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» Intimate Portrait |
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Sharon Gless
Actress Sharon Gless rejected her family's high-society ways to pursue her dream of acting. Her rebellious nature and bold behavior have also informed the way she has chosen her roles, which have ranged from an ambitious, independent police officer...
In Her Words
"The bigger I got, the more angry and upset my grandmother would get. And then the more scared I'd get, and...the more I'd hide and eat."
Five Things You Must Know
1. She received six Emmy nominations for "Cagney & Lacey"; she won twice.
2. She stars as a doting mother on the buzz-worthy series "Queer as Folk."
3. She married "Cagney & Lacey" executive producer Barney Rosenzweig in 1991.
4. Gless has recorded several radio plays and books on tape.
5. She is stepmother to three young women.
Birthday: May 31, 1943
Birthplace: Hancock Park, California
Occupation: Actress
Sign: Gemini
Breakthrough role: Chris Cagney in "Cagney & Lacey"
Awards: Golden Globe and Emmy Award Winner
Rebel at Heart
Actress Sharon Gless rejected her family's high-society ways to pursue her dream of acting. Her rebellious nature and bold behavior have also informed the way she has chosen her roles, which have ranged from an ambitious, independent police officer to the supportive mother of a gay man.
Gless was groomed by her wealthy, conservative family to be a debutante and society wife, but the headstrong girl had other plans. After graduating from a strict Catholic boarding school � where she ballooned to 175 pounds, thanks to her love of chocolate � Gless went on a crash diet of her grandmother's design and came out into society. But Gless's independent streak soon got the best of her, and she opted first for college, then a run-of-the-mill job. At the age of 26, she gave her family a real shock when she announced that she wanted to become an actress.
Encouraged by Monique James, the film executive who would go on to become her longtime mentor and manager, Gless began acting in movies and TV projects. Her first steady gig, which lasted from 1975 to 1978, was as the kooky secretary on "Switch," a private-detective show starring Robert Wagner. But Gless's big breakthrough came in 1982, when she was cast alongside Tyne Daly in the groundbreaking women cop show "Cagney & Lacey." Gless's portrayal of a single, driven, impetuous woman won her accolades as well as an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1986. "Cagney & Lacey" was a boon for Gless's career but a mixed bag in terms of her personal life. She fell in love with the show's executive producer Barney Rosenzweig, who was married. But Rosenzweig eventually divorced his wife, and he and Gless tied the knot on March 4, 1991. Gless then wowed audiences with her portrayal of a woman battling alcoholism, but she was also battling the disease in real life, when work pressures got the better of her. She eventually entered rehab and sobered up.
After "Cagney & Lacey" was canceled in 1988, Gless stepped into her second starring role on a TV series, portraying a divorced Beverly Hills attorney in "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill." The charming series lasted two years and featured guest appearances by Robert Wagner, Tyne Daly and Gless's own niece, Bridget. It also earned Gless two more best actress nominations. After reuniting for four "Cagney & Lacey" TV movies, Gless and co-star Tyne Daly were enshrined in pop culture when each actress received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995. After three decades in show business, Gless left la-la land, moving to a Miami suburb with her retired husband. However, she continues to work, both on the London stage and on the cable TV show "Queer as Folk," and she still impresses audiences with her raw, believable portrayals of complex women.
"Intimate Portait: Sharon Gless" features interviews with actors Tyne Daly, Ed Asner, Robert Wagner and Michele Lee, as well as Gless's brothers, niece and husband, producer Barney Rosenzweig.
Source: lifetime.com
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