Award-winning actress and singer Bebe Neuwirth was born on December 31, 1958 in Princeton, New Jersey. She began to study dance when she was just five years old, and when she entered the Juilliard School in New York City, she chose dance as her area of concentration. During her tenure in the school, from 1976 to 1977, she performed with the Princeton Ballet Company, and also appeared in community theater productions.
Neuwirth began her professional career on Broadway, beginning with her debut in a production of the musical A Chorus Line in 1980. She later became known for her performances, eventually earning her first Tony award in 1986 for her work in the musical Sweet Charity. She received further acclaim in the 1996 revival of the musical Chicago, where her portrayal of killer Velma Kelly earned her a Drama Desk Award and a Tony. In 2004, she mounted her own show, Here Lies Jenny, where she sang and danced with the assistance of a four-person cast.
Neuwirth also had a notable career for the screen. She is perhaps most known for playing the character of Lilith Sternin, the rigidly intellectual and emotionally repressed psychologist. The character debuted in 1986, on an episode of Cheers, where fellow psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) falls head over heels for her. She eventually became a recurring character until the series’ end in 1993, during which the two married, had a child, and separated. She reprised the character on Cheers’ successful spin-off series Frasier, and over twelve episodes in eleven years, the two’s relationship grew to become warm and close despite their separation. Neuwirth won two Emmys, in 1990 and 1991, for her work on Cheers; she was nominated for a third in 1995, for her work in Frasier.
Apart form the aforementioned, she appeared in three short-lived drama programs: Deadline, Hack and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She also starred in several films, including Jumanji, Liberty Heights, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Tadpole, which earned her accolades from the Seattle Film Critics. She continued to land roles on television, and was seen in the HBO series Bored to Death, in addition to The Cleveland Show in 2010.
2010: The Cleveland Show (TV series) - Sarah Friedman
2010: Late Show with David Letterman (TV series) - Morticia Addams
2009: Bored to Death (TV series) - Caroline Taylor
2009: Fame - Ms. Kraft
2008: Adopt a Sailor - Patricia
2005-2006: Law & Order: Trial by Jury (TV series) - A.D.A. Tracey Kibre
1999-2005: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV series) - A.D.A. Tracey Kibre/Nina Laszlo
2005: Game 6 - Joanna Bourne
2004: The Big Bounce - Alison Ritchie
1994-2003: Frasier (TV series) - Dr. Lilith Sternin
2003: Le divorce - Julia Manchevering
2002-2003: Cyberchase (TV series) - Binky the Cat
2003: Hack (TV series) - Faith O'Connor
2003: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - Lana Jong
2002: The Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina (video) - Thumbelina's mother (voice)
2002: Tadpole - Diane Lodder
2001: Sounds from a Town I Love (TV short) - Last Woman on Cell-Phone
2000-2001: Deadline (TV series) - Nikki Masucci
2000: Cupid & Cate (TV movie) - Francesca
2000: An Extremely Goofy Movie (video) - Sylvia Marpole: the Head College Librarian (voice)
1999: Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series) - Juliette
1999: Liberty Heights - Ada Kurtzman
1999: Dash and Lilly (TV movie) - Dorothy Parker
1999: Summer of Sam - Gloria
1999: Getting to Know You - Trix
1998: An All Dogs Christmas Carol (video) - Anabelle (voice)/Belladonna (voice)
1998: The Faculty - Principal Valerie Drake
1996-1998: All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (TV series) - Anabelle/Belladonna/Annabel/…
1998: Celebrity - Nina - the Hooker
1997: Jungle Cubs (TV series) - La La
1997: The Magic School Bus (TV series) - Flora Whiff
1996: The Associate - Camille Scott
1996: The Adventures of Pinocchio - Felinet
1996: All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 - Anabelle, the Dog Goddess (voice)
1996: Freakazoid! (TV series) - Deadpan
1996: Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (TV series) - Tamara La Boinque
1996: Dear Diary (short)
1995: Jumanji - Nora Shepherd
1995: NewsRadio (TV series) - Sandi Angelini
1994-1995: Aladdin (TV series) - Mirage
1994: The Adventures of Pete & Pete (TV series) - The Mailcarrier
1994: The Paint Job - Margaret
1993: Malice - Det. Dana Harris
1993: Wild Palms (TV mini-series) - Tabba Schwartzkopf
1986-1993: Cheers (TV series) - Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane/Dr. Lilith Sternin
1992: Wings (TV series) - Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane
1991: Bugsy - Countess di Frasso
1991: Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV series) - Lanel
1990: Green Card - Lauren
1990: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV series) - Dr. Lilith Sternin
1990: Unspeakable Acts (TV movie) - Susan Maxwell
1990: Without Her Consent (TV movie) - Gloria Allred
1990: The Famous Teddy Z (TV series)
1989: Say Anything... - Mrs. Evans
1986: Fame (TV series) - Phyllis Turner
1986: Simon & Simon (TV series) - Receptionist
1981: The Edge of Night (TV series) - Member of the Whitney Dance Theatre