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01 Apr 2006 04:48 AM

Bernadette Peters: One Big Little Voice

by Marjorie Dorfman | More from this Blogger

Bernadette Lazzara was born on February 28, 1948, in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Her mother started her in show business at the age of three and a half with an appearance on the television show, "Juvenile Jury." A bit later she also appeared on "Name That Tune" and "The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour." She took tap dancing lessons as a child and got her equity card at the tender age of nine. One of three children born to an Italian family, she changed her last name to Peters (after her father's first name), to avoid being typecast in stereotypical Italian roles.

In her teen years, she appeared on Broadway in "Most Happy Fella" (1959) in the touring company of "Gypsy", "The Penny Friend" (1966) and "The Girl In The Freudian Slip" (1967). Critics first began to take note of her after her performance in "Dames At Sea" which was an Off-Broadway spoof of the 1930s musical. Probably her most famous film, at least to date, is "The Jerk" (1979) in which she costarred with Steve Martin, whom she briefly dated. In theater, her most acclaimed performance (again, so far) is probably associated with the music of Steven Sondheim, appearing in "Sunday in The Park With George" and "Into the Woods."

She has won a Tony Award for "Best Lead Actress In A Musical" twice, once in 1985 for "Song And Dance" and then again in 1999 for a revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." In an otherwise negative review of "Song And Dance," critic Frank Rich said of her performance that, "she has no peer in the musical theater right now."

Bernadette Peters was happily married for nine years to investment advisor, Michael Wittenberg, who was killed at the age of 43 in September 2005, in a helicopter crash. Their marriage took place at the country estate of Mary Tyler Moore, a long time friend of Peters. She is also friends with Carol Burnett and made guest appearances on all of Burnett's series.

The future can hold only good things and much happiness for this truly gifted star of stage and screen.

Learn more about Marjorie Dorfman

Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York.

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