A printer's daughter, she began acting in high school. After graduating from college, she came to New York in 1964 to study acting and supported herself as a part-time clerk, waitress, and go-go dancer. Eventually, she began performing in commercials and in the daytime TV soaper "Love of Life." During that lean period she made her screen debut in a cheap 1966 movie, HOT ROD HULLABALOO. She landed her first off-Broadway role in 1967 and made her Broadway debut in 1970 in Happy Birthday, Wanda June.
Moving to California, she began appearing in major films in 1973, winning the first of four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for CINDERELLA LIBERTY. Her other honored performances were for THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977), CHAPTER TWO (1979), and ONLY WHEN I LAUGH (1981), all written by her second (1973-83) husband, playwright-screenwriter Neil Simon. She played a character based on herself in the autobiographical CHAPTER TWO.
Other notable credits include BLUME IN LOVE (1973), THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978), HEARTBREAK RIDGE (1986), NICK OF TIME (1995), 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (1996), and her most recent feature, BRIDE & PREJUDICE (2004). She also works extensively in television, in both series and made-for-TV movies.
Her first husband (1966-71) was painter-actor Gary Campbell. In the 1980s she began directing stage plays.
Nominated for Actress 1973: CINDERELLA LIBERTY
Nominated for Actress 1977: THE GOODBYE GIRL
Nominated for Actress 1979: CHAPTER TWO
Nominated for Actress 1981: ONLY WHEN I LAUGH
4 nominations