Betsy Aidem
Betsy Aidem (born October 28, 1957) is an American actress who plays for film, television and stage. Her film work includes The Bleeding House, See You in the Morning, A Vigilante and Aeris. Her television work includes The High Life, The Americans, appearing in episodes, "Safe House" and "Covert War". Her stage work includes Steel Magnolias and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.
Betsy Aidem | |
|---|---|
Aidem in 2010 | |
| Born | October 28, 1957 East Meadow, Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Background
An Obie Award winner,[1] she first became interested in acting while she was in high school. Her debut was as a fairy in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[2] She is also a stage play director and her first professional production was in 2018, A Doll's House, Part 2., which was a stage production of the Lucas Hnath comedy.[3] She was the first wife of William Fichtner and had a child with him.[4]
Stage work
Midway through 2009, Aidem was in Nicki Bloom's Tender, a story about an act of violence that destroys a family. The play, directed by Daniela Topol, also starred Kerry Bishe, Michael Cullen, and Matt Dellapina.[5] In October 2018, she appeared as the loony and flamboyant Professor Carroway in Love Course which was about two eccentric neurotics, Carroway and Professor Burgess, teaching a course in romantic literature and two students who attend the course end up teaching it.[6][7]
Film work
1980s to 1990s
Her earliest film work was in the 1982 film A Little Sex, where she played a passer-by.[8] In 1985, she appeared in the television film Kojak: The Belarus File as Elissa Barak.[9]
2000s
She appeared in Sarah Daggar-Nickson's 2018 film A Vigilante which starred Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector and Kyle Catlett.[10] Also that year she was in Aeris, a film about a couple adopting a sick kitten.[11]
Television shows
Her work on television shows includes reoccurring roles on The High Life as Irene,[12][13] and as Dr. Sloane on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[14][15]
Stage appearances
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balm in Gilead | Kay | 1984 | Off-Broadway | |
| Crossing the Bar | Performer | 1985 | Off-Broadway | |
| A Lie of the Mind | Sally | 1985 | Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway | |
| Steel Magnolias | Shelby | 1987 | Off-Broadway | |
| Road | Carol | 1987 | Off-Broadway | |
| The Night Hank Williams Died | Nellie Bess Powers Clark | 1989 | Off-Broadway | |
| Five Women Wearing the Same Dress | Georgeanne | 1993 | Off-Broadway | |
| Teible and Her Demon | Teible | 1994 | Off-Broadway | |
| The Butterfly Collection | Performer | 2000 | Off-Broadway | |
| Good Thing | Nancy Roy | 2001 | Off-Broadway | |
| Sea of Tranquility | Phyllis | 2004 | Off-Broadway | |
| Celebration and The Room | Julie | 2005 | Off-Broadway | |
| Mary Rose | Mrs. Moreland | 2007 | Off-Broadway | |
| Crooked | Elise | 2008 | Off-Broadway | |
| Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling | Performer | 2011 | Atlantic Theater Company Production Off-Broadway | |
| All the Way | Lady Bird Johnson | 2014 | Original Broadway Production Broadway[16] | |
| Mama's Boy | Marguerite Oswald | Brian P. Allen | 2015 | World Premier Production Regional[17] |
Partial filmography
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Little Sex | Passerby | Bruce Paltrow | 1982 | |
| Kojak: The Belarus File | Elissa Barak | Robert Markowitz | 1985 | |
| See You in the Morning | Larry's Sister-in-Law | Alan J. Pakula | 1989 | |
| Fool's Fire | Lady Angela | Julie Taymor | 1992 | |
| Nine Months | Gail's Nurse | Chris Columbus | 1995 | |
| Music of the Heart | Mrs Lamb | Wes Craven | 1999 | |
| You Can Count on Me | Minister | Kenneth Lonergan | 2000 | |
| Maze | Lydia | Rob Morrow | 2000 | |
| Far from Heaven | Pool Mother | Todd Haynes | 2002 | |
| People I Know | Talia Greene | Dan Algrant | 2002 | |
| Winter Passing | Nurse | Adam Rapp | 2005 | |
| Confess | Julie Bradford | Stefan Schaefer | 2005 | |
| The Attic | Ms. Kettering | Mary Lambert | 2007 | |
| Motherhood | Jordan's Mom | Katherine Dieckmann | 2009 | |
| The Bleeding | Marilyn | Philip Gelatt | 2011 | |
| Mr. Popper's Penguins | Tavern Hostess | Mark Waters | 2011 | |
| The Oranges | Anne Allen | Julian Farino | 2011 | |
| Margaret | Abigail | Kenneth Lonergan | 2011 | |
| The Greatest Showman | Mrs. Carlyle | Michael Gracey | 2017 | |
| A Vigilante | Andrea Shaund | Sarah Daggar-Nickson | 2018 |
References
- ^ Playbill, September 12, 2018 - Off-Broadway News, Final Follies, a Trio of One-Act Plays by A.R. Gurney, Begins Off-Broadway By Olivia Clement 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Broadway World, Oct. 10, 2016 - BWW Interview: Betsy Aidem and MAMA'S BOY at George Street Playhouse 10/18 to 11/6 by Marina Kennedy 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New Jersey Stage, 11/19/2018 - A Look At Betsy Aidem, Director of "A Doll's House, Part 2" at George Street Playhouse By Charles Paolino 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Globe and Mail, February 25, 2011 - There's more to William Fichtner than crazy roles Johanna Schneller 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ TheaterMainia, June 23, 2009 - THEATER NEWS, Ari Graynor, Doug Kreeger, Peter Scanavino, Ally Sheedy, et al. Set for 2009 Summer Play Festival - Brian Scott Lipton 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The New York Observer, 10/04/18 - REVIEW, A.R. Gurney Listened to Critics, Wrote This Triptych of Stupidity By Rex Reed 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ New York Theatre Guide, October 8, 2018 - Review of Primary Stages' Final Follies at Cherry Lane Theatre - Review By: David Walters 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Betsy Aidem, Filmography, Movies 2019-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Unsold Television Pilots: 1955-1989, By Lee Goldberg - 2046. The Return of Kojak (aka Kojak: The Belarus File) 2022-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter, 3/11/2018 - 'A Vigilante': Film Review | SXSW 2018 by John DeFore 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes - Aeris (2018) 2020-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Variety Magazine, November 4, 1996 - The High Life By Jeremy Gerard 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s: A Complete Guide, By Bob Leszczak - Page 84 Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s 2022-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ TV.com - Betsy Aidem, Credits, Guest Star 2019-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Who Was Who on TV, Volume 2, By Norman Chance - Page 282 2022-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Broadway World - Betsy Aidem Broadway and Theatre Credits, Stage Performances 2019-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Boyle, April (Nov 3, 2015). "Theater Review: 'Mama's Boy' an intriguing play about Oswald family". Portland Press Herald. from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved Dec 27, 2020.
External links
- Betsy Aidem at IMDb