new season 'off the wall'".Knoxville News Sentinel.RetrievedSeptember 29,2017.
- ^abBrillantes, Mariam (December 12, 2013)."'Orange Is the New Black' Star Constance Shulman Says New Season Looks Golden ".Wall Street Journal.RetrievedMay 21,2015.
- ^Gussow, Mel (March 27, 1987)."Stage - 'Steel Magnolias,' A Louisiana Story".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 27,2017.
- ^"'Orange Is The New Black' Star Constance Shulman Voiced Patti Mayonnaise On 'Doug' (PHOTO) ".The Huffington Post.July 24, 2013.RetrievedMay 21,2015.
- ^Rizzo, Frank."Actress Shulman's Career Blossoms As Image Of Southern Belle Withers".Hartford Courant.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2018.RetrievedJune 30,2017.
- ^Fallon, Kevin (July 29, 2013)."Patti Mayonnaise From 'Doug' Is on 'Orange Is the New Black'".The Daily Beast.RetrievedJune 12,2015.
- ^Terrace, Vincent (October 12, 2018).Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945-2018.McFarland.ISBN9781476672069– via Google Books.
- ^McCue, Michelle (January 25, 2015)."BIRDMAN, DOWNTON ABBEY Big Winners At 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards".We Are Movie Geeks.RetrievedJune 12,2015.
- ^"Barbecue".iobdb.
- ^"Bobbie Clearly".The New Yorker.
- ^"Constance Shulman – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".ibdb.
- ^Green, Jesse (April 4, 2018)."Review: In 'Bobbie Clearly,' It's Crime, Punishment and Then What?"– via NYTimes.
- ^"The Rose Tattoo – Broadway Play – 2019 Revival | IBDB".
- ^Loayza, Beatrice (May 16, 2023)."'Giving Birth to a Butterfly' Review: Melancholy and Menace "– via NYTimes.
- ^"Giving Birth to a Butterfly - Rotten Tomatoes".rottentomatoes.May 1, 2023.
- ^"Strawberry Mansion - Rotten Tomatoes".rottentomatoes.February 18, 2022.
- ^Otterson, Joe (July 7, 2022)."Showtime Comedy Series 'The Curse' Casts Corbin Bernsen, Barkhad Abdi, Constance Shulman (EXCLUSIVE)".
- ^Kumar, Naveen (March 6, 2023)."Review: In 'The Best We Could,' the Players Follow Directions"– via NYTimes.
- ^Berman, Nat (June 26, 2017)."Five Things You Didn't Know About Gus Birney".TVOvermind.RetrievedJune 30,2017.