The Nanny's Mother

Background:

First came to the attention of national audience as a semi-regular performer on the variety series “The Jack Paar Show” (1959-1962), American actress of stage, television and film, writer and director Renee Taylor acquired television stardom more than three decades later playing the authoritarian Jewish mother, Sylvia Fine, on the CBS hit sitcom “The Nanny” (1993-1999), a coveted role that brought her an Emmy nomination in 1996. Talking about her character, she said, “Mothers on TV used to be asexual. Mothers never flirted with men. So I'm blazing new trails!”

Starting out as a writer and revue comedienne, Taylor has also built a fruitful partnership with husband Joseph Bologna. Married in 1965, the two starred in and wrote the Broadway hit comedy “Lovers and Other Strangers” (1968) and jointly picked up an Oscar nomination for writing the movie adaptation in 1970. They also netted a Writers Guild of America nomination in the comedy film “Made for Each Other” (1971, also starred in) and a Writing Emmy Award in the television special “Marlo Thomas in Acts of Love and Other Comedies” (1972). Other jointly work which they has written or starred in or directed include the TV series “Calucci's Department” (1973), the movies “It Had to Be You” (1989), adapted from their play, and “Love Is All There Is” (1996), as well as the plays “Bermuda Avenue Triangle” (1995) and “If You Ever Leave Me, I'm Going With You” (2001).

“All my plays are about transformation. Transformation through love - how love heals you - how love transforms you. I feel that I was transformed by the love of my husband.” Renee Taylor

Since enjoying success with “The Nanny,” Taylor, who played Evan Braun Mel Brooks' “The Producers” (1968), has concentrated more on her acting career. Her more recent and upcoming film projects include “Dying on the Edge,” “Dr. Dolittle 2” (both 2001), “Returning Mickey Stern” (2002), “Lady Killers” (2003), “Alfie” (2004), “The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club” (2005), “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006, voiced Mrs. Start), “A-List” (2006), “Pandemic” (2007, TV), “The Rainbow Tribe” (2008), “Boston Girls” (2008, directed by son Gabriel), “Driving Me Crazy” (2008) and “Opposite Day” (2008). She also starred in a one-woman show which she also wrote called “An Evening With Golda Meir” (2001).

Multi-faceted Taylor is also known as the author of the best-selling “My Life On A Diet:Confessions of a Hollywood Diet Junkie,” a parody on dieting in Hollywood. The book was released in 1986 and published by Putnam. When she is not acting, Taylor serves as a motivational speaker for other actors, and can be rented through the American Talent & Celebrity Network.

Taylor and her husband of 43 years, actor/writer/director Joseph Bologna, have one son together, Gabriel Bologna, who is an actor/director/writer and famous pizza chef. She is the grandmother of Gabriel's only son, Juliano (born in 1995). Taylor and her beloved husband earned a honorary doctorate from Hofstra University. A native of New Yorker who now resides in Beverly Hills, Califprnia, Taylor herself joined Regis Philbin, Rita Moreno and Stanley Kubrick as an inductee in the “Bronx Walk of Fame” in 1997. She is the best friend of actress/singer Lainie Kazan and has written the part of Tess LaRuffa in “Bermuda Avenue Triangle” especially for her.

Mrs. Bologna

Childhood and Family:

Renee Wexler, who would later be popular as Renee Taylor, was born on March 19, 1933, in New York, New York. She was trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

In the 1960s, Renee was introduced to actor/director Joseph Bologna on the set of a television commercial which he was directing and she was starring in. After the introduction, she subsequently fell in love with him and taught to herself, “this is the man I am going to marry.” The couple eventually got married on August 7, 1965, and has a son named Gabriel Niccolo Bologna. In the mid 1990s, Renee welcomed a grandson, Juliano Bologna, from Gabriel's marriage to actress Athena Stensland, the niece of the late actress Inger Stevens. Gabriel and his wife are now separated.

Lovers and Other Strangers

Career:

A graduate of New York's Academy of Dramatic Arts, Renee Taylor kicked off her career in the 1950s as a variety show comedienne and writer in her hometown of New York. Her big screen debut arrived in 1958 when she landed a small role in the crime/drama “The Mugger,” based on the novel by Evan Hunter and starring Kent Smith and James Franciscus. However, she did not enjoy her first national fame until she was hired as a semi-regular on the comedy show “The Jack Paar Show,” a gig she held from 1959 to 1962.

Taylor went on to act in the movies “The Errand Boy” (1961), directed and co-penned by Jerry Lewis, “A Fine Madness” (1966), scripted by Elliott Baker from his own novel and starring Sean Connery and Joanne Woodward, and “The Detective” (1968), which saw her as the wife of Jack Klugman. She also played Evan Braun the Mel Brooks comedy “The Producers” (1968).

