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Actor

1961-03-08 · West Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S. · Female

36 series in the catalog

Debra Frances "Camryn" Manheim (born March 8, 1961) is an American actress who first came to attention with her off-Broadway one-woman show, Wake Up, I'm Fat, in 1994. She is known for her portrayals of Ellenor Frutt on The Practice (1997–2004), Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries Elvis, Delia Banks on Ghost Whisperer (2006–2010), Control on Person of Interest (2013–2015), Lieutenant Cosgrove on Stumptown (2019–2020) and Kate Dixon on Law & Order (2022–2024).

Manheim's film credits include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Happiness (1998), What Planet Are You From? (2000), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Twisted (2004), Dark Water (2005), An Unfinished Life (2005), and Cop Car (2015).

She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, in addition to three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Early life

Manheim was born in West Caldwell, New Jersey, into a Jewish American family, the daughter of Sylvia (née Nuchow), a teacher, and Jerome Manheim, a mathematics professor and the Dean of Letters and Science at California State University Long Beach. Her family relocated several times in her early childhood due to her father taking new teaching positions, and she spent her early years in Michigan and Peoria, Illinois.

When she was in sixth grade, her family relocated to Southern California, settling in Long Beach, where she attended Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. She became interested in acting after working at a Renaissance faire during high school. Manheim graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with a BFA degree in 1984 and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program with an MFA degree in 1987. Her brother, Karl Manheim, is a law professor at Loyola Law School.

Career

Manheim worked for a while as a sign language interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was used on The Practice, in the Law & Order episodes "Benevolence" (1993) and "Castle in the Sky" (2024), and in her role as a child behavioral psychologist in the movie Mercury Rising.

Manheim's breakthrough was her one-woman show Wake Up, I'm Fat, which played off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company in 1994. She adapted the show into a book of the same name, which was published by Broadway Books in 1999.

In 1999, Manheim won an Emmy for her work on The Practice. In 1999, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.

Personal life

Manheim's son Milo, conceived via sperm donation from her close friend Jeffrey Brezovar, was born on March 6, 2001.

Manheim has been involved with the Los Angeles–based charity Bet Tzedek Legal Services – The House of Justice, serving as a co-chair for their annual fundraiser, the Justice Ball.

Camryn Manheim at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)