Judith Light is an Emmy Award-winning performer who was born on February 9, 1949 in Trenton, New Jersey. A daughter of Jewish heritage, she has acted in numerous television productions. Among these are
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Twenty Good Years, and
One Life to Live. Aside from her acting, she is also a gay rights and AIDS activist, having helped her former Who’s the Boss? co-star Danny Pintauro to come out and deal with his sexuality in a positive manner. Additionally, Light has contributed to charity work, as well as having participated in a 1993 protest march on Washington.
Claire Meade is portrayed by Judith Light in the ABC network’s comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. She is the wife of Bradford, as well as the mother of both Alexis and Daniel. Claire mentions at one point that she has been married to Bradford for nearly 40 years. She is initially introduced as a recovering alcoholic who is staying at a rehabilitation clinic. Claire explains to Daniel that the main reason for her drinking was Bradford’s unfaithfulness, since he had an affair with Fey Sommers. After Fey passed away, Claire entered rehab for her condition. Later on she gets out, and tries to rebuild her relationship her Bradford.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)