Lainie Kazan

Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an acclaimed American actress and singer with a prolific career spanning over six decades. Known for her roles in My Favorite Year and the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, Kazan's talent has been recognized with Emmy and Tony Award nominations. While often remembered as Maria Portokalos, her body of work spans theatre, television, and film; highlights include her stint as understudy to Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and recurring roles in TV series such as The Nanny, Veronica's Closet, and Will & Grace.

Her career launched with her Broadway debut in 1961 in the musical The Happiest Girl in the World, and she has since established herself as a staple in the industry. Kazan's multifaceted career extends to music, having operated two Playboy Jazz Clubs and even posing for Playboy magazine for an issue in 1970. A life member of The Actors Studio, she also taught acting classes as an adjunct professor at UCLA. Aside from her artistic pursuits, Kazan is dedicated to public educational work about deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition with which she was diagnosed in the 1970s.