Biography
Who is Tovah Feldshuh?
Early life and education
Tovah Feldshuh was born in New York City and raised in Scarsdale, New York, in Westchester County. She is the daughter of Lillian and Sidney Feldshuh, and she has a brother named David Feldshuh. Growing up, she attended Scarsdale High School and spent her high school summers as a student at the National Music Camp, which was later named the Interlochen Arts Camp, participating in their drama class.
Following her secondary education, she attended Sarah Lawrence College and graduated. She also pursued professional actor training at HB Studio in New York City. Her early theatrical training led her to work under theater director Michael Langham at the Guthrie Theater, where she earned the McKnight Fellowship in Acting.
Stage and Broadway career
Tovah Feldshuh began her professional career in theater using the stage name Terri Fairchild before adopting her Hebrew name, Tovah. She made her Broadway debut in the 1973 musical Cyrano. Over the following decades, she established herself as a major presence on the New York stage, starring in productions such as Yentl, Saravá, Lend Me a Tenor, and Golda's Balcony. Her performance in Golda's Balcony set a record as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history.
In addition to her Broadway work, she toured extensively with one-woman shows like Tovah: Out of Her Mind! And performed her cabaret act at the Algonquin Hotel Oak Room. She later returned to Broadway in plays such as Irena's Vow and took on roles in revivals of musical theater classics including Gypsy and Funny Girl.
Film and television work
Tovah Feldshuh expanded her career into television and film, achieving international recognition for her performance as Helena Slomova in the 1978 television miniseries Holocaust. Between 1991 and 2007, she played the recurring role of defense attorney Danielle Melnick on the NBC series Law and Order, a character she later reprised on the spin-off series Chicago Justice.
Her feature film credits include roles in A Walk on the Moon, Kissing Jessica Stein, Lady in the Water, and She's Funny That Way. In 2015, she joined the cast of the AMC television series The Walking Dead, portraying the character Deanna Monroe. She also appeared in the musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as Naomi Bunch.
Personal life
Tovah Feldshuh married New York attorney Andrew Harris Levy in 1977, and actress Ruth Gordon served as her maid of honor. The couple shares a son and a daughter, and they live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her family also includes creative relatives, such as her brother David Feldshuh, who is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright, and her nephew Noah Feldshuh.
Outside of her performing career, she has been active in charitable work, receiving honors such as the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath, and the Israel Peace Medal. In 2015, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with her son, inspired by her mother's passing and her own athletic training for a theatrical role.
Birthday and age
Tovah Feldshuh was born on December 27, 1952, which makes Tovah 73 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Tovah shares the date with 51 other famous people.
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