Biography
Specializing in roles as cranky authority figures and unassuming mothers, longtime character actress Lee Garlington has the kind of familiar face that makes people wonder, "Where have I seen her before?" With numerous roles on some of the most popular television series of the past 20 years -- including
Family Ties,
Seinfeld,
NYPD Blue,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and
CSI -- most TV viewers probably have seen her face before, though wading through her exhaustive list of credits to find out where might be a daunting task. In addition to a busy television career, Garlington found a steady stream of work in features. Averaging about three films per year since her debut in the 1983 sequel
Psycho II. The actress turned up again opposite
Anthony Perkins three years later in
Psycho III, and parts in
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987),
The Seventh Sign (1988), and
Field of Dreams (1989) rounded out the decade. Though Garlington had a featured role in the 1989
Seinfeld pilot, her character was replaced by Elaine (
Julia Louis-Dreyfus) when the series came to fruition the following year. Throughout the '90s, Garlington frequently alternated between the big and small screens, and though most of her TV appearances were only guest spots, she had a rare recurring role in the 1996 series
Townies. Garlington became an increasingly familiar supporting player over the next few years in such features as
Evolution (2001),
American Pie 2 (2001),
One Hour Photo (2002),
The Sum of All Fears (2002), and
The Hot Chick (2002). In 2003, the longtime actress once again returned to weekly television with a role on the popular evening drama
Everwood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide