Holland Taylor

Holland Taylor began her career in theater, appearing in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Her stage credits include starring roles in Butley and The Cocktail Hour, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for the latter. In 1983, she appeared in Breakfast with Les and Bess.

Taylor gained recognition on television with roles on the soap opera The Edge of Night and the sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980–1982). She went on to star in the ABC series Me and Mom (1985), Harry (1987), Going Places (1990), The Powers That Be (1992–1993), Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1994), and The Naked Truth (1995–1998).

From 1998 to 2003, Taylor portrayed Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1999 and receiving another nomination in 2000. She also earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her recurring role in The Lot. She received four Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying Evelyn Harper on Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), and another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Hollywood (2020). Additional television credits include ER, Veronica's Closet, Ally McBeal, Monk, The L Word, and American Dad!.

Taylor's film credits include Romancing the Stone (1984), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), One Fine Day (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), The Truman Show (1998), Next Stop Wonderland (1998), Happy Accidents (2000), Legally Blonde (2001), D.E.B.S. (2004), The Wedding Date (2005), Baby Mama (2008), and Cop and a Half (1993). She also voiced Prudence in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007).

In 2009, Taylor began writing and producing a one-woman play about former Texas Governor Ann Richards. The play, originally titled Money, Marbles, and Chalk, was workshopped in 2010 before being retitled Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards. It premiered in Chicago in 2011, played at the Kennedy Center (2011–2012), and opened on Broadway in 2013. Taylor received a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance. A filmed version of the production, titled Ann, premiered on PBS Great Performances in 2020.