About
"I was brought up to believe that acting was a noble profession. I do think that we need each others stories. The fact that not everybody's stories get told is tragic-- the fact that we tell stories that discourage and disappoint and violate people-- that's also very wrong in my opinion. I wish there were more stories that had to do with uplift and beauty and delight… Television doesn't lead anything, television reflects what's going on- in several years delay. So all of a sudden women had best friends. They had somebody to talk to and I was the somebody to talk to for quite a while."
In her three-hour interview, Tyne Daly talks about her father James Daly who was a regular on the series Medical Center, a series for which she would have a recurring role in her early career. She chronicles her other early parts in television, including episodes of The Rookies, on which she worked with future husband George Stanford Brown. She speaks in great detail about the role and series with which she is most associated, playing "Mary Beth Lacey" on Cagney & Lacey. For Cagney & Lacey, she describes the character she played, gives her impressions of her co-stars, and talks about winning the Emmy Award for the series. She also acknowledges her work as a regular on the series Christy (with Kellie Martin) and Judging Amy (with Amy Brenneman). Additionally, she talks about her television movie appearances, including several she made with actor Richard Crenna and The Wedding Dress in which she co-starred with her daughter Kathryne Dora Brown. Jim Colucci conducted the interview on October 24, 2007 in New York, NY.
Highlights
Tyne Daly on creating a voice for her character on Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on working closely with Sharon Gless on developing their Cagney & Lacey characters
Tyne Daly on how Cagney & Lacey was resurrected after cancellation due to a large fanbase and Barney Rosenzweig's PR campaign
Tyne Daly on winning her first Emmy for Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on working with Richard Crenna (as "Jared Duff") on Judging Amy
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her early childhood and influences
On inheriting her mother's passion for work; her first experience on the stage; on her education
Chapter 2
On moving to Los Angeles; on working on Medical Center and The Virginian; on roles for women on television that were available at the time; on working with her father
On her role as a handicapped woman on The Rookies
On how Cagney & Lacey came about; on the changing role for women on television; on the TV movie version
Chapter 3
On her character "Mary Beth" on Cagney & Lacey; on creating her accent and voice
On working closely with series co-star Sharon Gless on developing Cagney & Lacey
On her various Cagney & Lacey co-stars
Chapter 4
On her Cagney & Lacey co-stars
On winning her first Emmy for Cagney & Lacey
On her post-Cagney & Lacey career; the CBS TV-movie Kids Like These
Chapter 5
On her guest appearance on Columbo
On joining the cast of Christy (CBS) as a Quaker woman "Alice Henderson"
On Judging Amy, the CBS drama as "Maxine Gray"
Chapter 6
On Judging Amy co-stars Richard Crenna and Cheech Marin
On winning her sixth Emmy for Judging Amy for her character "Maxine Gray"
On her role in "Gypsy" on Broadway as "Mama Rose"
On her advice to aspiring actors; on career highlights
Shows
Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on how Cagney & Lacey came about and other roles that prepared her for the role
Tyne Daly on the casting process for Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on filming Cagney & Lacey as a made-for-TV-movie with Loretta Swit before it became a series
Tyne Daly on how Cagney & Lacey became a series under the producer Barney Rosenzweig, on how he cast the show, and the various cancellations of the show
Tyne Daly on how Cagney & Lacey was resurrected after cancellation due to a large fanbase and Barney Rosenzweig's PR campaign
Tyne Daly on creating a voice for her character on Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on winning her first Emmy for Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on her least favorite Cagney & Lacey episodes
Christy
On joining the cast of Christy (CBS) as a Quaker woman "Alice Henderson"
Columbo
Tyne Daly on working with Peter Falk when she appeared on Columbo
Intimate Strangers
Tyne Daly on the television movie Intimate Strangers for which she won an Emmy
Judging Amy
On Judging Amy, the CBS drama as "Maxine Gray"
Tyne Daly on working with Richard Crenna (as "Jared Duff") on Judging Amy
Tyne Daly on winning her sixth Emmy for Judging Amy for her character "Maxine Gray"
Rookies, The
Tyne Daly on her role as a handicapped woman on The Rookies
Topics
Emmy Awards
Tyne Daly on winning her first Emmy for Cagney & Lacey
Tyne Daly on being, at the time, the most-nominated actress for Emmys
Tyne Daly on winning her sixth Emmy for Judging Amy for her character "Maxine Gray"
People
Amy Brenneman
Tyne Daly on working with Amy Brenneman on Judging Amy
Richard Crenna
Tyne Daly on working with Richard Crenna
Tyne Daly on working with Richard Crenna (as "Jared Duff") on Judging Amy
Peter Falk
Tyne Daly on working with Peter Falk when she appeared on Columbo
Sharon Gless
Tyne Daly on working closely with Sharon Gless on developing their Cagney & Lacey characters
Barney Rosenzweig
Tyne Daly on how Cagney & Lacey became a series under producer Barney Rosenzweig, on how he cast the show, and the various cancellations of the show
Tyne Daly on working with executive producer Barney Rosenzweig "a permanent and delightful wrestling match"
Loretta Swit
Tyne Daly on filming Cagney & Lacey as a made-for-TV-movie with Loretta Swit before it became a series