Joanna Gleason, a Canadian-American actress, was born in Winnipeg, Canada, and later moved to the United States in 1956, retaining her dual citizenship.
She made her Broadway debut in 1977 with the musical "I Love My Wife", earning a Theatre World Award. Her subsequent Broadway and off-Broadway appearances included "Joe Egg" in 1984, which earned her a Tony nomination.
Gleason's most notable achievement was winning the Tony Award for Best Actress for her role in Stephen Sondheim's "Into The Woods". She also received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for this performance. In 1991, she starred in the ill-fated musical "Nick and Nora", where she met her future husband, Chris Sarandon. They have been together ever since and have four children between them, including song-writer-producer Aaron David Gleason, Joanna's son from her first marriage.
In 2004, Gleason starred in the Broadway production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", earning a Tony nomination, and also appeared in "The Normal Heart" at The Public Theatre in New York City. Her other off-Broadway credits include "Sons Of The Prophet" and "Happiness".
Gleason has also made appearances in several films, including "Boogie Nights", "Heartburn", "The Wedding Planner", and "The Skeleton Twins". Her television roles have included "West Wing", "The Newsroom", "Friends", "Bette", and "Love and War".
In addition to her acting career, Gleason has also directed off-Broadway and for CBS Television and Lifetime. She has also made a personal short film, "Morning Into Night", which is set to be released soon. Her first feature as writer/director is "The Grotto".
