R.I.P. Jill Clayburgh

[Reza]

NY Times November 7, 2010

Clayburgh’s Unforgettable ‘Unmarried Woman’

By JANET MASLIN
In the most famous scene in Jill Clayburgh’s most influential movie, her character reacted to the news that her husband wanted to leave her. Ms. Clayburgh’s Erica responded with such naturalness, confusion and wounded pride that she captured the imagination of a generation.

“As Miss Clayburgh plays this scene,” Vincent Canby wrote about “An Unmarried Woman” in 1978, “one has a vision of all the immutable things that can be destroyed in less than a minute, from landscapes and ships and reputations to perfect marriages.” But she proved that a reputation could be made in less than a minute too.

Has any actor’s career ever been more powerfully affected by a prefix? It was the “un” in “Unmarried” that established Ms. Clayburgh’s creative power. Women’s roles had been changing irrevocably, and a new assertiveness was being established and understood. But the usual story lines of that era followed female characters’ quests for independence and authority. Heroines rebelled. They picked themselves up and moved out. They took action. They weren’t acted upon.

Their roles were often sharply defined, but Erica’s was not. Paul Mazursky, the writer and director, had a divorced friend who described herself as “an unmarried woman” on a mortgage application. Extrapolating from that, he envisioned the story of a Manhattan wife set adrift. But Ms. Clayburgh’s shaping of the character was utterly and unmistakably her own, just as surely as its impact on female movie audiences was universal. And the unaffected nature of the performance became its most distinctive feature. She didn’t have the tics of Diane Keaton, the steel of Jane Fonda, the feistiness of Sally Field, the uncanny adaptability of Meryl Streep. She simply had the gift of resembling a real person undergoing life-altering change. In her signature role, that was enough.

“Mr. Mazursky has written a marvelous role for the actress, so I suppose it’s not unfair of him to depend on her to carry the movie,” Mr. Canby wrote. Carry it she did.

Ms. Clayburgh, who died at her Connecticut home on Friday at 66 after living with chronic leukemia for 21 years, had been on stage and screen for a decade before giving this definitive performance. But she could be awkwardly miscast and at first often was. She was blond, willowy and beautiful, but she was about as much like Carole Lombard as James Brolin was like Clark Gable ( “Gable and Lombard,” 1976). Without “An Unmarried Woman” she might never have found her niche.

But once she did, she began a streak. She went from playing an opera star in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1979 “Luna,” one of the most conversation-stopping films ever to open the New York Film Festival. She made widely seen comedies about smart, interesting women ( “Starting Over” in 1979, “It’s My Turn” in 1980). She even turned up on the Supreme Court ( “First Monday in October” in 1981), a likable presence even in highly unlikely circumstances. “The F.B.I. is wrong in reporting to you that I have no children,” she had to tell cinematic senators in that film. “Ideas are my children, and I have hundreds of them.”

Then she and her husband, the playwright David Rabe, had real children, Lily and Michael. And although Ms. Clayburgh kept working, her public presence grew more intermittent, the available film roles more motherly or eccentric. (She appeared in the 2006 film version of Augusten Burroughs’s “Running With Scissors.”) She was so greatly missed that any major appearances were apt to be described as comebacks (two television series in the late ’90s, “Barefoot in the Park” on Broadway in 2006), but the roles that should have been welcoming hardly existed anymore. Only in life did anyone wonder what had become of all those Ericas 30 years later.

She remained elegant, lovely and so recognizable that she became accustomed to being treated as an avatar. “My God, you’ve defined my entire life for me,” one weeping “Unmarried Woman” fan told her in 2002, and that experience was apparently not unusual for her. When she and Lily, an actress, roomed together in Manhattan in 2005 as both of them prepared for stage appearances, a writer for The New York Times visited the 61-year-old eternal heroine and still saw her unforgettable movie persona.

“Jill Clayburgh appears to be living in an updated Jill Clayburgh vehicle,” Nancy Hass wrote. “Fluttery-yet-determined mom flees comfortable exurban married life to share tiny Manhattan apartment of headstrong, aspiring-actress daughter. Conflict, hilarity and, of course, self-actualization ensue.” For Jill Clayburgh, in both her life and work, that’s just what happened.

