Lisa Ann Walter

Lisa Ann Walter
File:Lisa Ann Walter February 2015.jpg Walter in February 2015
Born	(1963-08-03) August 3, 1963 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, comedian, producer, writer
Years active	1995–present
Spouse(s)	Sam Baum (?-1999)
Children	4

Lisa Ann Walter (born August 3, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, writer and film producer. She has appeared in such films as the 1998 version of The Parent Trap, Bruce Almighty, Shall We Dance, and War of the Worlds. Walter also created and starred in the short-lived 1996–1997 sitcom, Life's Work. She was a judge on ABC's reality television series The Next Best Thing: Who Is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?. She also won for her charity in a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link.

Early life

Walter was born and raised in suburban Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., where she remembers "always liking to show off" as a child. Her mother was of Italian descent and her father was from a family from Alsace, and had German ancestry. She was a high-achieving student and always the class clown. Walter's father worked at NASA and indulged his own love of performing after-hours in local community theater. Her mother was a teacher, later working at the local courthouse. Her parents, both native New Yorkers, divorced when Walter was in elementary school. She attended Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Maryland, finally studying drama at the Catholic University of America under the tutelage of the renowned Father Gilbert Hartke. She began appearing in various regional and dinner theater productions, and met her future spouse, Sam Baum, while performing in "A Streetcar Named Desire". They married before moving to New York City, where both began various day jobs while raising their baby, shoehorning in frequent auditions and roles various off-Broadway venues. Walter performed at amateur night contests at some of the noted comedy clubs.

Career

After five years of standup comedy, she was cast to star in her own Fox Network comedy series, My Wildest Dreams, followed by an ABC sitcom, Life's Work, which she both created and starred in. Walter also co-starred in the Bravo series Breaking News and in the NBC sitcom Emeril.

In addition to Bruce Almighty (2003) and Shall We Dance (2004), Walter co-starred in the Disney film The Parent Trap (1998); in the remake of the original classic, she appeared as the nanny to Dennis Quaid's character's daughter, who was played by a young Lindsay Lohan. Prior to that, she played Whoopi Goldberg's tarty sidekick Claudine in Eddie (1996).

In early 2007, Walter had a supporting role as Mabel the bartender in the MyNetworkTV soap opera Watch Over Me. That summer, she served as a judge on the ABC reality TV show The Next Best Thing, which searched for the best celebrity impersonators in America.

In the Spring of 2008, she was in the comedy film Drillbit Taylor, and also starred on the VH1 reality series Celebracadabra, in which celebrities competed to see who was the best magician among them. She made it to the final three but was eliminated in the sixth episode. She has developed a series for the Oxygen network called Dance Your Ass Off. On December 19, 2011, she appeared on "Rizzoli & Isles" as a dance and ballet coach, J.J. It was far from her usual role, as she played a very serious character in a drama. Her comic memoir, "The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It's Behind Me" was published in May 2011.

Beginning in May 2011, Walter hosted a talk show on Los Angeles radio station KFI. Known as "The Fabulous Lisa Ann Walter Show," the program aired for three hours each Saturday and Sunday. In August 2014, Walter quit in order to focus on her acting career.

Personal life

Walter resides in Los Angeles with her four children, including son Jordan, daughter Delia, and twin boys Simon and Spencer. She is developing enough material for a return to standup comedy. She remains good friends with British actor Simon Kunz who portrayed her love interest in The Parent Trap.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Eddie	Claudine
1998	The Parent Trap	Chessy
2000	Get Your Stuff	Nancy Perry
2001	Early Bird Special	Janet
2003	Bruce Almighty	Debbie
2004	Shall We Dance?	Bobbie
2005	War of the Worlds	Bartender
2005	The Trouble with Dee Dee	Dee Dee Rutherford
2006	Room 6	Sgt. Burch
2006	Coffee Date	Sara
2006	Man vs. Monday	Joan	Short film
2007	Graduation	Carol
2007	Entry Level	Kathie
2008	Drillbit Taylor	Dolores
2010	Wreckage	Dr. Richardson
2010	Killers	Olivia Brooks
2010	Monsters Under the Bed	Leslie Branson	Short film
2012	Wedding Day	Chef Cherie
2013	Feels So Good	Lisa Wright
2014	Wish Wizard	Helga	Short film
2015	You Can't Have It	Suzanne
2015	Dependent's Day	Bette	Post-production
2015	The LA Spinster	Lisa	Short film, filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	My Wildest Dreams	Lisa McGinnis	Main role
1996-1997	Life's Work	Lisa Ann Hunter	Main role
1997	Late Bloomer	Cassie Baltic	TV film
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	Audrey Cranston	"How Long Has This Been Going On?"
2000	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Nurse	"Interior Decorator"
2000-2001	Emeril	Cassandra Gilman	Recurring role
2001	Strong Medicine	Rita Harper	"Hot Flash"
2002	Breaking News	Rachel Glass	Main role
2004	Las Vegas	Rose Gluck	"Sons and Lovers"
2006	Modern Men	Iris	"Kyle Dates Up"
2006	Nip/Tuck	Mrs. Hickock	"Reefer"
2006	Watch Over Me	Mabel	"Pilot", "The Engagement", "Goodbye"
2011	Rizzoli & Isles	Coach JJ	"Don't Stop Dancing, Girl"
2013-2015	The Exes	Margo	"Defending Your Wife", "What Dreams May Come", "Along Came Holly"

External links

• Lisa Ann Walter at the Internet Movie Database