Camryn Manheim is an Emmy Award-winning American movie and television actress born on March 8, 1961 in Caldwell, New Jersey. Her interest in acting was spurred on after she participated in a Renaissance fair during high school. She graduated from the University of California with a BFA degree, and then later went on to earn a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from New York University. Before she pursued her acting career, she worked as a sign language interpreter for hospitals. This knowledge of hers was utilized during her work as an actress as well.
Raised in Peoria, Illinois, Camryn Manheim studied acting at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in Chelsea. She has an impressive list of acting credentials, which began to flourish when she was cast in 1990’s The Bonfire of the Vanities. This was followed by her fame in several episodes of Law & Order, New York Undercover, One Life to Live, Chicago Hope, and Touched by an Angel. In 1997, she rose to prominence for portraying the character Ellenor Frutt on The Practice. The next year, she received her Emmy Award due to her work on the show. Since then, she has appeared on many more television productions. She has voiced characters in Family Guy and Dilbert, as well as in the films The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses and The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers. Manheim later on booked guest spots on series like Strong Medicine, Two and a Half Men, The L Word, How I Met Your Mother, Hannah Montana, and Will & Grace. She later joined the cast of the CBS series, Ghost Whisperer, as Delia Banks.
Some of Manheim’s film credits include Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Laramie Project, Scary Movie 3, Dark Water, and An Unfinished Life. She also shared an NBR award for Best Ensemble with her co-stars in the movie Happiness. Other than her passion for acting, Manheim is an avid supporter of charities. She is also a human rights activist who regularly campaigns for women’s rights, fat acceptance and gay rights.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)