Swoosie Kurtz Biography

Fast Facts

• Father won an Olympic bronze medal for diving in 1932
• Named after "The Swoose," a plane that her father, a decorated Air Force Colonel, piloted during WWII
• Developed an interest in acting in high school after delivering a monologue performed by Bette Davis in the movie Dark Victory
• Television acting debut was playing Ellie Bradley on As the World Turns in 1971
• Awarded Broadway's "Triple Crown" (the Tony, Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle Award) for her role as Gwen in Lanford Wilson's The Fifth of July in 1981
• Appeared in both Dangerous Liaisons in 1988 and the remake Cruel Intentions in 1999
• Played the eye-patched, agoraphobic, ex-synchronized swimmer Lily Charles on the whimsical and critically acclaimed but short-lived Pushing Daisies