# Swoosie Kurtz
**Swoosie Kurtz** (born 1944 in [Omaha, Nebraska](https://www.edgepedia.org/omaha-nebraska)) is an American actress known for a career that spans Broadway, television, and film. She won two [Tony Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-awards), for *Fifth of July* (1981) and *The House of Blue Leaves* (1986), and a Primetime Emmy Award for a guest appearance on *Carol & Company* in 1990.[1](https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/swoosie-kurtz/) On television she is widely recognized as Joyce Flynn, Melissa McCarthy's mother, on the sitcom *Mike & Molly*.[1](https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/swoosie-kurtz/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944, Omaha, Nebraska[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) |
| Name origin | Derived from "Swoose", half swan and half goose, the nickname of the B-17D bomber her father Frank Kurtz piloted in World War II[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) |
| Broadway debut | The 1975 revival of *Ah, Wilderness!*, as Muriel McComber[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) |
| Tony Awards | Winner, Best Featured Actress in a Play, *Fifth of July* (1981) and *The House of Blue Leaves* (1986); nominations for *Tartuffe* (1978), *Frozen* (2004), and *Heartbreak House* (2007)[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) |
| Primetime Emmy | 1 win and 10 nominations; won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 1990 for *Carol & Company*[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz) |
| Signature TV roles | Laurie on *Love, Sidney* (1981-1983), Alex Reed on *Sisters* (1991-1996), Lily Charles on *Pushing Daisies* (2007-2009), Joyce Flynn on *Mike & Molly* (2010-2016)[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) |
| Memoir | *Part Swan, Part Goose*, released April 29, 2014[6](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/authors/swoosie-kurtz-interview-there-were-no-rules-no-punishments-no-sort-of-boundaries) |
## Early life and name
Kurtz was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of author Margo Kurtz and Frank Kurtz.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) • [6](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/authors/swoosie-kurtz-interview-there-were-no-rules-no-punishments-no-sort-of-boundaries) Her father won an Olympic bronze medal in diving in 1932 and became one of the most decorated bomber pilots of World War II.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) His B-17D Flying Fortress carried the nickname "The Swoose", after Kay Kyser's hit song about a hybrid "half swan, half goose", and the aircraft gave Kurtz her first name.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/07/18/swoozie-kurtz-soars/8029fe23-9862-4827-a543-f37df21d912d/) That aircraft, USAAC 40-3097, once carried future president [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/lyndon-b-johnson) back to Australia and is now held by the [National Air and Space Museum](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-air-and-space-museum).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/)
As the daughter of a colonel in the [United States Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-air-force), she moved often during her school years, living in eight different states.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) In her own telling she attended 13 schools, and the family settled in Los Angeles when her father retired, where she attended Hollywood High.[9](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideC-Feb2022.pdf) She majored in drama at the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california), then studied voice, diction, and movement for two years at the [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-academy-of-music-and-dramatic-art) before returning to launch her New York stage career.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/)
Her first screen work came early: a debut on *The Donna Reed Show* in 1962 and an appearance on *To Tell the Truth* the same year.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) She began working in regional theater in 1966, and in 1971 she became a series regular on the daytime drama *As the World Turns*.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/)
## Stage career
Kurtz made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of *Ah, Wilderness!* and appeared the following season in the 1977 Circle in the Square revival of Molière's *Tartuffe*, which brought her first Tony Award nomination, for Best Featured Actress in a Play.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) Her breakout was an Obie Award-winning performance in the original 1977 [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) production of Wendy Wasserstein's *Uncommon Women and Others*, playing one of the Mount Holyoke graduates of Wasserstein's semi-autobiographical ensemble drama.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) She followed it in 1978 with the musical *A History of the American Film* by Christopher Durang, winning a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/)
**The triple crown.** As Gwen, the eccentric heiress of [Lanford Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/lanford-wilson)'s *Fifth of July*, Kurtz collected Broadway's "triple crown", the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, in 1981.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/07/18/swoozie-kurtz-soars/8029fe23-9862-4827-a543-f37df21d912d/) A Washington Post review of that period described a performance that "nearly dominat[ed] a play she was meant to support".[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/07/18/swoozie-kurtz-soars/8029fe23-9862-4827-a543-f37df21d912d/) In 1986 she won a second Tony, again for Best Featured Actress in a Play, as Bananas Shaughnessy, the mentally unstable housewife of John Guare's *The House of Blue Leaves*.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/)
Later stage work kept the same level of recognition. She starred as playwright [Lillian Hellman](https://www.edgepedia.org/lillian-hellman) in *Imaginary Friends* (2002), played Nancy, the grieving mother of an abducted child, in *Frozen* (2004), and earned Tony nominations as Best Actress in a Play for both *Frozen* and the 2006 revival of Shaw's *Heartbreak House*.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) A 1999 Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play came for *The Mineola Twins*, and an Outer Critics Circle Award in the same year went to her for that production.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996) • [5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/)