[Reza]

latimes.com


Jill Clayburgh dies at 66; Oscar-nominated actress


Her Broadway and Hollywood career was highlighted by her roles in the 1970s films 'An Unmarried Woman' and 'Starting Over.' She also was nominated for two Emmys.
Associated Press

November 6, 2010


Jill Clayburgh, whose Broadway and Hollywood acting career was highlighted by her Oscar-nominated roles in the 1970s films "An Unmarried Woman" and "Starting Over," died Friday. She was 66.

Her husband, Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe, said she died after a 21-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She was surrounded by her family when she died at her home in Lakeville, Conn., he said.

She dealt with the disease courageously, quietly and privately, Rabe said, and conducted herself with enormous grace "and made it into an opportunity for her children to grow and be human."

In "An Unmarried Woman" (1978), directed by Paul Mazursky, Clayburgh starred opposite Alan Bates and Michael Murphy as a divorcee exploring her sexuality. She was nominated for an Academy Award as best actress but lost to Jane Fonda in "Coming Home." Her second Oscar nomination came for "Starting Over" (1979), Alan J. Pakula's comedy about a divorced man, played by Burt Reynolds, who falls in love but can't get over his ex-wife, played by Candice Bergen. ( Sally Field won for "Norma Rae.")

Her other movie credits include "Semi-Tough," "I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can," "Silver Streak," "First Monday in October" and "Running With Scissors." On Broadway, she appeared in Noel Coward's "Design for Living," the original production of Tom Stoppard's "Jumpers," and the Tony Award-winning musicals "Pippin" and "The Rothschilds."

She appeared on TV shows including "Dirty Sexy Money" and was nominated for two Emmys: for best actress in 1975 for her work on "Hustling" and for her guest turn on "Nip/Tuck" on FX in 2005.

Born April 30, 1944, in New York, Clayburgh came from a privileged family. Her father was vice president of two large companies and her mother was a secretary for Broadway producer David Merrick. Her grandmother, Alma Clayburgh, was an opera singer and New York socialite.

She was entranced seeing Jean Arthur play "Peter Pan" on Broadway, and she and a school friend concocted their own dramatics every day at home. At Sarah Lawrence College, she studied religion, philosophy and literature.

Clayburgh also took drama classes at Sarah Lawrence. She and her friend Robert De Niro acted in a film, "The Wedding Party," directed by a Sarah Lawrence graduate, Brian DePalma. After graduating with a bachelor of arts degree, she began performing in repertory and in Broadway musicals such as "The Rothschilds" and "Pippin."

Alongside Richard Thomas, she headed the 2005 Broadway cast of "A Naked Girl on the Appian Way," Richard Greenberg's comedy about one family's unusual domestic tribulations.

Director Doug Hughes, who directed her in a production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" at the Westport Country Playhouse two years ago, called her for "A Naked Girl."

"That she has the time to do a run of a play is just an extraordinary boon because I've had the pleasure of seeing her play a bona fide tragic American role beautifully, and I have had the pleasure of directing her in a very, very smart light comedy and be utterly brilliant in that," he said in 2005.

During an interview that year, Clayburgh explained the unglamorous side of acting.

"One of the funny things about actors is that people look at their careers in retrospect, as if they have a plan," she said.

"Mostly, you just get a call. You're just sitting there going, 'Oh, my God. I'm never going to work again. Oh, God. I'm too old. Maybe I should go and work for Howard Dean.' And then it changes."

Besides her husband, survivors include her daughter, actress Lily Rabe; a son, Michael Rabe; and a stepson, Jason Rabe.

Her family will have a memorial in about six months, though plans have not been finalized.

[Big Magilla]

From the AP:

NEW YORK – In one of her final roles, Jill Clayburgh plays the mom of charismatic Viagra salesman Jamie Reidy (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the romantic comedy "Love and Other Drugs."

Gyllenhaal and the film's director Edward Zwick said they had no idea the Oscar-nominated screen legend was battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia at the time. They learned of it after their work together.

"I think part of her sickness is what made her live her life ... and really cherish the moments she had and cherish the people she was with," said Gyllenhaal while promoting the film in New York on Sunday. "And she did when she was with us, cherish those moments, and they made us all love her."

