Judith Ivey

Biography

Date of Birth 4 September 1951, El Paso, Texas, USA Birth Name Judith Lee Ivey Judith Ivey is an American actress and director. Despite a long history of theater and film performances, Ivey is often associated with her one-year run on Designing Women in its final season, playing the Texan B.J. Poteet. Ivey replaced Julia Duffy's Alison Sugarbaker, who was herself a replacement for Delta Burke's character, Suzanne Sugarbaker. She also played the notable role on the television show, Will & Grace, where she played the mother of Marvin "Leo" Markus. Ivey won two Tony Awards as Best Featured Actress in a Play for Steaming in 1983 and Hurlyburly in 1985. She was also nominated for Park Your Car in Harvard Yard in 1992. Other theatre credits include Piaf, Bedroom Farce, Precious Sons, Blithe Spirit, Voices in the Dark, Follies and Dirty Tricks. Ivey has been in many films, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Miles from Home, Compromising Positions, Harry and Son, Sister, Sister, In Country, Hello Again, The Lonely Guy, There Goes the Neighborhood, The Devil's Advocate, and What Alice Found. Other television roles for Ivey include starring roles as Kate McCrorey in the 1990-91 series Down Home, set in a Texas coastal town, and as Alexandria Buchanan in the short-lived series The Five Mrs. Buchanans, created by Marc Cherry who later created Desperate Housewives.