Constance Shulman

Constance Shulman
Born	Constance Ann Shulman (1958-04-04) April 4, 1958 (age 66) Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Tennessee
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Reed Birney ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	2, including Gus Birney

Constance Ann Shulman^[1] (born April 4, 1958^[2]) is an American actress. In 1987, Shulman originated the role of Annelle in the first production of Steel Magnolias off Broadway. She later appeared in films Fletch Lives (1989), Men Don't Leave (1990), and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). She voiced Patti Mayonnaise in the animated sitcom Doug (1991–99) and the 1999 film Doug's 1st Movie. She played Yoga Jones in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black from 2013 to 2017, for which she received three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Life and career

A native of Johnson City, Tennessee,^[3] Shulman is one of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lipner Shulman,^[4] a Jewish-American couple who had recently relocated from Fall River, Massachusetts.^[3] She is also the granddaughter of Judge Sadie Lipner Shulman.^[5][1] In 1980, she graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in both speech and theater.^[6] She moved to New York City to study acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre School and pursue an acting career.^[7] In 1987, Shulman originated the role of Annelle in the first production of Steel Magnolias on Off-Broadway.^[8] In 1989, she made her screen debut in the comedy film Fletch Lives, playing Cindy Mae. She later had supporting parts in films Lost Angels (1989), Men Don't Leave (1990), and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).

On television, Shulman worked as a voice actress, playing Patti Mayonnaise on Doug from 1991 to 1999.^[9] In the early 1990s, Shulman appeared in a series of Kraft mayonnaise commercials.^[10] She was also a regular cast member in the short-lived 1996 ABC sitcom, The Faculty, playing the best friend of Meredith Baxter's character,^[11] and the Dolly Parton unaired CBS sitcom Heavens to Betsy (1994).^[12] In the late 1990s Shulman left the screen to raise her two children.^[7]

In 2013, Shulman was cast in a recurring role as "Yoga Jones" in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black. Along with the rest of the cast, she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2015, 2016 and 2017.^[13] She left the series after five seasons in 2017 and appeared in the series finale in 2019. She later appeared in films Nasty Baby (2015) and Most Likely to Murder (2018) and guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Broad City, and The Blacklist.

In 2015, Shulman starred in off-Broadway production of Barbecue receiving Barbecue nomination.^[14] In 2018, Shulman received positive reviews and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play nomination for her performance in the play Bobbie Clearly.^[15][16][17] In 2019 she performed in the Broadway revival of The Rose Tattoo.^[18] In 2021, Shulman starred in the independent films Giving Birth to a Butterfly playing a former actress like Norma Desmond,^[19] and Strawberry Mansion. Both films have received positive reviews from critics.^[20][21] In 2022, she had a recurring role in the HBO Max comedy series, Search Party and later was cast as a series regular in the Showtime comedy The Curse.^[22] In 2023 she starred in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of The Best We Could.^[23]

Personal life

She is married to fellow actor Reed Birney, and their daughter Gus Birney is an actress.^[24]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Fletch Lives	Cindy Mae
1989	Lost Angels	Beautician
1990	Men Don't Leave	Carly
1990	Reversal of Fortune	Pharmacist	Uncredited
1991	He Said, She Said	Make-Up Girl
1991	McBain	Dr. Blazier
1991	Fried Green Tomatoes	Missy
1993	Weekend at Bernie's II	Tour Operator
1999	Doug's 1st Movie	Patti Mayonnaise	Voice role
1999	Sweet and Lowdown	Hazel
2008	A Jersey Christmas	Connie
2009	Finding Jean Lewis	Connie Lewis	Short film
2015	Nasty Baby	Bishop's Girlfriend
2016	Better Off Single	Unemployment Worker
2017	Sylvio	Tina
2017	The Broken Ones	Rowland
2018	Mama Jane	Jane	Short film
2018	Most Likely to Murder	Lowell's Mom
2020	Central Standard	Poppy
2020	Smithtown	Cindy Cohen
2021	Giving Birth to a Butterfly	Monica
2021	Strawberry Mansion	Martha
2022	Funny Pages	Mrs. Ochs
2024	Darla in Space	Leona Peterson
TBA	Caravan	Margaux

