Tammy Jean Blanchard (born December 14, 1976) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her other notable film roles were in The Good Shepherd (2006), Sybil (2007), Into the Woods (2014) and The Invitation (2015).
Blanchard has been nominated for two Tony Awards: one for her role as Louise in the 2003 Broadway revival of the musical Gypsy, and the other as Hedy LaRue in the 2011 Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Early years Born on December 14, 1976, in Bayonne, New Jersey, Blanchard attended Mary J. Donohoe School and Bayonne High School.
Career She made her professional acting debut on the soap opera Guiding Light in 1997, where she played spoiled rich girl Drew Jacobs.; Her first scene was with Taye Diggs, who briefly played a record producer on the show. The character of Drew became more prominent over the years, and by the time of her departure in 2000, had become an audience favorite.
Soon after leaving GL, Blanchard was cast as the younger version of Judy Davis's Judy Garland in the 2001 ABC television docudrama Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.Gallo, Phil. "Review: 'Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'" Variety, February 22, 2001Kelleher, Terry. "Picks and Pans Review: Life with 'Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'" People, February 26, 2001 She received glowing reviews for her performance and earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.
She played Marianne Mulvaney in the Lifetime television film We Were the Mulvaneys (2002), and was noted for her "fragile strength" by The New York Times reviewer. In 2004, she played Sally Reid in the CBS made-for-television film When Angels Come to Town, with Peter Falk.
Blanchard earned a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for her work in her Broadway debut in the 2003 revival of the musical Gypsy, in which she played the title role opposite Bernadette Peters.
Blanchard's film roles include The Good Shepherd (2006), starring as the deaf lover of Matt Damon's character;Hall, Sandra. "Review: 'The Good Shepherd'". smh.com.au, February 20, 2007 Bella (2006),Schembri, Jim. "Review:'Bella'" theage.com.au, February 21, 2008 which took the top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival; and The Ramen Girl (2008)Wilmott, Don. "Review" . filmcritic.com, July 10, 2009 and Deadline (2009), both working with Brittany Murphy. She co-starred with Jessica Lange in the CBS television remake of the 1976 television film Sybil, in which she portrays a woman with dissociative identity disorder (DID).Lipton, Brian Scott. "Tammy Blanchard and Jessica Lange's Sybil to Air on June 7". theatermania.com, June 7, 2008 In 2008, she appeared in the multi-star cast of the television docudrama Living Proof as the first woman to have been treated with the breast cancer drug Herceptin."Tammy Blanchard-Bayonne Actress in 'Living Proof' on the Lifetime Channel October 18" . riverviewobserver.net, October 12, 2008
In 2010, Blanchard played Amy Roberts, the widow of a murderer, in the made-for-television film Amish Grace, which first aired on the Lifetime Movie Network. The movie is based on the West Nickel Mines School shooting. The Huffington Post noted that "This is an amazing young actress and she deserves to get better and better roles."Cooper, Jackie K. "Amish Grace is a Story of Grace Under Fire". huffingtonpost.com, March 23, 2010"'Amish Grace' Actress Follows Her Yellow Brick Road". The River View Observer, March 24, 2010"'Amish Grace' listing" mylifetime.com, retrieved March 24, 2010 The Hollywood Reporter noted that Blanchard gives "a moving turn".Dawn, Randee. "Amish Grace -- TV Review" The Hollywood Reporter, March 26, 2010 The same year, she appeared in the film Rabbit Hole, alongside Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, as Kidman's sister.Scott, A. O.Charades of Normalcy After Death of a Child" The New York Times, December 16, 2010
Blanchard played the role of "office bombshell Hedy La Rue" in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which opened on March 27, 2011, and closed on May 20, 2012.Hetrick, Adam. "Tammy Blanchard, Christopher J. Hanke, Rose Hemingway Join 'How to Succeed' Broadway Revival" Playbill.com, November 15, 2010 For this role, Blanchard received her second Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.Jones, Kenneth and Gans, Andrew. 2011 Tony Nominations Announced; Book of Mormon Earns 14 Nominations 2011 "Tony Nominations Announced; 'Book of Mormon' Earns 14 Nominations" Playbill.com, May 3, 2011
Blanchard starred in the film Union Square, co-written and directed by the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Award Winner, Nancy Savoca, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011, and was screened in New York City in July 2012.Blake, Leslie. "INTERVIEW: Tammy Blanchard Moves Into 'Union Square'", TheaterMania.com, July 14, 2012Gans, Andrew. " 'Union Square' Film, Featuring Patti LuPone, Tammy Blanchard, Mira Sorvino, Opens in NYC in July" Playbill.com, June 28, 2012 In 2014, Blanchard appeared as Florinda in director Rob Marshall's film, Into the Woods, an adaptation of the popular stage musical. In 2015, she portrayed Eden in Karyn Kusama's thriller film The Invitation,"SXSW 2015 – 'The Invitation'" dreadcentral.comSims, David. " The Invitation: A Dinner Party of Nightmares" The Atlantic, April 8, 2016 and in 2016, she appeared in the film Tallulah, which debuted on Netflix.
