Jill Clayburgh

Jill Clayburgh was born in 1944 in New York City to Julia Louise (Dorr), an actress and secretary, and Albert Henry Clayburgh, a manufacturing executive. Her father was from a Jewish family with roots in the United States since the 1700s, while her mother had English ancestry also with deep American roots. Educated at the Brearley School and Sarah Lawrence College, she decided on a career in acting while at Sarah Lawrence and joined the Charles Street Repertory Theater in Boston. She moved to New York in the late 1960s and appeared in Broadway productions including "The Rothschilds" and "Pippin." Her film career began in 1970, and she received her first major role in *Portnoy's Complaint* (1972). She rose to prominence in 1978 with her performance in *An Unmarried Woman* (1978), for which she received an Academy Award nomination. She was again nominated in 1979 for her role in *Starting Over* (1979). Her career declined after her portrayal of a Valium addict in *I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can* (1982), largely due to poor script choices. She appeared in *Where Are the Children?* (1985), co-starring Elisabeth Harnois, but her performance was overshadowed by praise for Harnois. After the late 1980s, she worked primarily in television and low-budget films, including a leading role in *Never Again* (2001) with Jeffrey Tambor. Clayburgh was married to playwright David Rabe, with whom she had two children, including actress Lily Rabe. She died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia on November 5, 2010, in Salisbury, Connecticut.