# Anne De Salvo
**Anne De Salvo** (also spelled Anne DeSalvo; born 1949) is an American actress, director, writer, and acting teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose screen career spans from the late 1970s to the 2020s[1](https://www.fandango.com/people/anne-de-salvo-165597/film-credits) • [2](https://www.cinefil.com/star/anne-desalvo-anne-desalvo). She is known for film roles in *Arthur* (1981), *My Favorite Year* (1982), and *Stardust Memories* (1980), and for writing and directing *The Amati Girls* (2000)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA[1](https://www.fandango.com/people/anne-de-salvo-165597/film-credits) |
| Best-known films | Gloria in *Arthur* (1981), Alice Miller in *My Favorite Year* (1982), Sandy's Sister in *Stardust Memories* (1980)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/) |
| Highest-rated film | *My Favorite Year* (1982), 97% on the Tomatometer[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/anne_desalvo) |
| Directing and writing | Director and writer of *The Amati Girls* (2000); director of the short *Women Without Implants* (1997)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/) |
| Theater honors | Obie Award and Showbusiness Award for Distinguished Performance as Lucille Pompi in Albert Innaurato's *Gemini*, opposite Danny Aiello[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/) |
| Television debut | *The Last Tenant* (1978), an Emmy-winning production, as Lee Strasberg's daughter[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/bio/) |
| Teaching | On the faculty of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute since 2003; lifetime member of the Actors Studio[7](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2018/document/faac8e9e-eb03-4a99-a7a3-bf976ea43d6a) |
## Film career
DeSalvo's early film roles placed her alongside major comic actors of the era. She appeared in *Starting Over* (1979) with [Burt Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-reynolds), *Stardust Memories* (1980) with [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen), *Arthur* (1981) with [Dudley Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/dudley-moore), *My Favorite Year* (1982) with Peter O'Toole, the Dudley Moore comedy *Lovesick* (1983), and *D.C. Cab* (1983)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/anne_desalvo). Later 1980s and 1990s credits include *Compromising Positions* (1985) with Susan Sarandon, *Burglar* (1987) with Whoopi Goldberg, *Taking Care of Business* (1990) with James Belushi and Charles Grodin, *Radioland Murders* (1994), and Diane Keaton's dramatic adaptation *Unstrung Heroes* (1995)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/anne_desalvo) • [5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/).
On Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, *My Favorite Year* stands as her highest-rated film at 97 percent, and *Perfect* (1985) her lowest at 18 percent[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/anne_desalvo). Her screen work leans toward comedy: an Italian film database classifies half of her film roles as comedy, with drama, thriller, and romance making up the rest[8](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/anne-de-salvo/30874/biografia/).
## Television
DeSalvo's television debut came in *The Last Tenant* (1978), an Emmy-winning production in which she played [Lee Strasberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg)'s daughter[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/bio/). She went on to guest-star in a long list of series, including *2 Broke Girls*, *The Closer*, *CSI: Miami*, *Entourage*, *Monk*, *Sex and the City*, *Felicity*, *Chicago Hope*, *The X-Files*, *Northern Exposure*, *Ellen*, *thirtysomething*, and *The Cosby Show*, with recurring roles on *L.A. Law*, *Taxi*, *Cheers*, and *Wiseguy*[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/anne-de-salvo/). Her television movies include USA's *Dead in the Water* (1991) with [Teri Hatcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/teri-hatcher) and Brian Brown, directed by [Bill Condon](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-condon), HBO's *Hi-Life* opposite Charles Durning, *The Ordeal of Patty Hearst*, *The Amy Fisher Story*, *Almost a Woman* on Masterpiece Theatre, and Hallmark's *Citizen Jane* and *The Wishing Well*[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/). Metacritic records 26 television credits with an average career score of 71, its highest-scoring entry being *Felicity* at 87[9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/anne-de-salvo/).
## Theater
DeSalvo trained in New York with Lee Strasberg and [Stella Adler](https://www.edgepedia.org/stella-adler) and became a Broadway and [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) performer, originating roles in plays by Christopher Durang (*The Nature and Purpose of the Universe*), Albert Innaurato (*The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie*), and Peter Parnell (*The Sorrows of Stephen*)[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/). Her performance as Lucille Pompi opposite [Danny Aiello](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-aiello) in Innaurato's Broadway hit *Gemini* won her an Obie Award and a Showbusiness Award for Distinguished Performance[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/). She also received critical acclaim opposite Harvey Fierstein in his play *Safe Sex* on Broadway[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/).
Her later stage work includes the 1992 Best Actress Award at the [Pasadena Playhouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/pasadena-playhouse) for *Lend Me a Tenor*, *The Miser* at Yale, the world premiere of *Human Voices* at the Spoleto Festival, Stephen Schwartz's *Working* at the Goodman Theatre, and Sister Aloysius in *Doubt* at the Judy Bayley Theatre in Las Vegas[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/). A 1990 Los Angeles Times profile noted that her screen parts often cast her as tough or abrasive characters, in contrast to her stage range[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-18-ca-672-story.html).
## Directing, writing, and teaching
DeSalvo directed the short *Women Without Implants* (1997) and then wrote and directed the feature *The Amati Girls* (2000), in which she also played Cathy alongside [Cloris Leachman](https://www.edgepedia.org/cloris-leachman), Mercedes Ruehl, and [Sean Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-young)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/). *The Amati Girls* won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the Marco Island Film Festival[5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/).
As a teacher, she has been on the faculty of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute since 2003, trains actors in the Method at Circle in the Square in New York, coaches privately, and is developing a one-woman show about [Anna Magnani](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-magnani)[7](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2018/document/faac8e9e-eb03-4a99-a7a3-bf976ea43d6a) • [5](https://www.annedesalvo.com/). She holds a BFA from [Temple University](https://www.edgepedia.org/temple-university), is a lifetime member of the [Actors Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-studio), and has belonged to SAG/AFTRA and Actors' Equity since 1976[7](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2018/document/faac8e9e-eb03-4a99-a7a3-bf976ea43d6a).
Her recent screen work continues into the 2020s, with roles in *Double Exposure* (2024) and the television series *First Love* (2022), and an upcoming appearance in the short *City of Dreams*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/).
## References
1. [Anne De Salvo Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/anne-de-salvo-165597/film-credits)
2. [Anne Desalvo : sa biographie, filmographie, et quelques photos, Cinéfil](https://www.cinefil.com/star/anne-desalvo-anne-desalvo)
3. [Anne DeSalvo, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/)
4. [Anne De Salvo Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/anne_desalvo)
5. [Anne DeSalvo, official website](https://www.annedesalvo.com/)
6. [Anne DeSalvo - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0211408/bio/)
7. [Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute catalog, California BPPE annual report](https://www.bppe.ca.gov/webapplications/annualReports/2018/document/faac8e9e-eb03-4a99-a7a3-bf976ea43d6a)
8. [Anne De Salvo biografia, Comingsoon.it](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/anne-de-salvo/30874/biografia/)
9. [Anne De Salvo, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/anne-de-salvo/)
10. [The Softer Side of Anne DeSalvo, Los Angeles Times (August 18, 1990)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-18-ca-672-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Ro to Sa*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license