“It all started in Marion for one actress who was nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year.
Judith Ivey had never been in a play before she moved to Marion in the 11th grade and auditioned for a role in Marion High School’s production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
That sparked a successful career in theatre for Ivey, a 1970 graduate of MHS.
Ivey, 61, has won two Tony’s and been nominated for two others.
“My time in Marion was important because I found my career” Ivey said. “I would never have guessed that I would be a professional actress.”
At this year’s 67th Annual Tony Awards, Ivey was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Feature Role in a Play for her role in “The Heiress” but did not win. Ivey won a Tony for “Steaming” in 1983 and again for “Hurlyburly” in 1985.
She was also nominated for “Park Your Car in Harvard Yard” in 1992.
“This was my fourth Tony nomination and it was just as sweet as the first,” Ivey said.
“Having won twice it is always a bit of relief when I don’t win because I am terrible at making speeches.”
After graduating from Marion, Ivey went to John A. College for two years before spending two years in the theatre program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
“I competed in speech contests and won several contests” Ivey said. “One of the judges was a college professor at SIU Carbondale and she encouraged me to go to college for a theatre degree.”
After SIU, Ivey continued her education at Illinois State University, before embarking on her acting career.
In all, Ivey has appeared on Broadway 10 times and is also famous for her roles on television, including “Designing Women” and “Will & Grace.”
She has also been in many films, including “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Miles from Home,” “Compromising Positions,” “Harry & Son,” “The Woman in Red,” “Sister, Sister,” “In Country,” “Hello Again,” “The Lonely Guy,” “There Goes the Neighborhood,” “The Devil’s Advocate,” “What Alice Found” and “Flags of Our Fathers.”
Ivey, who has also directed a number of plays, is married to Tim Braine and has two children, Maggie and Tom.” ——-Marion Daily Republican, August 20, 2013
Sam’s Notes:
Judith Lee Ivey was born September 4, 1951 in El Paso, Texas to Dorothy Lee and Nathan Ivey. From 1965-1968, Judith spent time in Dowagiac, Michigan where she attended Union High School until tenth grade. She graduated from Marion High School in Marion, Illinois in 1970, followed by enrollment at John A. Logan College, and later, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Illinois State University. She worked at both Joseph Papp’s Public Theater in New York and the Goodman Theater in Chicago after graduating from college.
She was nominated for a 1978 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play for “The Goodbye People” at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Judith twice won Broadway’s Tony Award as Best Actress (Featured Role – Play): in 1983 for “Steaming” and in 1985 for David Rabe’s “Hurlyburly.” She was also nominated as Best Actress (Play) in 1992 for “Park Your Car in Harvard Yard”.
She acted in several theater productions before her debut film appearance in the Steve Martin film, The Lonely Guy (1984). Despite several film and television appearances, before-the-camera, she is often remembered as B.J. Poteet on the 1980’s sitcom “Designing Women” (1986).
She appeared in numerous TV commercials for products such as Greyhound Bus, StaPuf fabric softener, Red Lobster restaurants and Gerber baby food.
Judith was listed as one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1985” in John Willis’ Screen World, Vol. 37.
She was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2004 in Austin, Texas.
She was nominated for a 2008 Joseph Jefferson Award for Solo Performance for the play, “The Lady With All the Answers” at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Judith was married to Ricardo Gutiérrez from 1973 to 1978 and divorced. She remarried May 14, 1989 to Tim Braine. They have two children, daughter Margaret Elizabeth Braine (born 1989) and son, Thomas Carter Braine (born December 8, 1993) with her husband, Tim Braine.
While Judith’s family was living in Marion, they resided at 506 Bainbridge Road. Judith’s mother, Dorothy, was a teacher at Marion High School and her father, Nathan, was President of John A. Logan College.
(Data extracted from the Marion Daily Republican, 08/20/2013; www.imdb.com)