She appeared in the Broadway production of The Iceman Cometh as Cora, which started on March 23, 2018,Peikert, Mark. "Complete Cast Set for Denzel Washington-Led 'The Iceman Cometh' " Playbill, January 25, 2018The Iceman Cometh ibdb, retrieved March 31, 2018 and she played Audrey in the Off Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors, which opened at the Westside Theatre on October 17, 2019. For this performance, she received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.McPhee, Andrew. , Playbill.com, April 21, 2020,Freeman, Abigail. . Forbes.com, November, 24, 2020,
Personal life Blanchard lives in her hometown of Bayonne, New Jersey. She has a daughter.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2002 Stealing Harvard Noreen Plummer 2006 Bella Nina 2006 Laura 2008 Gretchan 2008 Cadillac Records Isabelle Allen 2009 Deadline Rebecca 2010 Rabbit Hole Izzy 2011 Tamara 2011 Moneyball Elizabeth Hatteberg 2011 Union Square Jenny 2011 Certainty Melissa 2013 Burning Blue Susan Stephensen 2013 Blue Jasmine Nora 2014 La vida inesperada (The Unexpected Life) Jojo 2014 Into the Woods Florinda Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture 2015 Wendy Danver 2015 Eden Nominated—Fright Meter Award for Best Supporting Actress 2016 Tallulah Carolyn 2018 Fourplay Anna 2018 The Wrong Sun Jessie 2018 American Dreamer Becca 2018 Boarding School Mrs. Sherman 2018 Warning Shot Audrey 2018 Beyond the Night Caroline Marrow 2019 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Lorraine Vogel 2020 The Mimic The Young Woman 2020 Rifkin's Festival Doris 2021 Defining Moments Laurel 2025 Pretty Thing Amanda 2026 Test Joanne
Television Year Title Role Notes 1997–2002 Guiding Light Drew Jacobs Main cast 2001 Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows Judy Garland 2 episodesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or MovieNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 2001 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Kelly D'Leah Episode: "Consent" 2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Sarah Eldon Episode: "Tomorrow" 2002 We Were the Mulvaneys Marianne Mulvaney Television film 2004 When Angels Come to Town Sally Reid Television film 2007 Sybil Sybil Television film 2008 Living Proof Nicole Wilson Television film 2009 Empire State Beth Cochrane Television film 2010 Amish Grace Amy Roberts Television film 2010 Law & Order Dana Silva Episode: "Brazil" 2010 Petra Long Episode: "Taking Control" 2012 Louise Mitchell Episode: "In Case of Heart Failure" 2012 Giselle 3 episodes 2012 Of Two Minds Elizabeth "Baby" Davis Television film 2014 Madam Secretary Claire Ionesco Episode: "Need to Know" 2015 Elementary Violet de Merville Episode: "The Illustrious Client" 2016 Bull Adele Bensimon Episode: "The Necklace" 2017 Billions Melanie 2 episodes 2017 Blue Bloods Valerie Madigan Episode: "No Retreat, No Surrender" 2017 Daytime Divas Sheree Ainsley 5 episodes 2018 The Wrong Son Jessie Television film 2019–2020 Dare Me Lana Cassidy Recurring role 2024 American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Terri Hernandez Main cast
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2003–04 Gypsy: A Musical Fable Louise/Gypsy Broadway 2011–12 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Hedy LaRue Broadway 2015–16 Dada Woof Papa Hot Julia Off-Broadway Lincoln Center 2018 The Iceman Cometh Cora Broadway 2019–22 Little Shop of Horrors Audrey Off-Broadway
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2001 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows 2002 American Film Institute Award Actor of the Year – Female – TV Movie or Mini-Series Golden Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 2003 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable Theatre World Award 2011 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying 2020 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Little Shop of Horrors 2021 Grammy Awards Best Musical Theater Album
References
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