Judith Light is an American actress that is most famous for playing the boss of a handsome housekeeper portrayed by Tony Danza in the popular 1980s sitcom, “Who’s The Boss?”
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Background
Judith Light was born on February 9, 1949. She was born in the city of Trenton in New Jersey. Her father, Sidney Light was an accountant. Her mother, Pearl Sue on the other hand was a model.
In 1966, she completed her high school education at Doane Academy, located in the city of Burlington in New Jersey. She has a degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She studied drama in the university as a way of preparing herself for a career in the entertainment industry.
Career
It was in the year 1975 that Judith made her acting debut by appearing in A Doll’s House. The following year, she starred in Herzi. In the latter years of the 1970s, she went through a career-threatening drought when she got no roles for a couple of years. She decided to quit acting feeling that acting was not bringing the best out of her.
While still contemplating quitting acting, she was approached by her agent for a role in One Life to Live, which was a soap opera show. Although she initially rejected the offer because of her dislike for soap operas, she later agreed to it because of the huge money involved. This was the turning point in her career as she went on to win a Daytime Emmy Award for her role in the soap opera.
After achieving success on the soap opera, she got a role on Who’s the Boss? The successful show aired for eight years from 1984 to 1992. This sitcom became a huge hit as it gained huge ratings on primetime between 1985 and 1989. Her other work between 1984 and 1998 include The Ryan White Story, Phenom, The Simple Life, Too Close to Home and Men Don’t Tell.
She later starred in Wit in 1999. She played the role of a professor who was battling ovarian cancer as a university lecturer. To portray this role very well, she had to shave her head. This increased her popularity among viewers who saw her as a professional to the core that was willing to go extra lengths. Three years later, she was back as Judge Elizabeth Donnelly in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC between 2002 and 2004.
In 2010, she acted in Lombardi. She was nominated for Tony Award for her role in the play. Another play which featured her was Other Desert Cities which won another Tony Award for her in 2012. She won this award again in 2013 for the role she played in The Assembled Parties. She has not stopped acting and has no plans to quit her craft.
Personal Life
She married her husband, Robert Desiderio in 1985 at the age of 36. She has been married to Roberto Desiderio for many decades. She and her husband live in California alone as they have no children.
Last Modified: Apr 6, 2020
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