Christine Baranski discusses working in film and television during a pandemic and shares her most memorable Tony Awards moments.
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Baranski became a major player on the television landscape with her role as Maryanne Thorpe on the 1990's sitcom CYBILL. Maryanne was the hard-drinking best friend of Cybill Shepherd's character. For the role, Christine was nominated for four Emmys, including a win in 1995 for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. The year after CYBILL ended its run on TV, Christine was nominated for another Emmy for guest-starring on FRASIER as Dr. Nora Fairchild. Ten years later, in 2009, she was nominated for the same award for playing Beverly Hofstadter on THE BIG BANG THEORY. She was again nominated for the role the following year, which overlapped the beginning of her current six-year run of nominations for Supporting Actress in a Drama for playing Diane Lockhart on THE GOOD WIFE. Baranski has gone on to reprise her role as Diane Lockhart in the CBS ALL ACCESS series THE GOOD FIGHT.
Despite her exceptional television career, Christine has been a regular on the New York stage for the past three decades. After making her Broadway debut in 1980's short-lived HIDE AND SEEK, Christine won her first Tony Award as part of the star-studded cast of Tom Stoppard's THE REAL THING. Directed by the legendary Mike Nichols, the cast included Cynthia Nixon, Peter Gallagher, Jeremy Irons, and Glenn Close. Stoppard, Nichols, Irons, Close, and Baranski all took home Tonys for the show. After replacing in the original productions of HURLYBURLY and THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Christine earned her second Tony as a member of the original cast of Neil Simon's RUMORS. After being a part of legendary flop NICK & NORA in 1991, it was over 16 years before Christine returned to the Broadway stage. In 2008 she starred in the Tony-winning revival of BOEING-BOEING. Additionally, Christine won Drama Desk Awards for THE REAL THING and LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART. She has also been a regular Off-Broadway, in concert performances, and in Washington D.C.
Despite staying busy on stage and TV, Christine has appeared in over 40 films, including adaptations of some beloved plays and musicals. Christine appeared alongside Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in THE BIRDCAGE, as Mary Sunshine in the Academy Award-winning CHICAGO, and alongside Meryl Streep in the adaptation of MAMMA MIA. Christine again joined Streep in a movie-musical when she appeared as Cinderella's Stepmother in the film version of INTO THE WOODS and in the sequel MAMA MIA HERE I GO AGAIN.
