Short Biography

Kathleen Chalfant (born January 14, 1945) is a Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award-winning American actress. Chalfant was born Kathleen Ann Bishop in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Norah and William Bishop, who owned a boarding house and was an officer in the Coast Guard. Chalfant studied acting with Wynn Handman, who was a protégé of Sanford Meisner and with Alessandro Fersen in Rome, Italy. Chalfant was nominated for Broadway`s 1993 Tony Award as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for her role in Tony Kushner`s "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches". Chalfant received acclaim for her performance as Vivian Bearing in Margaret Edson`s play Wit. During her work with Wit, she incorporated her experiences dealing with the concurrent terminal cancer of her brother Alan Palmer. In addition, she shaved her head for the role. Her awards for her performance include the Outer Critics, Drama Desk, Obie and Lucille Lortel awards. For her 2003 performance in Alan Bennett`s Talking Heads, Chalfant won a second Obie award. In 1966, Chalfant married Henry Chalfant, a photographer and documentary filmmaker. They have a son, David Chalfant, who was the bass player for the folk-rock band The Nields, and a daughter, Andromache, who is a set designer in New York.

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