Marilu Henner (born April 6, 1952) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical Grease in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film Between the Lines. In 1978, Henner was cast in her breakthrough role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo in the ABC/NBC sitcom Taxi, a role she played until 1983 and received five Golden Globe Award nominations for.[2]
Henner was born on April 6, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, as the daughter of Loretta Callis (born Nikoleta Kalogeropoulos), who died of complications of arthritis at age 58[3] and Joseph Henner (whose surname was originally Pudlowski), who died of a heart attack at age 52.[4] She is of Greek and Polish descent.[5]
In 2006 and 2007, Henner was the host of the television series America's Ballroom Challenge. Henner said on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in early 2008, that she has never actually danced ballroom and would like to go on a season of Dancing with the Stars, which would later come true in 2016 for the season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. She later hosted FitTV and The Discovery Channel's Shape Up Your Life, which is based on her books.
Henner, who has hyperthymesia, was a consultant for the CBS drama Unforgettable, which starred Poppy Montgomery as Carrie Wells, a woman with the same ability. Henner guest-starred as Carrie's aunt.[7]
In August 2012, Henner won $25,000 for the charity Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) as a celebrity contestant on Live! with Kelly "Grilling with the Stars" contest for her Healthy/Easy Grilled Mushroom and Heirloom Tomato dish. Henner has written nine books on diet, health and memory, the most prominent being Total Health Makeover, in which she explains the virtues of a non-dairy diet in conjunction with food combining and exercise. She leads monthly classes on her website, www.marilu.com, designed to help people integrate these steps into a healthier, more active lifestyle. Both of her parents died in their 50s, which prompted her to lead a healthier lifestyle. She hosted The Art of Living, produced by United States Media Television. [citation needed]
Henner rejoined the cast for its 13th season on The All-Star Celebrity Apprentice where she was joined by fellow Apprentice alumni. She played for her charity The Alzheimer's Association and won over $50,000 for the cause. She returned, after being eliminated, for the final task to assist Trace Adkins. In 2013, Henner made a guest appearance on Brooklyn Nine-Nine for 5 episodes.
She hosts The Marilu Henner Show, which airs every weekday morning on more than a dozen radio stations across the U.S. The show is distributed by Sun Broadcast Group, in conjunction with GCN radio. The Marilu Henner Show can also be heard live at Marilushow.com, where she features guest physicians, health experts, celebrity guests, and friends.
On August 30, 2016, she was revealed as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Derek Hough.[8] Henner and Hough were eliminated on the ninth week of competition and finished in sixth place.
She has two sons, Nicholas and Joseph, from her second marriage.[9]
On December 19, 2010, Henner was featured on the U.S. television program 60 Minutes for her superior autobiographical memory ability. Henner claimed she could remember almost every day of her life since she was 11 years old.[10]
^ abcd"Marilu Henner (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 2, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.