Gyllenhaal filmed with Clayburgh in September of 2009.

Clayburgh, 66, died Friday at her home in Lakeville, Conn., after a 21-year battle with the disease.

Gyllenhaal credits Clayburgh's iconic portrayal of a divorcee in 1978's "An Unmarried Woman" with helping his own mother through divorce.

"It helped her through that time in a way that no other movie or anybody else had," he said.

"She left an indelible impression on me," he said. "You don't really need much time to work or meet somebody and know that they're really alive ... and when I heard that (she was sick) I just thought, you know there's that moment when you go like 'oh, like maybe that might be why she was so extraordinary.' And it makes me want to encourage people to wake up and live it like Jill did."

Zwick said directing Clayburgh was "a real privilege."

"Her legacy is an extraordinary kind of acting which is of the highest level of authenticity but also of comedy. She managed to do both those things at once," he said.

"Love and Other Drugs," opening Nov. 24, also stars Anne Hathaway as Maggie, a free-spirited artist suffering from early onset Parkinson's disease.

[kaytodd]

One of my favorite memories of Jill is the breakup scene between her and Burt Reynolds in Starting Over (an overpraised film, IMO, but one I enjoyed). She makes Burt swear repeatedly that he will not contact her ever again, ending with something like "I swear on my life and the lives of my parents and on pain of eternal damnation that I will never attempt to contact you." Good work by Jill and Burt.

She will be missed.

[Hustler]

You know, I always used to check in imdb.com if she already had been recognised with a picture in her profile which didn´t happen. Unfortunately this changed too late: two months ago.



Edited By Hustler on 1289088409

[Hustler]

What a shock!! Extremely sad news.

I, too, always hoped that she would one day return to the Oscar race and win. She was, indeed, a major star during the 1970s. I guess this illness may have been a reason why in the last decade or two she was mainly absent from the screen and made sporadic appearances on tv. She was hilarious in Nip/Tuck on tv and very good in Running with Scissors.

Her role in Running with Scissors was Oscar worthy.

[Reza]

I don't see this movie mentioned too often - and I must admit that it's not the best from its director - but it should be pointed out that Clayburgh was daring enough to accept, when she was still very popular, the leading role in a potentially "shocking" movie by Bernardo Bertolucci called Luna. It was about incest, and hers was not the kind of character that any American actress would have easily played. Unfortunately it didn't do for her what Last Tango in Paris had done for Marlon Brando (and, as she was miscast in it. I should add that she didn't do for Luna what Brando had done for Last Tango). But it says something, I think, that Bertolucci chose her for this part - she was really a big star back then. And one courageous enough to deal with such a controversial role and such a controversial director.

I agree.......a controversial part to be associated with.

[ITALIANO]

I don't see this movie mentioned too often - and I must admit that it's not the best from its director - but it should be pointed out that Clayburgh was daring enough to accept, when she was still very popular, the leading role in a potentially "shocking" movie by Bernardo Bertolucci called Luna. It was about incest, and hers was not the kind of character that any American actress would have easily played. Unfortunately it didn't do for her what Last Tango in Paris had done for Marlon Brando (and, as she was miscast in it. I should add that she didn't do for Luna what Brando had done for Last Tango). But it says something, I think, that Bertolucci chose her for this part - she was really a big star back then. And one courageous enough to deal with such a controversial role and such a controversial director.

[Reza]

What a shock!! Extremely sad news.

I, too, always hoped that she would one day return to the Oscar race and win. She was, indeed, a major star during the 1970s. I guess this illness may have been a reason why in the last decade or two she was mainly absent from the screen and made sporadic appearances on tv. She was hilarious in Nip/Tuck on tv and very good in Running with Scissors.

[Big Magilla]

For someone suffering from leukemia for over 20 years, she looked remarkably healthy just a couple of years ago when she played Donald Sutherland's wife in in Dirty Sexy Money.

Her time at the top was limited to the late 70s, a very short time for someone who was as good an actress as she was.

