Canadian 'Toney Award' Winning Actress for 'Into the Woods'

Joanna Gleason | Biography

Directed the television series 'Love & War', 'The Louie Show', and 'Oh Baby'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : December 06, 2021

---

Gleason is a Canadian actress and director. She won the 1988 'Tony Award' for 'Best Actress in a Musical' for Into the Woods.

Who is Joanna Gleason?

Joanna Gleason was born Joanne Hall on 2 June 1950 in Toronto, Ontario. She moved to New York with her family in May 1956 before relocating to Los Angeles, California, in the early 1960s. In 1968, she graduated from Beverly Hills High School, where she performed in the school's production of The Music Man, The Mikado, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and The Grass Harp.

She later graduated from Occidental College and then made her Broadway debut in the 1977 musical production I Love My Wife, which earned her a 'Theatre World Award.' In 1987, she played the Baker's Wife in Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods, for which she won multiple awards, including the ‘1988 Tony Award'. Her other Broadway and off-Broadway credits include Joe Egg (1984), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2004), Happiness (2009), and Sons Of The Prophet (2011).

Gleason made her first appearance on television on the game show Let's Make a Deal in 1997. She then began her television acting career in the comedy television series Hello, Larry, portraying the role of Morgan Winslow from 1979 to 1980. 

Her other television series credits include Love & War from 1992-1995, Temporarily Yours in 1997, Friends in 1999, Oh Baby from 1998-2000, Bette from 2000-2001, King o the Hill from 1997-2004, The Good Wife from 2009-2012, Blue Bloods in 2013, Sensitive Skin from 2014-2016, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in 2019, and The Bite in 2021. She also appeared in several television movies, including Why Us? (1981), Still the Beaver (1983), For Richer, for Poorer (1992), If These Walls Could Talk (1996), and Fathers and Sons (2005).

Then, her film debut was as Carol in the 1986 comedy-drama film Hannah and Her Sisters. The same year, she appeared as Diana in the comedy-drama film Heartburn. Her other film credits include Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), Boogie Nights (1997), The Wedding Planner (2001), The Rebound (2009), and The Skeleton Twins (2014).

In addition to acting, Gleason is a director and screenwriter. In the late 1990s, she directed the television series Love & War, The Louie Show, and Oh Baby. Furthermore, she has written and directed the upcoming feature, The Grotto. She has also served as a director of the forthcoming short film titled Morning Into Night. Both are under post-production in 2021. 

Spouse

Gleason has been married three times. She was married to her first husband, Paul G. Gleason, from 5 October 1975 until their divorce on 28 June 1982. He was an acting teacher in the LA Area. And after the divorce, she kept his name for career purposes. They had one son named Aaron David Gleason (born 1979), who went on to become a singer-songwriter and actor. After that, she married producer and investment banker Michael Bennahum in 1984. Their marriage also ended with divorce in 1990. 

And in 1994, she married her current husband, actor Chris Sarandon. They met each other on Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical Nick & Nora. And they reappeared together on stage in the production of Thorn and Bloom in 1998. They also co-starred in several films, including Edie & Pen (1996), American Perfekt (1997), Road Ends (1997), and Let the Devil Wear Black (1999).

Family

Gleason was born to television producer/writer Marilyn (née Plottel) and television producer/actor Monty Hall. She has two younger siblings. Her sister, Sharon Hall Kessler, is a television producer, and her brother, Richard Hall, is a comedian, writer, documentary filmmaker, and musician.