My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!
Home For You Chat My Shows (beta) Register/Login Games Grosses
Kathleen Chalfant Headshot
Get Kathleen Chalfant Alerts

Kathleen Chalfant

Birth Place: San Francisco, CA, USA

My Shows
Track Your Shows, Get Recommendations, and More!
Add Kathleen Chalfant's shows to your list.

BIO

Kathleen Chalfant is a highly respected American actress who has made a name for herself both on stage and screen. Born in San Francisco in 1945, Chalfant grew up in a family of artists and intellectuals. She attended Radcliffe College and earned a degree in English before pursuing a career in acting.



Chalfant's Broadway debut came in 1987 when she appeared in the play "M. Butterfly" by David Henry Hwang. She went on to appear in a number of other Broadway productions, including "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches" and "Angels in America: Perestroika." Chalfant's performance as Hannah Pitt in "Angels in America" earned her critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination.

In addition to her work on Broadway, Chalfant has also appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions. She has worked with some of the most prestigious theater companies in the country, including the Public Theater, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the Signature Theatre Company.

Chalfant's film and television career has been just as impressive as her stage work. She has appeared in a number of popular television shows, including "Law & Order," "The Guardian," and "The Affair." She has also appeared in several films, including "Kinsey," "Duplicity," and "The Laramie Project."

Despite her success in film and television, Chalfant has remained committed to the theater. She has continued to appear in off-Broadway and regional productions, and has even taken on the role of director. In 2010, she directed the play "Family Week" by Beth Henley at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York.

Chalfant's commitment to the theater has earned her numerous awards and accolades over the years. In addition to her Tony Award nomination, she has also received an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award. She was also inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2018.

Beyond her work as an actress and director, Chalfant has also been an advocate for social justice and human rights. She has been involved with a number of organizations, including the Women's Refugee Commission and the International Rescue Committee. She has also been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights and has worked with organizations such as the Gay Men's Health Crisis and the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Chalfant's dedication to her craft and her commitment to social justice have made her a beloved figure in the theater community and beyond. She continues to inspire audiences with her powerful performances and her tireless advocacy work.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Broadway]
2026
Jolly/June ()

[Off-Broadway]
2025
Bernie () [Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
NYTW Off-Broadway Premiere Production, 2024
Judy Cohen & Others


[Off-Broadway]
The Acting Company Off-Broadway World Premiere, 2019
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
Rattlestick Playwright's Theater Original Off-Broadway Production, 2019
Elizabeth


[Off-Broadway]
Waterwell Site-Specific World Premiere, 2019
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
All-Female Staged Reading, 2018


[Off-Broadway]
Royal Family Off-Broadway Production, 2018


[Off-Broadway]
Playwrights Horizons Production, 2017
Peter Pan


[Off-Broadway]
Women's Project Theater Original Off-Broadway Production, 2015
Elizabeth


[Off-Broadway]
Manhattan Theatre Club Production, 2014
Edda Schmidt


[Off-Broadway]
Vineyard Theatre Production, 2013
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
2012
Sunny Jacobs [Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
New York Theatre Workshop Production, 2012
Rose


[Off-Broadway]
Keen Company Production, 2012
Fanny


[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 2008
Mrs. Gottlieb


[Off-Broadway]
2007
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
2006
Miss Havisham


[Off-Broadway]
2006
Father [Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
2004
Anna/Vera Cartwright/Frieda/One


[Off-Broadway]
2004
Gareth Peirce


[Off-Broadway]
2003
Anna Semyonova


[Off-Broadway]
2003
Madeleine


[Off-Broadway]
2003
Susan (Bed Among the Lentils)


[Off-Broadway]
Encores! Concert, 2001
Dolly Bloomer


[Off-Broadway]
1999
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 1999
[Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
1998
Vivian Bearing


[Off-Broadway]
1998
Vivian Bearing Ph.D


[Off-Broadway]
1998
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
1996
Non/Marie