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd	Bonnie Sayles	Episodes: "Here's Why You Should Lock Your Bathroom Door" and "Here's a Little Night Music"
1991	Lethal Innocence	Nell Willis	Television film
1991–1992	Loving	Maggie	Recurring role
1991–1999	Doug	Patti Mayonnaise	Voice role Main role, 52 episodes
1994	Heavens to Betsy	Donna	6 episodes
1996	The Faculty	Shelly Ray	13 episodes
2013–2017; 2019	Orange Is the New Black	Yoga Jones	Recurring role, 48 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–17) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2014	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Daycare Manager	Episode: "Wednesday's Child"
2017	Broad City	Oda	Episode: "Sliding Doors"
2017	Star vs. the Forces of Evil	Milly Sparkles	Voice role, 1 episode
2018	The Blacklist	Fiona	Episode: "Ilyas Surkov (No. 54)"
2019	OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes	Dr. Sphinxson	Episode: "Radical Rescue"
2022	Search Party	Helen	3 episodes
2023–	The Curse	Elizabeth	Recurring role

References

1. "Miss Shulman, Mr. Taylor". The Daily News Journal. June 15, 1975. p. 22. Retrieved August 30, 2023. See also:
2. "Today in History: Today's Birthdays". Republican & Herald. April 4, 2022. ProQuest 2646788499. Writer-producer David E. Kelley is 66. Actor Constance Shulman is 64. Actor Phil Morris is 63.. See also:
   • "Celebrity Birthdays". Montgomery Advertiser. April 4, 2016. p. 2A. ProQuest 2058693189. Writer-producer David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal," "The Practice") is 60. Actor Constance Shulman ("Orange Is the New Black") is 58. Actor Hugo Weaving is 56.
3. Rizzo, Frank (March 12, 1993). "Southern actress helps change image of 'belle' as fragile blossom to STEEL magnolia; Actress Shulman's career blossoms as image of Southern belle withers. Hartford Courant. pp. B1, B8. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
4. King, Andrea Shea (July 7, 2001). "Out & About: Patriotic spirit soars at benefit". Florida Today. p. . Retrieved August 30, 2023.
5. "Deaths: Shulman". The Boston Globe. December 25, 1998. p. B8. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
6. McRary, Amy (March 29, 2017). "'Orange is New Black' actress says new season 'off the wall'". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
7. Brillantes, Mariam (December 12, 2013). "'Orange Is the New Black' Star Constance Shulman Says New Season Looks Golden". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
8. Gussow, Mel (March 27, 1987). "Stage - 'Steel Magnolias,' A Louisiana Story". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
9. "'Orange Is The New Black' Star Constance Shulman Voiced Patti Mayonnaise On 'Doug' (PHOTO)". The Huffington Post. July 24, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
10. Rizzo, Frank. "Actress Shulman's Career Blossoms As Image Of Southern Belle Withers". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
11. Fallon, Kevin (July 29, 2013). "Patti Mayonnaise From 'Doug' Is on 'Orange Is the New Black'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
12. Terrace, Vincent (October 12, 2018). Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945-2018. McFarland. ISBN 9781476672069 – via Google Books.
13. McCue, Michelle (January 25, 2015). "BIRDMAN, DOWNTON ABBEY Big Winners At 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards". We Are Movie Geeks. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
14. "Barbecue". www.iobdb.com.
15. "Bobbie Clearly". The New Yorker.
16. "Constance Shulman – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
17. Green, Jesse (April 4, 2018). "Review: In 'Bobbie Clearly,' It's Crime, Punishment and Then What?" – via NYTimes.com.
18. "The Rose Tattoo – Broadway Play – 2019 Revival | IBDB".
19. Loayza, Beatrice (May 16, 2023). "'Giving Birth to a Butterfly' Review: Melancholy and Menace" – via NYTimes.com.
20. "Giving Birth to a Butterfly - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. May 1, 2023.
21. "Strawberry Mansion - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. February 18, 2022.
22. Otterson, Joe (July 7, 2022). "Showtime Comedy Series 'The Curse' Casts Corbin Bernsen, Barkhad Abdi, Constance Shulman (EXCLUSIVE)".
23. Kumar, Naveen (March 6, 2023). "Review: In 'The Best We Could,' the Players Follow Directions" – via NYTimes.com.
24. Berman, Nat (June 26, 2017). "Five Things You Didn't Know About Gus Birney". TVOvermind.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017.

External links

• Constance Shulman at IMDb
• Constance Shulman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Constance Shulman at the Internet Off-Broadway Database