Equally at home on stage or screen, raspy-voiced character actress and sometime lead Brenda Vaccaro made her first professional appearance as an adolescent in a Dallas, TX production of "The Willow Tree" (1951). After training at NYC's Neighborhood Playhouse (1958-1960), she debuted on Broadway as Gloria Gulock in "Everybody Loves Opal" (1961) and went on to earn three Tony nominations for her efforts in "Cactus Flower" (1965), the musical "How Now, Dow Jones" (1967-68) and "The Goodbye People" (1968-69). She returned to Broadway after an absence of more than a decade to star as Olive Madison in the female version of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" (1985) and then acted opposite Alan Alda in an another Simon Great White Way opus, "Jake's Women" (1991).Vaccaro's feature debut came in Garson Kanin's "Where It's At" (1969), but she really launched her career with a memorable performance as a sexually voracious Madison Avenue socialite who picks up Jon Voight in "Midnight Cowboy" (1969). She provided able support to Robert Mitchum as his sweetheart in the powerful but downbeat "Going Home" (1971), then, after four years away from the big screen, roared back with an Oscar-nominated turn as wisecracking magazine editor Linda in "Jacqueline Susann's 'Once Is Not Enough'" (1975). Proficient in both drama and comedy, she exhibited her over-the-top comic flair for "Zorro, The Gay Blade" (1989) and surfaced as Barbra Streisand's dumpy best friend Doris in "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996).
At the top of an impressive list of television credits is Vaccaro's Emmy-winning performance (Best Supporting Actress in a Variety Special) in the revue by and about women "The Shape of Things" (1974). She racked up two additional nominations, one for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for the short-lived "Sara" (1976), about a frontier schoolteacher, the other as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the "Ebbtide's Revenge" episode of "The Golden Girls" (NBC, 1990), as the widow of Dorothy's brother. She presaged her feature best friend's role in two TV-movies, "Stolen: One Husband" (CBS, 1990) and "Following Her Heart" (NBC, 1994), and played Matt LeBlanc's mother (Mrs. Gloria Tribbiani) in "The One with the Boobies" episode of NBC's "Friends" (1995), among her many guest spots. Vaccaro has also lent her trademark voice to numerous animated TV projects, beginning with "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey" (ABC, 1977) and including "The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones" (syndicated, 1987) and "Johnny Bravo" (The Cartoon Network, 1997).
Profession(s):
Actor, model, waitress
Sometimes Credited As:
Brenda Buell Vaccaro
Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress "Jacqueline Susann's 'Once is Not Enough'" 1975
Emmy Best Supporting Actress in Comedy-Variety, Variety, or Music (for a Special Program; a One-Time Appe "The Shape of Things" 1973 - 1974
Theatre World Award "Everybody Loves Opal" 1962
1998 Played Diana Vreeland in the L.A. production of "Full Gallop"
1997 Provided the voice of Bunny Bravo--Mama for "Johnny Bravo", an animated series consisting of three shorts for the Cartoon Network
1996 Portrayed Barbra Streisand's best friend Doris in "The Mirror Has Two Faces"
1995 Picked up credit for additional camera assistant (Los Angeles unit) on Showtime movie "Terminal Virus"
1995 Played Matt Le Blanc's mother (Mrs. Gloria Tribbiani) in "The One with the Boobies" episode of NBC's "Friends"
1994 Acted in "Love Affair", starring Warren Beatty (who also co-wrote it with Robert Towne) and Annette Bening
1991 Back on Broadway in another Simon vehicle, "Jake's Women", opposite Alan Alda
1990 Received Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for "Ebbtides Revenge", an episode of "The Golden Girls"
1989 Portrayed Bunny in Susan Seidelman's "Cookie", co-starring Peter Falk, Dianne Wiest and Emily Lloyd
1985 Returned to Broadway for first time in over a decade to appear in female version of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple"
1984 Played domineering mother Julia Blake on the short-lived ABC drama series about two struggling models, "Paper Dolls"
1979 First time as voice actor, providing the voice of Tillie for ABC's "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey"
1979 Starred as Detective Kate Hudson on the short-lived CBS drama series, "Dear Detective"
1976 Starred as schoolteacher Sara Yarnell on the short-lived CBS drama series, "Sara"; received Emmy nomination
1975 Earned Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for "Jacqueline Susann's 'Once Is Not Enough'"
1970 Gave memorable performance as Madison Avenue socialite who picks up Jon Voight in "Midnight Cowboy"
1969 Film debut, "Where It's At"
1969 Earned third Tony nomination as Best Actress (Dramatic) for Herb Gardner's "The Goodbye People"
1968 Garnered second Tony nomination for her leading role in the musical "How Now, Dow Jones"
1966 Earned Tony nomination for her performance in the Braodway comedy "Cactus Flower"
1963 - 1964 Played aerialist Felicia Sartene on the ABC circus drama, "The Greatest Show on Earth"
1961 Broadway debut, "Everybody Loves Opal"
1951 Stage debut, "The Williow Tree" at Margo Jones Theatre in Dallas
Raised in Dallas, Texas
