Kristine Nielsen

American actress Kristine Nielsen found a career in theater that saw her become one of the top Broadway character actors of her generation. Born in Bethesda, Maryland, she trained in acting at the prestigious Yale School of Drama. After moving to New York, she was cast as Mistress Quickly in a Shakespeare Festival production of "Henry V" in 1984. She made her Broadway debut the following year in Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh," playing the prostitute Pearl. The bulk of her work during her early career, however, would come Off-Broadway. The actress worked steadily in a series of productions throughout the late-1980s and '90s, including "The Palace of Amateurs," with Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan, and "Dog Opera," for which she won an Obie. She finally returned to Broadway in 1997, in "Jackie: An American Life," where she played a number of characters, including Marilyn Monroe. Her screen work, after a pair of small television appearances, began in earnest when she appeared with Cynthia Nixon and Andy Dick in the comedy "Advice from a Caterpillar" (1997). While still appearing regularly on stage, she worked regularly from then on in films and on television. Her most notable screen role was playing Minnie Sayre, the mother of Zelda Fitzgerald, on "Z: The Beginning of Everything" (Amazon, 2015-17). Starting 2000's "The Green Bird," Nielsen became a fixture on the Great White Way. She joined Natasha Richardson in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and played opposite Laura Linney in "Dangerous Liaisons." She enjoyed success with the works of playwright Christopher Durang. She earned critical acclaim Off-Broadway in his plays "Betty's Summer Vacation" and "Miss Witherspoon." She later joined the Broadway cast of Durang's Tony-winner "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike." The project earned Nielsen her first Tony nomination. She then had a long run in the 2014 revival of "You Can't Take It With You." An original play by Taylor Mac brought her a fresh round of stellar notices. The actress joined Nathan Lane and Julie White in "Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus." The actress played a servant trying to clean up the carnage after the climax of Shakespeare's bloody story. The role earned Nielsen her second Tony nomination.