Brenda Buell Vaccaro (born November 18, 1939) is an American actress whose career has spanned stage, film and television since the early 1960s. She has been noted for both character and leading parts in dramas and comedies, and for frequent work on Broadway and in television movies.
Career highlights
Vaccaro appeared in a wide range of films from the late 1960s through the 1990s. Among her better-known screen roles are a part in the drama Midnight Cowboy, the 1975 melodrama Once Is Not Enough, the disaster picture Airport '77, the thriller Capricorn One, the television film The Pride of Jesse Hallam, the superhero feature Supergirl, the romantic drama The Mirror Has Two Faces, the noirish Heart of Midnight, and the comedy Zorro, The Gay Blade.
Stage work
Vaccaro established a strong theatre résumé early in her career. Her notable stage appearances include the original production of The Affair (1962), a role in the Broadway hit Cactus Flower (1965), the musical How Now, Dow Jones (1967), the play The Goodbye People (1968), a 1985 production of the female version of The Odd Couple, and a later appearance in Jake's Women (1992).
Awards and nominations
Over her career Vaccaro has received significant industry recognition. She earned one Academy Award nomination and has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, winning one of them. On television she received four Primetime Emmy nominations and won once. Her work on stage earned her three nominations for the Tony Award.
Legacy
Known for a combination of comic timing and dramatic intensity, Vaccaro has maintained a steady presence in American entertainment across multiple decades. Her contributions to film, television and theatre have made her a respected character actress with a diverse body of work.