[Off-Broadway]
1996
Mistress Quickly/Queen Isabel


[Broadway]
1995
Heather Espy


[Off-Broadway]
1995
Clov


[Off-Broadway]
1995
Jenny


[Off-Broadway]
1995
Clymenestra


[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1993
Rabbi Chemelwitz

Prelapsarianov

Council of Principalities

Henry

Hannah Pitt

Ethel Rosenberg

Prelapsarianov

Rabbi Chemelwitz

Henry

Council of Principalities

Ethel Rosenberg

Hannah Pitt

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1993
Henry

Rabbi Chemelwitz

Hannah Pitt

Ethel Rosenberg

Rabbi Chemelwitz

Henry

Hannah Pitt

Ethel Rosenberg

[Off-Broadway]
1992
Women


[Off-Broadway]
1990
Mrs. Ann Putnam


[Off-Broadway]
1988
Mrs. Potentate


[Broadway]
1988
Helga (Understudy)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

[Off-Broadway]
1981
Sister Mary Ignatius/ Sarah Siddons [Replacement]

[Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
1980
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
1978
(Understudy)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

[Off-Broadway]
1977


[Off-Broadway]
1976


[Off-Broadway]
1975


[Off-Broadway]
1975


[Off-Broadway]
1974


Productions

 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1975]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1974]
Production Coordinator
 
[Off-Broadway, 1974]
Production Coordinator

Awards and Nominations


winner
Obie Awards - 2018 - Lifetime Achievement Award

Kathleen Chalfant

Drama Desk Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Solo Performance

Kathleen ChalfantRose

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2016 - Outstanding Solo Performance

Kathleen ChalfantRose

Drama Desk Awards - 2015 - Outstanding Actress in a Play

Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods


winner
- 2012 - Legend of Off Broadway Award

Kathleen Chalfant


winner
The Lortels - 2004 - Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence

Kathleen Chalfant

Drama League Awards - 1999 - Distinguished Performance Award

Kathleen Chalfant, Wit


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 1999 - Outstanding Actress in a Play

Kathleen Chalfant, Wit


winner
The Lortels - 1999 - Outstanding Lead Actress

Kathleen Chalfant, Wit

Drama Desk Awards - 1993 - Outstanding Actress - Play

Kathleen Chalfan, Angels in America: Perestroika

Drama Desk Awards - 1993 - Outstanding Featured Actress - Play

Kathleen Chalfant, Angels in America

Tony Awards - 1993 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Kathleen Chalfant , Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

Videos

News


THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM Comes to the MAC
by Stephi Wild - Feb 20, 2026

TheaterWorksUSA will present THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM at the MAC, offering a theatrical journey through space for family audiences.
Review Roundup: THE DINOSAURS at Playwrights Horizons
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 17, 2026

The critics have stopped by for The Dinosaurs at Playwrights Horizons read their reviews of the new play by Jacob Perkins below!. The production was directed by Les Waters.
Woodie King, Jr., Founder of New Federal Theatre, Passes Away at 88
by Gillian Blum - Jan 31, 2026

Producer, director, and New Federal Theatre founder Woodie King Jr. passed away at 88 on January 29 following complications from emergency heart surgery.
Cantori New York to Present HAILSTORK AT 85 Featuring New Orchestration of CRISPUS ATTUCKS
by Gillian Blum - Jan 24, 2026

In celebration of Adolphus Hailstork's 85th birthday, Cantori New York will present an all-Hailstork tribute concert featuring a brand new chamber orchestration of Crispus Attucks (2005/2026) by composer and Cantori member Brian Dean Morales.
Photos: Simu Liu, Kathleen Chalfant, & More at THE COPENHAGEN TEST Screening
by Josh Sharpe - Dec 17, 2025

Explore photos from the special screening of The Copenhagen Test featuring Simu Liu, Kathleen Chalfant, and more at The Whitby Hotel.
Simu Liu Will Make Broadway Debut in OH, MARY!
by Stephi Wild - Dec 16, 2025

Actor Simu Liu will make his Broadway debut in the smash hit play Oh, Mary! Liu will join the Broadway comedy as “Mary’s Teacher” beginning on Tuesday, February 3, for performances through Tuesday, April 21.
Cast Set For THE DINOSAURS at Playwrights Horizons
by Stephi Wild - Dec 11, 2025

Casting has been announced for The Dinosaurs at Playwrights Horizons. The production was written by Jacob Perkins and directed by Les Waters. Performances will run February 4 - March 1, 2026 at the The Judith O. Rubin Theater.
Video/Photos: Brian D’Arcy James Stars in New Trailer for THE COPENHAGEN TEST
by Josh Sharpe - Dec 9, 2025