## Television
Kurtz's prime-time television record, as tabulated by the Television Academy, comprises 10 nominations and 1 win.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz) She co-starred in [Tony Randall](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-randall)'s sitcom *Love, Sidney* on NBC from 1981 to 1983, receiving nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1982 and 1983.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) The Emmy win came in 1990, as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the [Carol Burnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/carol-burnett) series *Carol & Company*.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz)
From 1991 to 1996 she played Alex Reed on the NBC drama *Sisters*, earning nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1993 and 1994.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz) Cable work brought further nominations: Joanne Winslow-Darvish in HBO's *The Image* (1990) and Mrs. Johnstone in HBO's *And the Band Played On* (1993), both for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a [Miniseries](https://www.edgepedia.org/miniseries) or Special.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz) Guest appearances produced more nominations, for *ER* in 1998 as Tina-Marie Chambliss and for *Huff* in 2005 and 2006 as Madeline Sullivan.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz)
**Later series work.** In 2007 she took the role of Lily Charles, half of a former synchronized swimming duo, on the ABC fantasy comedy *Pushing Daisies*, a role she described as the most eccentric character she had ever played.[10](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/crazy-swoosie) In 2010 she began playing Joyce Flynn, Melissa McCarthy's mother, on *Mike & Molly*, appearing in 127 episodes through 2016.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/) After that came a recurring role as [Matt LeBlanc](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-leblanc)'s mother on *Man with a Plan* and the role of Sheila, Mayim Bialik's mother, on *Call Me Kat* from 2021.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) Her long credit list also includes *Lost*, *Desperate Housewives*, *That's Life*, *Still Standing*, *Nurse Jackie*, and voice roles on *American Dad!* and the 2021 *Rugrats* revival.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/)
## Film
Kurtz's film roles are supporting parts rather than leads, but several are remembered. A brief appearance as a world-weary prostitute in *The World According to Garp* (1982) drew wide notice, and she played Madame de Volanges opposite [Glenn Close](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-close) and John Malkovich in Stephen Frears's *Dangerous Liaisons* (1988).[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) Her other credits include *Citizen Ruth* (1996), *Liar Liar* (1997), *Cruel Intentions* (1999), and *Bubble Boy* (2001), in which she played Mrs. Livingston.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/) • [11](https://d23.com/a-to-z/kurtz-swoosie/)
## Memoir and later years
In 2014 Kurtz published the memoir *Part Swan, Part Goose*, which weaves her own story with passages from her mother Margo's 1945 homefront memoir *My Rival, the Sky*, and discusses her experience caring for an aging parent.[6](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/authors/swoosie-kurtz-interview-there-were-no-rules-no-punishments-no-sort-of-boundaries) In interviews she has described the divide between her stage and private selves with the line "I don't have stage fright. I have life fright", and has said that acting is where she feels most authentic.[6](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/authors/swoosie-kurtz-interview-there-were-no-rules-no-punishments-no-sort-of-boundaries) • [10](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/crazy-swoosie)
Her reputation across the trade press has remained that of a character actress of unusual range, called on for quirky or off-center parts; as she put it herself, "I'm usually the one they call when they need somebody that's had shock treatments".[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/) • [10](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/crazy-swoosie)
## References
1. [Swoosie Kurtz, USC School of Dramatic Arts](https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/swoosie-kurtz/)
2. [Swoosie Kurtz, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/swoosie-kurtz-67996)
3. [Swoosie Kurtz, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001436/)
4. [Swoosie Kurtz, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/swoosie-kurtz)
5. [Swoosie Kurtz, Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Swoosie-Kurtz/)
6. [Swoosie Kurtz Interview, Smashing Interviews Magazine](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/authors/swoosie-kurtz-interview-there-were-no-rules-no-punishments-no-sort-of-boundaries)
7. [Swoosie Kurtz, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/swoosie-kurtz/)
8. [Swoozie Kurtz Soars, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/07/18/swoozie-kurtz-soars/8029fe23-9862-4827-a543-f37df21d912d/)
9. [5 Questions with Swoosie Kurtz of Call Me Kat, Channel Guide Magazine](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideC-Feb2022.pdf)
10. [Crazy Swoosie, Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/crazy-swoosie)
11. [Kurtz, Swoosie, D23 Disney A to Z](https://d23.com/a-to-z/kurtz-swoosie/)
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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 Ki to La*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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