How Liza Minnelli Found a New Audience with ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Role

Broadway icon Liza Minnelli is looking back on her storied career in the Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, a newly released memoir from the EGOT winner. Her book is full of new revelations, from her relationships with her mother, Judy Garland, and collaborator Martin Scorsese, to the ups and downs of her time in show business. 

One of those "ups" was her late-career success in the hit television series, Arrested Development. The gig came in 2003, during a difficult period for the Tony winner. Minnelli, who has openly spoken about her struggles with substance and alcohol abuse, recalls this time in Chapter 10 of her memoir. Only a month before her turn in the series, she collapsed on Lexington Ave after a relapse.

“A month after one of the saddest days of my life, I was embraced by a generation of young fans who knew little about my life and career. All they knew was that I blew them away on television," she writes. "I was suddenly, miraculously, reborn."

On the show, Minnelli played the character of Lucille Austero, a widow who suffers from severe vertigo. The opportunity to play the part came from director Ron Howard, whom Minnelli had babysat as a child while starring in her father's film The Courtship of Eddie's Father. At this point in her career, Minnelli got lots of TV offers. But, as she says, “I knew and trusted Ronny."

Originally planned as just a cameo, Minnelli ended up appearing in twenty-one episodes released between 2003 and 2013. Through the show, she found a whole new audience of fans. And, perhaps most impressively, she performed all of her own stunts in the series, with help from choreographer Luigi Faccuito.

With her episodes, the writers also inserted several tongue-in-cheek references to her musical theater career, including in-show renditions of "New York, New York" and the title number from Cabaret. 

“The humor reminded me of Fred Ebb at his best. And I’ll always be grateful that he lived long enough to see me in the show," Minnelli said of the Broadway lyricist and her frequent collaborator.

Liza Minnelli's memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, is now available in bookstores from Grand Central Publishing. Find out here how her romantic relationship with director Martin Scorsese led to a problematic collaboration in Broadway's The Act.

About Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli is an entertainment icon whose career spans over six decades. Along with being a member of the exclusive EGOT club (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), her accolades include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Legend Award on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she was awarded France’s esteemed Légion d’Honneur as an Officer, one of the highest distinctions a foreign national can receive, recognizing her exceptional contributions to arts and culture.