Peacock has shared a new trailer and first-look images for The Copenhagen Test, the espionage thriller series starring Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera (In the Heights). Check them out now.
Photos: John Gallagher Jr., Samira Wiley and More in THE LARAMIE PROJECT Reading
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 8, 2025

This weekend, Audible Theater presented the special 25th anniversary reading of Tectonic Theater Project’s The Laramie Project, live for four performances only at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre. See photos!
THE LARAMIE PROJECT 25th Anniversary Readings Begin Tomorrow at Audible Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 3, 2025

Audible Theater will present the special 25th anniversary reading of Tectonic Theater Project’s The Laramie Project, live for four performances only at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre.
Ethan Slater, Samira Wiley, Kal Penn and More to Star in THE LARAMIE PROJECT Reading
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 13, 2025

Audible Theater has revealed the cast for a special 25th anniversary reading of Tectonic Theater Project’s The Laramie Project, including Ethan Slater, Samira Wiley and more.
Interview: Jenny Lyn Bader and MRS. STERN WANDERS THE PRUSSIAN STATE LIBRARY at Luna Stage
by Marina Kennedy - Oct 17, 2025

Luna Stage in West Orange, NJ is presenting Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The show will run through November 2.
DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL is Returning to Wharton Center in November
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 14, 2025

Dog Man: The Musical, based on the best-selling book series by Dav Pilkey, will return to Wharton Center in November. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
Kathleen Chalfant and Ellen McLaughlin Will Lead PEN PALS at DR2
by Stephi Wild - Oct 3, 2025

Following its acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere, producer Lisa Dozier Shacket has announced the return of Pen Pals this summer at the DR2 Theatre for a strictly limited engagement.
George C. Wolfe: Behind the Curtain of Broadway’s Visionary Director
by Charles Kirsch - Sep 30, 2025

In 2024, the pioneering director George C. Wolfe, who brought iconic pieces like Angels in America and The Normal Heart to Broadway stages for the first time, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. If that award is meant to signal the twilight of a career, however, fear not: Wolfe came back to New York the very next year with his critically acclaimed revival of Gypsy starring Audra McDonald. 
Photos: Michelle Clunie and Megan Fellows in PEN PALS Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 5, 2025

See photos of Queer as Folk’s Michelle Cluni and Anne of Green Gable’s Megan Fellows in Pen Pals Off-Broadway. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets here!
Over 700 Artists and Organizations Sign Statement Defending Artistic Freedom
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 29, 2025

Over 700 artists and institutions have signed a statement supporting artistic freedom, and pledging to stand with institutions facing political pressure.
THE WHOLE OF TIME Sets Talk Backs With Kathleen Chalfant, Jaclyn Bethany, & More
by Michael Major - Aug 25, 2025

A robust talk back series will follow select performances of The Whole of Time by celebrated Argentinian playwright Romina Paula in a translation by Jean Graham-Jones.
Photos: PEN PALS Celebrates Opening Night At DR2 Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 22, 2025

Pen Pals officially opened its strictly limited engagement at the DR2 Theatre this week, and BroadwayWorld has your first look at photos from the celebration.
Photos: PEN PALS Opening Night Starring Nancy McKeon and Gail Winar
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 21, 2025

Pen Pals has returned this summer at the DR2 Theatre for a strictly limited engagement. See photos from opening night here and learn more about the production.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Kathleen Chalfant been in?

Kathleen Chalfant has appeared on Broadway in 4 shows.

How many West End shows has Kathleen Chalfant been in?

Kathleen Chalfant has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Kathleen Chalfant been nominated for?

Lifetime Achievement Award (Obie Awards), Outstanding Solo Performance (Drama Desk Awards) for Rose, Outstanding Solo Performance (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Rose, Outstanding Actress in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for A Walk in the Woods, Legend of Off Broadway Award (), Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence (The Lortels), Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for Wit, Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Wit , Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for Wit, Outstanding Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Angels in America: Perestroika, Outstanding Featured Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Angels in America and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.

What awards has Kathleen Chalfant won?

Kathleen Chalfant has received several prestigious awards throughout her career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Obie Awards and the Legend of Off Broadway Award. She was honored with the Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence at The Lortels. Additionally, she won Outstanding Actress in a Play from the Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance in Wit, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress at The Lortels for the same role in Wit.

Get Kathleen Chalfant Email Alerts

Be the first to get news, photos, videos & more.

Videos