Sharon Gless
Actress
About This Interview
Sharon Gless remembers the moment she decided to pursue her dream of acting, while in her mid-20s: "One of my jobs was to interview actresses [at a film company] who would meet my boss, and then I'd go in and read with them. I was getting $200 a week, and these actresses were getting a lot more money. I thought I was better than they were in the readings. So I stopped being afraid— the dream had always stayed in the back of my mind." Sharon Gless has starred in numerous television series, but is most associated with her Emmy-winning performance as "Christine Cagney" in Cagney & Lacey. In her Archive interview, Gless talks about growing up in Los Angeles (with some familial connections to the entertainment business) and her early interest in acting. She recalls her days as a contract player in television at Universal, eventually cast as a regular in the detective drama Switch. She comments briefly on her first starring television series, Turnabout, with a pilot co-written by Steven Bochco. She relates how she was approached for Cagney & Lacey (initially the television movie and later the series) and her eventual casting, replacing Meg Foster. For Cagney & Lacey, she discusses her initial dispute over billing, describes her character "Christine Cagney," gives her impressions of the ensemble, comments on memorable storylines, and makes mention of the reunion television movies. She recalls the impact of the series: "We were the first women—first actresses—that had ever been honored by the New York Police Department. There was a big, huge thing; the Chief of Police was there. And they honored us for the quality of work we were doing in portraying them. How cool is that?" On her subsequent series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, she notes how she felt the part was the polar opposite of "Cagney." She then chronicles her work in a number of cable television series, particularly Showtime's Queer as Folk (for which she essentially cast herself), F/X's Nip/Tuck (taking inspiration from Judi Dench's autobiography about playing villainous characters), and USA Network's Burn Notice (playing, as she describes, "the mother from hell"). In their interview together, Gless and her husband, producer Barney Rosenzweig talk about their work together and their personal relationship. Sharon Gless was interviewed in North Hollywood, CA on October 15, 2008; Stephen J. Abramson conducted the three-hour interview, consisting of two parts: two-and-a-half hours with Gless solely and thirty minutes with Barney Rosenzweig.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Video: Early appearance of Sharon Gless (approximately 16 minutes in) on The Bob Newhart Show in the episode "The Modernization of Emily" (airdate: January 12, 1974)
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Highlights
Sharon Gless on how executive producer (and husband-to-be) Barney Rosenzweig "found" her for Cagney & Lacey
Clip begins at: 42:38, Duration: 01m 39s
Sharon Gless on working out the kinks of the "Christine Cagney" character with writer Barbara Corday, and becoming the "toughie" of the two main characters
Clip begins at: 56:09, Duration: 02m 53s
Sharon Gless on the chemistry between her and Tyne Daly on Cagney & Lacey
Clip begins at: 07:40, Duration: 01m 15s
Sharon Gless on being accepted by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman for the part of "Debbie" on Queer as Folk
Clip begins at: 54:38, Duration: 02m 26s
Sharon Gless on Tyne Daly surprising her on the set of Burn Notice
Clip begins at: 17:10, Duration: 00m 40s
Interview
- Part 1
- On growing up in Los Angeles; on her desire to act
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On a turning point that set her on the path to acting and taking an acting class
Clip begins at: 16:27 - On her first acting gig; on signing a contract with Universal Studios and being the last contract player
Clip begins at: 25:20 - On shows she worked on at Universal and how Robert Wagner "saved" her from being let go from the studio
Clip begins at: 33:40 - On the lead-up to getting Cagney & Lacey; on meeting future husband Barney Rosenzweig
Clip begins at: 42:38 - On fine-tuning the character of "Christine Cagney"
Clip begins at: 56:09 - Part 2
- On the character of "Christine Cagney"
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the gender of Cagney & Lacey's stars; on Tyne Daly; on being honored by the New York Police Department
Clip begins at: 10:17 - On actors she worked with on Cagney & Lacey
Clip begins at: 18:58 - On how Cagney & Lacey was revived by a letter-writing campaign; on what was groundbreaking about the show
Clip begins at: 26:00 - On Tyne Daly and Gless winning multiple Emmys for Cagney & Lacey; on episodes that won Emmys and other memorable episodes
Clip begins at: 33:08 - On her relationship with Barney Rosenzweig; on her disappointment with the Cagney & Lacey TV movies; on what happened to her character and the show's end
Clip begins at: 41:37 - On The Trials of Rosie O'Neill and her feeling about the show
Clip begins at: 48:55 - On getting cast in Queer as Folk; on support from the gay community; on playing another mother on Burn Notice
Clip begins at: 52:50 - Part 3
- On older women finding great parts on TV; on appearing in a villainous guest role on Nip/Tuck
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On appearing with Lillian Gish in the TV movie Hobson's Choice and playing "Annie Wilkes" in the play "Misery"
Clip begins at: 07:15 - On the importance of work in her life; on how she wants to be remembered, and some advice
Clip begins at: 11:45 - Part 4
- START OF JOINT INTERVIEW WITH BARNEY ROSENZWEIG: On how they met and casting Sharon Gless as the third and final "Cagney" on Cagney & Lacey; on fighting with each other on set
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On interacting with the fans of Cagney & Lacey and Queer as Folk
Clip begins at: 10:52 - On developing the story arc about alcoholism on Cagney & Lacey
Clip begins at: 20:27 - On not living in Los Angeles; on their professional relationship and how they fell in love; on their favorite stories about each other
Clip begins at: 26:03


Thank you, she is an inspiring lady.
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