[Hustler]

According to some articles, she was suffering from chronic leukemia



Edited By Hustler on 1289086450

[Hustler]

I can´t believe that! She was one of my favorite actresses. I was hoping that she could be a possible academy winner in coming years

[Mister Tee]

Did anyone know she was sick? I'd heard nothing about it.


Jill Clayburgh Dies at 66; Starred in Feminist Roles
Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times


Jill Clayburgh, an Oscar-nominated actress known for portraying strong, independent women, died on Friday at her home in Lakeville, Conn. She was 66.

The cause was chronic leukemia, with which she had lived for 21 years, her husband, the playwright David Rabe, said.

Ms. Clayburgh, who began her career in films and on Broadway in the late 1960s, was among the first generation of young actresses — including Ellen Burstyn, Carrie Snodgress and Marsha Mason — who regularly portrayed characters sprung from the new feminist ethos: smart, capable and gritty, sometimes neurotic, but no less glamorous for all that.

“I guess people look at me and they think I’m a ladylike character,” Ms. Clayburgh told The New York Times in 1982. “But it’s not what I do best. I do best with characters who are coming apart at the seams.”

She was known in particular for her starring role in “An Unmarried Woman” (1978), directed by Paul Mazursky. For her performance as Erica, a New Yorker who must right herself after her husband leaves her for another woman, Ms. Clayburgh was nominated for an Academy Award. (The best-actress Oscar that year went to Jane Fonda in “Coming Home.”)

Reviewing “An Unmarried Woman” in The Times, Vincent Canby wrote: “Miss Clayburgh is nothing less than extraordinary in what is the performance of the year to date. In her we see intelligence battling feeling — reason backed against the wall by pushy needs.”

Ms. Clayburgh also received an Oscar nomination for “Starting Over” (1979), directed by Alan J. Pakula. She played Marilyn Holmberg, a teacher who embarks on a relationship with Phil, a newly divorced man played by Burt Reynolds.

Reviewing that film in The Times, Janet Maslin wrote, “Miss Clayburgh delivers a particularly sharp characterization that’s letter-perfect during the first part of the story.” She added, “Her Marilyn is all wrong for Phil — that’s what makes their affair so unexpectedly touching and gives the story so much life.”

Ms. Clayburgh’s other films include “Semi-Tough” (1977), opposite Mr. Reynolds; “It’s My Turn” (1980), opposite Michael Douglas; “First Monday in October” (1981), opposite Walter Matthau, in which she played the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court; and “I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can” (1982), based on the memoir by Barbara Gordon about a driven career woman’s addiction to valium.

Jill Clayburgh was born in Manhattan on April 30, 1944, the daughter of Albert, an industrial textile salesman, and Julie Clayburgh. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theater from Sarah Lawrence College in 1966.

Ms. Clayburgh made her Broadway debut in 1968 in “The Sudden & Accidental Re-Education of Horse Johnson,” a play starring Jack Klugman that ran for five performances. Her other Broadway credits included far more successful shows, among them the Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick musical “The Rothschilds” (1970), opposite Hal Linden; the Stephen Schwartz musical “Pippin” (1972), opposite John Rubinstein; and a 1984 revival of Noël Coward’s “Design for Living” that also starred Frank Langella and Raul Julia.

Her last Broadway appearance, in 2006, was in a revival of “Barefoot in the Park” at the Cort Theater, with Tony Roberts and Amanda Peet.

Besides Mr. Rabe, whom she married in 1978, Ms. Clayburgh is survived by a daughter, the actress Lily Rabe, who is starring in the Broadway production of “The Merchant of Venice,” now in previews at the Broadhurst Theater; a son, Michael; a stepson, Jason; and a brother, James.

Her many television credits include guest appearances on “Law & Order,” “The Practice” and “Nip/Tuck,” and a recurring role on “Ally McBeal” as Ally’s mother, Jeannie. Most recently Ms. Clayburgh was a member of the regular cast of “Dirty Sexy Money,” broadcast from 2007 to 2009 on ABC.

Despite her acclaim, Ms. Clayburgh, by all appearances, had a healthy sense of herself. “People think about me, ‘This wonderful lucky woman, she’s got it all,’ ” she told The Times in 1982. “But gee, that’s how I feel about Meryl Streep.”