This off-beat, gap-toothed blonde actress began her career in waifish, juvenile roles and later graduated to droll oddball character parts. Amy Wright was born and raised in the Midwest and worked as a schoolteacher before heading to NYC in the mid-1970s to pursue an acting career. Shortly after her arrival, Wright joined Rip Torn's Sanctuary Theater where she appeared in "Agnes and Joan". Roles in stock and regional theater followed before she garnered attention for her turn in a revival of Lanford Wilson's "The Rimers of Eldrich" in 1976. Two years later, she had the featured role of 13-year-old Shirley Tally in Wilson's acclaimed "Fifth of July", making her Broadway debut in the part in 1980. Wright continued to make stage appearances into the 90s, most notably as a devotee of psychologist Melanie Klein (played by Uta Hagen) in the Off-Broadway success "Mrs. Klein" (1995-96).Wright debuted in Martha Coolidge's quasi-documentary "Not a Pretty Picture" (1977) and had small roles in "The Deer Hunter" (1978) and "Breaking Away" (1979) before making an impression as Harry Dean Stanton's teenage daughter in John Huston's "Wise Blood" (also 1979). She offered a comic turn as the calm, collected groupie who slips into Woody Allen's bed in "Stardust Memories" (1980) and was fine as William Hurt's spinster sister in "The Accidental Tourist" (1988). More recently, she was seen as one of the townsfolk in the unintentionally hilarious remake of "The Scarlet Letter" and as Aunt Polly in Disney's "Tom and Huck" (both 1995).
Profession(s):
Actor, director, waitress, teacher
Sometimes Credited As:
Family
daughter:Claire Torn (born on February 6, 1992; father Rip Torn)
daughter:Katie Torn (born c. 1982; father Rip Torn)
Companion(s)
Rip Torn
, Companion
, ```..together since 1976
Special Drama Desk Award Outstanding Ensemble Performance "Noises Off" 1984
1999 Stage directing debut with off-off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur"
1996 Co-starred with Uta Hagen in the hit Off-Broadway play "Mrs. Klein"; later toured with the production
1995 Cast as Aunt Polly in "Tom and Huck"
1988 Co-starred in "The Telephone", directed by Rip Torn
1988 Appeared as William Hurt's sister in "The Accidental Tourist"
1986 Had featured role in the CBS TV-movie "Trapped in Silence"
1983 Filmed the busted CBS pilot "A Fine Romance"
1983 Appeared in the Broadway farce "Noises Off"
1980 Appeared as a groupie in Woody Allen's "Stardust Memory"
1979 Had effective role of the teenaged Sabbath Lily in John Huston's "Wise Blood"
1978 Originated role of the teenaged Shirley Talley in the Off-Broadway production "Fifth of July"; made Broadway debut in 1980 with the production
1977 Played leads in a triple bill of Strindberg ("Miss Julie", "The Stronger" and "Creditors") produced Off-Broadway
1976 Film debut in the pseudo-documentary feature "Not a Pretty Picture" (dir. Martha Coolidge)
1975 Joined Rip Torn's Sanctuary Theater; made NYC stage denut in "Agnes and Joan"
Was teacher before moving to New York to pursue acting career
