Amy Wright


Actor

About

Birth Place
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Born
April 15, 1950

Biography

This off-beat, gap-toothed blonde actress began her career in waifish, juvenile roles and later graduated to droll oddball character parts. Amy Wright was born and raised in the Midwest and worked as a schoolteacher before heading to NYC in the mid-1970s to pursue an acting career. Shortly after her arrival, Wright joined Rip Torn's Sanctuary Theater where she appeared in "Agnes and Joan...

Family & Companions

Rip Torn
Companion
Actor. Together since 1976.

Biography

This off-beat, gap-toothed blonde actress began her career in waifish, juvenile roles and later graduated to droll oddball character parts. Amy Wright was born and raised in the Midwest and worked as a schoolteacher before heading to NYC in the mid-1970s to pursue an acting career. Shortly after her arrival, Wright joined Rip Torn's Sanctuary Theater where she appeared in "Agnes and Joan." Roles in stock and regional theater followed before she garnered attention for her turn in a revival of Lanford Wilson's "The Rimers of Eldrich" in 1976. Two years later, she had the featured role of 13-year-old Shirley Tally in Wilson's acclaimed "Fifth of July," making her Broadway debut in the part in 1980. Wright continued to make stage appearances into the 90s, most notably as a devotee of psychologist Melanie Klein (played by Uta Hagen) in the Off-Broadway success "Mrs. Klein" (1995-96).

Wright debuted in Martha Coolidge's quasi-documentary "Not a Pretty Picture" (1977) and had small roles in "The Deer Hunter" (1978) and "Breaking Away" (1979) before making an impression as Harry Dean Stanton's teenage daughter in John Huston's "Wise Blood" (also 1979). She offered a comic turn as the calm, collected groupie who slips into Woody Allen's bed in "Stardust Memories" (1980) and was fine as William Hurt's spinster sister in "The Accidental Tourist" (1988). More recently, she was seen as one of the townsfolk in the unintentionally hilarious remake of "The Scarlet Letter" and as Aunt Polly in Disney's "Tom and Huck" (both 1995).

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)
The Namesake (2006)
Winning Girls Through Psychic Mind Control (2005)
Messengers (2004)
Besotted (2002)
Mona
Amy and Isabelle (2001)
Joe the King (1999)
The Scarlet Letter (1995)
Tom and Huck (1995)
Robot in the Family (1994)
Kristina Shamir
Where the Rivers Flow North (1993)
Loose Woman
Josh and S.A.M. (1993)
To Dance With the White Dog (1993)
In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas (1991)
Deceived (1991)
Evelyn Wade
Final Verdict (1991)
Queenie
Hard Promises (1991)
Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will? (1990)
Lurene
Love Hurts (1990)
Settle the Score (1989)
Crossing Delancey (1988)
The Telephone (1988)
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Trapped in Silence (1986)
Dana Wendolowski
Off Beat (1986)
Stardust Memories (1980)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Jackie
Breaking Away (1979)
Nancy
Wise Blood (1979)
Heartland (1979)
Girlfriends (1978)
Ceil
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Not a Pretty Picture (1976)

Dance (Feature Film)

Crimson Peak (2015)
Choreographer
Made: The Movie (2010)
Choreographer
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Choreographer
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)
Choreographer
Grey Gardens (2007)
Choreographer
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
Choreographer
A Home at the End of the World (2004)
Choreographer
Coast to Coast (2004)
Choreographer
Superstar (1999)
Choreographer

Costume-Wardrobe (Feature Film)

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
Costumes

Cast (Special)

Lethal Innocence (1991)
Margaret Stokely
Vaclav Havel's Largo Desolato (1990)
A Fine Romance (1983)
Jean (Guest)

Dance (TV Mini-Series)

Cadet Kelly (2002)
Choreographer

Life Events

1975

Joined Rip Torn's Sanctuary Theater; made NYC stage denut in "Agnes and Joan"

1976

Film debut in the pseudo-documentary feature "Not a Pretty Picture" (dir. Martha Coolidge)

1977

Played leads in a triple bill of Strindberg ("Miss Julie", "The Stronger" and "Creditors") produced Off-Broadway

1978

Originated role of the teenaged Shirley Talley in the Off-Broadway production "Fifth of July"; made Broadway debut in 1980 with the production

1979

Had effective role of the teenaged Sabbath Lily in John Huston's "Wise Blood"

1980

Appeared as a groupie in Woody Allen's "Stardust Memory"

1983

Appeared in the Broadway farce "Noises Off"

1983

Filmed the busted CBS pilot "A Fine Romance"

1986

Had featured role in the CBS TV-movie "Trapped in Silence"

1988

Appeared as William Hurt's sister in "The Accidental Tourist"

1988

Co-starred in "The Telephone", directed by Rip Torn

1995

Cast as Aunt Polly in "Tom and Huck"

1996

Co-starred with Uta Hagen in the hit Off-Broadway play "Mrs. Klein"; later toured with the production

1999

Stage directing debut with off-off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur"

Family

Katie Torn
Daughter
Born c. 1982; father Rip Torn.
Claire Torn
Daughter
Born on February 6, 1992; father Rip Torn.

Companions

Rip Torn
Companion
Actor. Together since 1976.

Bibliography