Carol Kane

Carolyn Laurie Kane was born on June 18, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Elaine Joy (née Fetterman), a jazz singer and pianist, and Michael Myron Kane, an architect. Her family has Jewish heritage with roots in Russia, Poland, and Austria. Due to her parents’ divorce, she spent a portion of her childhood in boarding schools until 1965. Kane attended Professional Children’s School in New York and made her professional theater debut at the age of 14 in a 1966 production of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” alongside Tammy Grimes, which marked her first role as a member of Actors’ Equity.

Kane’s on-screen career began in 1971 with minor roles in films such as “Desperate Characters” and “Carnal Knowledge.” At 20, she secured her first leading role in the 1972 Canadian film “Wedding in White,” where she played Jeannie Dougall. Her performance in the 1975 independent film “Hester Street” earned her a surprise Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. This period also saw her appear in Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon.”

From 1980 to 1983, Kane gained significant recognition for her portrayal of Simka Dahblitz-Gravas on the television series “Taxi,” which earned her two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe nomination. She continued to build a career in both comedic and dramatic roles, appearing in notable films like “The Princess Bride” (1987) as Valerie, “Scrooged” (1988) as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and more recently, the Netflix series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (2015-2020) as Lillian Kaushtupper. Kane also expanded her stage career, playing Madame Morrible in the musical “Wicked” from 2005 to 2014, and currently holds a recurring role as Pelia in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2023–present).