“I think that every actress should write her own projects, create her own vehicles. I continued to write because the things that were offered to me weren't necessarily what I wanted to do.” Renee Taylor

Aside from her film work, Taylor could also be seen in such Broadway plays as “Luv” (1967, as Ellen Manville), “Agatha Sue, I Love You” (1966) and “Lovers and Other Strangers” (1968, as Wilma), which she also co-wrote with husband Joseph Bologna. The couple rejoined in 1970 to script the big screen version of “Lovers and Other Strangers,” for director Cy Howard. Starring Beatrice Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia and Michael Brandon, the great comedy earned the duo a 1971 Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and a Writers Guild of America nomination for the same category.

After their Oscar-nominating work, Taylor and Bologna penned as well as starred as Pandora Gold and Gig 'Giggy' Pimimba, respectively, in the comedy film “Made for Each Other” (1971), which was helmed by Robert B. Bean. For their writing, the two shared a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen. Also in 1971, Taylor found herself appearing with director/writer/actor Elaine May in the comedy/romance “A New Leaf” and with Michael Brandon and Tippy Walker in Noel Black's “Jennifer on My Mind.” She next played the supporting role of Jeanette in the Neil Simon-written comedy “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” (1972), her last film role for 11 years.

It was also in 1972 that Taylor's collaboration with Bologna in a television special for Marlo Thomas called “Acts of Love and Other Comedies” won the talented couple a writing Emmy Award. They then created a TV series for James Coco named “Calucci's Department” (1973), co-wrote “A Lucille Ball Special Starring Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason” (1975) with James Eppy, and penned and co-starred in the TV film remake of “Woman of the Year” (1976). On her own, Taylor played the regular role of Annabelle on the Louise Lasser comedy series “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” (1977-1978) and was cast in the same character in the spin-off show “Forever Fernwood” (syndicated, 1977).

Taylor went on to work with her husband during the 1980s in such TV project as the telepics “A Cry for Love” (1980) and “Bedrooms” (1984, also served as co-director), and the series “Lovers and Other Strangers” (1983). In 1981, she starred as Theda Blau in the Broadway play “It Had to Be You,” which she also co-penned with Bologna, who also acted in the play as Vito Pignoli. The play was brought to film eight years later with Taylor and Bologna reprising their stage roles and serving as the directors. In between the projects, she acted in the comedy movie “Lovesick” (1983, as Mrs. Mondragon), had a recurring role as Dr. Charlotte Miller in two episodes of “St. Elsewhere” (1984) and guest starred in such shows as “Lottery!” (1983), “The Love Boat” (1986) and “Tales from the Darkside” (1986).

The 1990s saw Taylor focus her energy more on her acting career. Her film credits included “The End of Innocence” (1990), “White Palace” (1990), “Delirious” (1991), “Forever” (1992), the Cannes Film Festival-screened “Love Is All There Is” (1996), which she also co-wrote and co-directed with her husband, and “A Match Made in Heaven” (1997, TV). However, it was her television work that gave the actress her real popularity. After landing a recurring role in the HBO series “Dream On” (1992), in which she was cast as as the domineering Jewish mother of the title character, Taylor secured a hit with the Fran Drescher comedy series “The Nanny” (CBS, 1993-1999). Playing the rapacious and free-spoken mother, Sylvia Fine, she was handed an Emmy nomination in 1996 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also starred as Helen Mitchell on the short-lived comedy series “Daddy Dearest” (1993) and had guest spots in such series as “Caroline in the City” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” On the stage, Taylor co-wrote and co-starred with Bologna in the well-received play “Bermuda Avenue Triangle” (1995).

In 2001, Taylor rejoined with her husband for the Broadway play “If You Ever Leave Me, I'm Going With You,” which the couple wrote and starred in. She also penned and starred in a one-woman show called “An Evening With Golda Meir,” which premiered at the newly devoted Sid Caesar Theater in Huntington, Long Island, as well as acted in the drama film “Dying on the Edge” and the made-for-TV film “61*” and provided the voice of female Tortoise on the Eddie Murphy vehicle “Dr. Dolittle 2” (all 2001). Taylor was featured in Michael Prywes' comedy “Returning Mickey Stern” (2002), which starred Bologna in the title role, supported Will Friedle, Chris Owen and Louise Lasser as Betty Mundt on “Lady Killers” (2003), costarred with Jude Law in the big screen remake of “Alfie” (2004) and (again) acted with her husband in the Susan Seidelman-helmed “The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club” (2005) before voicing Mrs. Start on the successful animated movie “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006). She had supporting roles in the indie-comedy “Kalamazoo?” (2006) and the award-winning “A-List” (2006), in which her son, Gabriel, also acted in the movie as Bob, and appeared as pharmacist in the made-for-TV film “Pandemic” (2007).

Recently playing Ms. Crapple on director Christopher R. Watson's “The Rainbow Tribe” (2008), Taylor will be directed by her son in a drama/thriller movie called “Boston Girls” (2008), which also stars Camille Solari and Shay Astar. She is also appear with her husband in the Steve Marshall comedy “Driving Me Crazy” (2008) and play Martha Benson on the family film “Opposite Day” (2008).

Awards:

• Emmy: Writing, “Acts of Love And Other Comedies,” 1972