About the Panel
The Life of an Actor
Monday, June 4
8:15 pm, $25
Harvey Fierstein, Christian Hoff,  Michael Berresse and Tonya Pinkins
Leonard Lopate, moderator

As part of the 125th Anniversary Celebration of The Actors Fund, the organization which provides essential services to everyone - and not just actors - who works in performing arts and entertainment, this event explores the realities of life in the entertainment industry.  Panelists include 4-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, 2006 Tony Award winner (for Jersey Boys) Christian Hoff, Michael Berresse, who currently stars as Zach in A Chorus Line and Tonya Pinkins who portrayed Livia Frye Cudahy on ABC's All My Children for seventeen years.  WNYC's Leonard Lopate moderates.

HARVEY FIERSTEIN is best known for his semi-autobiographical play and film Torch Song Trilogy, which he wrote (play and screenplay) and starred. He won the 1983 Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and Best Play. He also wrote the book for the Jerry Herman musical La Cage aux Folles, for which he won the 1984 Tony for Best Book (Musical). In 2003, he won the Best Actor Tony for the musical Hairspray, and appeared in the role of Tevye the milkman in the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

Tony Award winner CHRISTIAN HOFF began his stage and screen career at age eight. By age twelve he was a member of three professional actors unions. He made his Broadway debut in The Who’s Tommy (original cast album).  He recently won a Tony Award for his performance as Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys. Christian has been a guitarist and singer in a number of bands, sung the national anthem at major sporting events and has performed on The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Tony Nominated actor MICHAEL BERRESSE has appeared on Broadway in Damn Yankees, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago and Kiss Me, Kate, for which he received a Tony nomination, later winning the Olivier Award for his performance in the West End production.  He garnered rave reviews as Giuseppe Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza, and is now starring as Zach in the much-anticipated Broadway revival of A Chorus Line.  Mr. Berresse recently directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway hit show.

TONYA PINKINS received the Obie, Audelco, Lortel, Garland, LA Drama Critics Awards as well as Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and NAACP nominations for her performance of Caroline in Caroline, or Change on and off Broadway, in Los Angeles and London.  Her other theatre credits include Jelly's Last Jam for which she was awarded a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Clarence Derwent Award.  On television, she has portrayed Livia Frye Cudahy on ABC’s  All My Children for seventeen years.  Other television credits include Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Cold Case and Unfabulous.

She has given sold out concerts at the Rose Room of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as Joe’s Pub from which she has produced two albums: Live at Joe’s Pub and Live at Joe’s Pub Too.  She is the author of the highly successful book Get Over Yourself: How To Drop the Drama and Claim the Life You Deserve, published by Hyperion books. In 2004, O Magazine named her “one of the ten women in America who will take your breath away.” She will appear in Disney’s upcoming film, Enchanted, opposite Patrick Dempsey.

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