A full-figured, self-described "Amazon," Camryn Manheim stands at 5'10" and weighs upwards of 200 pounds, but without being self-deprecating has managed to turn this into a career asset. She scored a personal triumph with her one-person Off-Broadway hit "Wake Up, I'm Fat" which has led to a growing number of roles in all media. Manheim landed the regular role of the opinionated lawyer Ellenor Frutt on the ABC series "The Practice" (1997- ). Her best-recalled big screen roles were "The Road to Wellville" (1994), in which she appeared in the nude and spent most of the time explaining the ins and outs of the spa to Bridget Fonda, and "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" (1997), in which she was Toby, the perennial organizer of events and object of Janeane Garofalo's barbs.Born in New Jersey and raised in Illinois and California by her teacher parents, Manheim moved to NYC after college to pursue graduate studies at NYU. Overlooked for parts because of her size, she lost 87 pounds and became a leading player, although once she graduated and was unable to find steady employment, she gained back the weight. Fellow NYU student Tony Kushner provided a role for her Off-Off-Broadway debut in "Hydriotaphia" in 1987. Playwright-director Michael Mayer cast her in seven productions and Stephen Sondheim helped her find an agent. Manheim received an OBIE Award for her performance in a 1994 production of Craig Lucas' "Missing Persons".
While she has been able to carve a career as an actress, Manheim has often been rejected for roles because of her height and/or weight. Adamantly avoiding caricature roles, she has found work on New York-based soap operas, made four guest appearances on NBC's "Law & Order" and appeared in episodes of "Touched By an Angel" and "Chicago Hope" and had supporting roles in such projects as "Notes For My Daughter", a 1995 "ABC Afterschool Special", and the CBS TV-movie "Deadly Whispers" (1995). Manheim took home a 1998 Emmy and a 1999 Golden Globe for her work as "The Practice" hard-driving and occasionally ethically-challenged Eleanor Frutt, and her excellent dramatic work and off-screen popularity helped her survive the infamous 2003 bloodletting in which several long-standing castmembers--including leads Lara Flynn Boyle and Dylan McDermott--were released from the series. Building on her series success, Manheim nabbed supporting roles in numerous film and TV projects, including playing a post-modern Snow White in the miniseries "The 10th Kingdom" (2000), the Garry Shandling comedy "What Planet Are You From?" (2000), the respected indie "The Tic Code" (2000), the acclaimed HBO biopic "The Larramie Project" (2002), the horror movie spoof "Scary Movie 3" (2003) and director Phillip Kaufman's thriller "Twisted" (2004). In 2005 she landed the key role of Gladys Presley, mother of the future king of rock and roll in the CBS TV miniseries "Elvis," and she had a supporting turn as a school teacher in the horror thriller "Dark Water," starring Jennifer Connelly.
Profession(s):
Actor, improvisation teacher at NYU, sign language interpreter
Sometimes Credited As:
Debra Manheim
Golden Satellite Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama) "The Practice" 1999
Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television "The Practice" 1998
National Board of Review Ensemble Performance Award "Happiness" 1998
Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series "The Practice" 1997 - 1998
OBIE Award Performance "Missing Persons" 1994 - 1995
2005 Earned an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Gladys Presley in the CBS miniseries "Elvis"
2005 Cast in Lasse Hallström's "An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez
2003 Cast in the comedy "Scary Movie 3" written by the Wayans brothers
2002 Cast in "The Laramie Project," the true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard
2001 Appeared in "A Girl Thing," which starred Kate Capshaw, Stockard Channing and Mia Farrow
2000 Played Snow White in the television mini series "The 10th Kingdom"
1998 Signed to pen a book tentatively titled "Wake Up, I'm Fat" (after her stage show); reportedly will receive in the neighborhood of $500,000
1997 Had small role in "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"
1997 Played the regular supporting role of attorney Ellenor Frutt on "The Practice" (ABC)
1995 Made TV-movie debut in "Deadly Whispers" (CBS)
1994 Co-starred in "The Road to Wellville"
1993 Starred in one-person Off-Broadway show, "Wake Up, I'm Fat"
1991 Had early TV work guest-starring on "Law & Order" (NBC) for the first of four times
1990 Made screen debut with bit in "The Bonfire of the Vanities"
1987 Made New York stage debut in Tony Kushner's "Hydriotaphia"
1977 First professional "acting" work as a wench at the Renaissance Faire in Los Angeles
Raised in Peoria, Illinois, Michigan and Southern California
