LINDA PURL

Linda Purl was born in Connecticut and raised in Japan, becoming the only foreigner to train at the Toho Geino Academy. Her studies continued at LAMDA and later at both the Neighborhood Playhouse and Lee Strasberg Institute.

Stage credits include Broadway: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"; "Getting and Spending"; Off Broadway: "The Baby Dance" (with Stephanie Zimbalist); Off-Off-Broadway: "Hallelujah, Hallelujah!". Regional work: the original production of the Pulitzer Prize winning play "Dinner With Friends" Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville; "Getting and Spending", Old Globe Theatre; "The Road To Mecca" (with Miss Julie Harris), "The Baby Dance", Long Wharf; "John Brown's Body", Lobero Theatre; "Nora" (with Michael York), "All the Way Home' (with Miss Kim Hunter), "The Three Penny Opera" (with Miss Betty Buckley), "The Baby Dance" (also at the Pasadena Playhouse), Williamstown Theatre Festival; "The Real Thing", "Hedda Gabler", Mark Taper Forum Rep; "Beyond Therapy", "Romeo and Juliet", L.A. Public Theatre; "A Doll's House", Allied International Productions; "The Man Who Could See Through Time", South Coast Repertory; "The Merchant of Venice", Globe Theatre; "Grease", Sacramento Music Theatre; "On a Clear Day ", San Bernardino Civic Light Opera; "Fallen Angels", Olney Theatre; "Oliver", "The King and I", Toho Imperial Theatre, Tokyo; "Love Letters" with both Stacey Keach and Desi Arnaz, Jr.; "Tusitala" (with Miss Julie Harris), Berkshire Theatre Festival; "Little Foxes", ‘Footfalls”, “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Rubicon Theatre Company;  “The Guys”, Berkeley Rep, “Mariana Pineda”, Santa Fe Opera; “Seven Deadly Sins”, Princess Grace Theatre, Monaco; Phaedra in the inaugural performance of the Getty Classical Arena.

Linda's television credits range from "Happy Days" as Ashley Pfister (Fonzie's fiancee) to Charlene Matlock on "Matlock" to Joe Mategna's wife on the acclaimed Supreme Court series "First Monday" co starring James Garner. Linda has over 35 television movies credits to her name, such as "Born Free", "The Last Days of Pompeii" (with Sir Laurence Olivier), "The Manions of America" (with Pierce Brosnan), "Like Normal People" the award winning docu-drama about a mentally retarded couple co-starring Shaun Cassidy. Linda's feature film credits include Disney's "Mighty Joe Young", "The Walking Major" (with Toshiro Mifune), "Crazy Mama" (directed by Jonathan Demme) and "Leo and Loree" (produced by Ron Howard). 

Linda has received six Dramalogue Best Actress Awards and two Dramalogue Awards as "Best Producer". She has received two Robby Awards for "Best Actress" and is a three time nominee of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Award for "Best Actress". She is the recipient of the Connecticut Critics' Award for "Outstanding Performance in a Play" for her work in "The Baby Dance".

Linda has recorded broadcasts of Arthur Miller's "Broken Glass", "The Odd Couple" with Nathan Lane and "Nora" with the late David Dukes for National Public Radio, also "Milford Haven" (created by her sister Mara Purl) for the BBC II.

Linda has performed her cabaret act in concert nationally and internationally. Linda's recordings include solo cuts on "George and Ira Gershwin: A Musical Celebration", "Cole Porter: A Musical Toast", "Adler, Boch, Coleman", "A Hollywood Christmas". Her solo albums are "Alone Together" and “Out of this World – Live” with Special Guest Artist Desi Arnaz, Jr. She is an Associate Artist of the American National Theatre, co-founder and served as Founding Executive Director of the Colorado Festival for World Theatre and currently serves as Festival Director of the Rubicon International Theatre Festival.

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