Christine Ebersole

Christine Ebersole Bio

Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress, singer, and comedian whose career has spanned stage, film, and television for more than five decades. She first gained national attention in the late 1970s through daytime television and later as a cast member of Saturday Night Live during its 1981–1982 season. Ebersole has earned two Tony Awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with a Drama Desk Award and a Daytime Emmy nomination. She is also recognized for her film appearances in Tootsie, Amadeus, and The Wolf of Wall Street, and for her long-running cabaret and concert work in New York City.

Beyond her performing credits, Ebersole is admired for her range, moving easily between comedic and dramatic roles, between Broadway revivals and original musicals, and between Hollywood features and character-driven television. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with her family, and continues to be regarded as a respected figure in American entertainment.

Early Life and Background

Christine Ebersole was born on February 21, 1953, in Winnetka, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. She is the daughter of Marian Esther (née Goodley) and Robert “Bob” Ebersole, who served as the president of a steel company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ebersole has Swiss-German and Irish ancestry, and she grew up in a stable Midwestern household that encouraged her early interest in the performing arts.

She graduated from New Trier High School in 1971, where she took part in school productions that first sparked her interest in acting. After high school, she attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, as part of the class of 1975, before going on to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. This combination of liberal arts training and formal acting study gave her a strong foundation for a professional stage career.

Path to Acting

Ebersole’s professional path began to take shape in the mid-1970s when she started working in regional theatre and made her Broadway debut in the 1975 production of Angel Street. She soon moved into daytime television, appearing on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope in 1977 as a nurse and again in 1980 as Lily Darnell. These early roles helped her build experience in front of the camera while she continued to pursue work on the New York stage.

Her big break into national comedy came in 1981 when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, becoming a featured player during the 1981–1982 season under producer Dick Ebersol, with whom she shares a similar surname by coincidence. On the show, she co-anchored “Weekend Update” with Brian Doyle-Murray and developed impersonations of figures such as Mary Travers, Cheryl Tiegs, Barbara Mandrell, and Diana, Princess of Wales. The exposure from Saturday Night Live introduced her to a wide national audience and opened the door to more substantial television and film work.

Christine Ebersole Career

Early Career (1972–1980)

Christine Ebersole began her professional career in 1972 while still completing her studies. She earned early stage experience in New York productions and small television appearances, including a role on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope in 1977. These formative years allowed her to develop the discipline and versatility that would later define her work on Broadway.

By the end of the 1970s, she had joined the Broadway revival of Oklahoma! in 1979 as Ado Annie and appeared in the 1980 revival of Camelot. These early Broadway credits marked her arrival as a dependable leading actress in musical theatre, even as she continued to build a parallel career in television comedy.

Breakthrough (1981–2000)

Ebersole’s time on Saturday Night Live during the 1981–1982 season established her as a sharp comedic performer with strong vocal abilities. Following her departure from the show, she moved into prime-time television with a role on the sitcom The Cavanaughs and earned an Emmy nomination for her work on One Life to Live, where she played the daffy Maxie McDermott. She also played the title role in the short-lived sitcom Rachel Gunn, R.N., and made guest appearances on series such as Will & Grace, Murphy Brown, and Ally McBeal.

On film, she made her debut with a minor role in the 1982 romantic comedy Tootsie, followed by a turn as Caterina Cavalieri in the Academy Award-winning period drama Amadeus (1984). She continued to appear in feature films throughout the 1990s, including Mac and Me (1988), Richie Rich (1994), Black Sheep (1996), and My Favorite Martian (1999). Onstage, she earned further notice in Paper Moon at the Paper Mill Playhouse and in the 2000 Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, demonstrating her command of both comedic and dramatic material.

Broadway Stardom (2001–Present)

The year 2001 marked the beginning of Christine Ebersole’s peak period on Broadway, when she took on the role of Dorothy Brock in the revival of 42nd Street and won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. The following year, she earned another Tony nomination for her performance as Millicent Jordan in the 2002 revival of Dinner at Eight. In 2005, she played M’Lynn in the Broadway production of Steel Magnolias, further broadening her dramatic range.

Her greatest critical triumph came in 2006, when she took on the dual roles of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (“Big Edie”) and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (“Little Edie”) in the original musical Grey Gardens. After a sold-out off-Broadway run, the show moved to Broadway in November 2006, and Ebersole remained with the production through its closing in July 2007, earning her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2009, she appeared as Elvira in the Broadway revival of Noël Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit, and in 2017 she returned to Broadway in War Paint, playing Elizabeth Arden opposite Patti LuPone’s Helena Rubinstein. Her recent film work includes roles in The Big Wedding (2013), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Licorice Pizza (2021), and she has maintained a recurring television presence on Royal Pains, Sullivan & Son, and the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024).

Notable Works and Milestones

Among Christine Ebersole’s signature achievements are her Tony Award-winning performances in 42nd Street (2001) and Grey Gardens (2006), her film roles in Tootsie (1982) and Amadeus (1984), and her vocal work as White Diamond in the animated series Steven Universe. Her 2010 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist in a Major Engagement underscored her standing as a leading concert and cabaret artist, with regular performances at venues such as Cafe Carlyle and Birdland in New York City.

Christine Ebersole Award Nominations

Christine Ebersole has received multiple award nominations across her career in theatre, television, and cabaret. She earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the 2002 Broadway revival of Dinner at Eight, and a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for playing Elizabeth Arden in War Paint (2017). On television, she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her work on One Life to Live, and in cabaret she has been recognized with nominations tied to her New York concert appearances.

Christine Ebersole Awards Won

Christine Ebersole has won two Tony Awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, first for her portrayal of Dorothy Brock in the 2001 Broadway revival of 42nd Street and again for her dual role in the 2006 original musical Grey Gardens. She has also received a Drama Desk Award and the 2010 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Cabaret Vocalist in a Major Engagement for her 2009 Cafe Carlyle cabaret performances.

Christine Ebersole Family

Christine Ebersole was raised in Winnetka, Illinois, by her mother, Marian Esther (née Goodley), and her father, Robert “Bob” Ebersole, who worked as the president of a steel company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has Swiss-German and Irish ancestry, and her Midwestern upbringing provided a stable foundation for her later move to New York to study acting.

Personal Life

Christine Ebersole has been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Peter Bergman from 1976 to 1981. She has been married to Bill Moloney since 1988, and together they have adopted three children. Ebersole lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with her family.