Rondi Anne Reed (born October 26, 1952) is an American actress of stage and screen. A longtime member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, she has appeared in more than 50 productions at that theater. Also active on Broadway, she won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Mattie Fae Aiken in August: Osage County. She is also known for the role of Peggy on the television sitcom Mike & Molly which she played from 2010-2016.

Rondi Reed
Reed in the original Chicago cast of August: Osage County
Born (1952-10-26) October 26, 1952 (age 72)
OccupationActress
Years active1986–present

Early life

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Reed was born in Dixon, Illinois. She graduated from Illinois State University[1] in 1977. She then met a Broadway theatrical producer named Stephen Eich in 1976 during her time in Steppenwolf Theater and married him in 1982. They divorced in 2016, after being married for 34 years.

Career

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Reed has been a member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company for many years, appearing in 51 productions with the company.[2] She appeared on Broadway in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice in 1994 and The Grapes of Wrath in 1990, among others.[3] On July 13, 2005, she originated the role of Madame Morrible in the Chicago production of the musical Wicked.

She originated the role of Mattie Fae Aiken in the Broadway production of August: Osage County in 2007, for which she won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.[3]

She later reprised her role of Madame Morrible in Wicked in Chicago, beginning June 27, 2008. Her second run ended November 18, 2008, and she was again replaced by Robertson. She then reprised her role as Mattie Fae Aiken in the London production of August: Osage Country before returning to Madame Morrible in the Broadway production of Wicked. She began performances March 17, 2009,[4] replacing Jayne Houdyshell and bowed out as the evil headmistress on June 27, 2010, to star in the Australian production of August in Sydney. The limited engagement of the show ran from August 13 – September 25, 2010.[5] She returned to the New York production of "Wicked" from July 31, 2017, to January 28, 2018.

She appeared in the Seinfeld episode "The Kiss Hello" (originally aired on February 16, 1995). She starred on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, as Peggy Biggs, Mike's mother. She also appeared on Roseanne as Jackie's therapist.

Filmography

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Film
Year Film Role Notes
1986 One More Saturday Night Mrs. Becker
1992 Mo' Money District Attorney
1993 Born Yesterday Victoria Penny
Joshua Tree Detective Chelsey Also released as Army of One and Vanishing Red, among other titles
1993 Fearless Veronica Castane
1996 Eye for an Eye Regina Gratz
1997 Jungle 2 Jungle Sarah
1999 The Astronaut's Wife Dr. Conlin
2014 Cotton Nadine
2015 Always Worthy Michaela
Television
Year Show Role Notes
1992 Roseanne Therapist Season 4 episode 20: "Therapist"
L.A. Law Nancy Lapine Season 6 episode 20: "Beauty and the Breast"
Desperate Choices: To Save My Child Dr. Brunell TV movie
1993 Wild Palms Eileen Whitehope Miniseries
Episodes: "Everything Must Go" and "The Floating World"
Murder in the Heartland Jonette Fox Miniseries
1995 Grace Under Fire Irma Gold Season 2 episode 14: "No Money Down"
Seinfeld Mary Season 6 episode 17: "The Kiss Hello"
A Streetcar Named Desire Eunice TV movie
1996 Innocent Victims Bonnie Griffin TV movie
1997 Nothing Sacred Barbara Keneally Episode 3: "Mixed Blessings"
Night Man Hospitalized girl's Mother Season 1 episode 5: "Still of the Night"
1998 The Practice Suzanne Carroll Season 2 episode 22: "Another Day"
Cybill Therapist Season 4 episode 16: "Fine Is Not a Feeling"
1999 Home Improvement Dr. Miller Season 8 episode 22: "Loose Lips and Freudian Slips"
2003 Normal Roy's Sister Beth TV movie
Fargo Anne Mendelson TV movie
2008 Lipstick Jungle Lana Season 1 episode 4: "Chapter Four: Bombay Highway"
2010 You Don't Know Jack Judge Cooper TV movie
2010–2016 Mike & Molly Peggy 62 episodes
2014 Long Way Home Sandy "Go-Go" Rhodes Season 1 episodes 1-4: "Del 1," "Del 2," "Del 3," "Del 4"
2015 Scandal Mary Peterson Season 4 episode 20: "First Lady Sings the Blues"
2016 Masters of Sex Edith Schiff Season 4 episodes 5, 6, 7: "Outlier," "Family Only," "In to Me You See"
2018 Disjointed Nana Episode 18: "A-A-R-Pot"
How To Get Away With Murder Judge Victoria Harper Season 5 Episode 3: "The Baby Was Never Dead"
Midnight, Texas Grace Barrone Season 2 episode 4: "I Put A Spell on You"
2019 Speechless Nina Season 3 episode 13: "F-a-Fashion 4 A-All"
2021 Mom Jolene Season 8 episode 18: "My Kinda People and the Big To-Do"
2022 B Positive Irene 3 episodes
How We Roll Ruth 3 episodes
2023 Fatal Attraction Judge Webb Season 1 Episode 7 "Best Friend"

References

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  1. ^ Sood, Kiran. "A chat with actress Rondi Reed" saukvalley.com, February 16, 2012
  2. ^ "Rondi Reed biography", steppenwolf.org; retrieved June 10, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Rondi Reed Broadway Credits and Awards" Playbill (vault), accessed July 18, 2016
  4. ^ Bacalzo, Dan (February 24, 2009). "Rondi Reed to Be Broadway 'Wickeds New Madame Morrible". theatermania.com.
  5. ^ Gans, Andrew (June 9, 2010). "Kathy Fitzgerald to Join Cast of Broadway's 'Wicked'" Archived June 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. playbill.com.
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