Judith Light stars as Sara Campbell
formerly Sara Lipschitz from Flushing
in a sitcom homage to Martha Stewart.
America's self-proclaimed authority on
situation was absurd; everything was
"homespun country living."
falling apart.
She moves her studios from
"A sweet and wonderful woman,
Manhattan
to a working farm in
Susan Geller, helped me out and they
eeking to impress and secure
upstate New York and slowly discovers
agreed
that
dinner
was
delicious.
God
top-notch representation in
where eggs and veal come from under
bless them all. My husband is still
Hollywood, new arrival
the guidance of her handsome farm-
with
one
of
those
agencies."
Judith Light invited a handful
hand, Luke Barton (Brett Cullen).
Despite
the
fitful
start,
the
sleek,
5-
of powerful theatrical agents for an
Three kids run around with little to
foot-7-inch,
49-year-old
actress
soon
elaborate dinner party at her recently
do.
became a hostess of renown in show
rented home 15 years ago.
"This is not a send-up of Martha
business
circles,
but
remained
a
con-
She had already bagged two day-
Stewart
— this is a homage to Martha
trol freak always working herself to the
time Emmy Awards for her work as
Stewart,"
Light cautions. "Playing Sara
brink of exhaustion out of sight in the
wild hooker/demure doctor's wife
kitchen.
She
kept
it
up,
even
dur-
Karen Wolek on the New York-based
ing the frenetic years of playing
"One Life to Live" — plus starred in
Angela
Bower, the uptight advertis-
several Broadway plays — but nobody
ing
executive
with a male house-
knew her name in Los Angeles. The
keeper,
on
"Who's
the Boss?"
intimate dinner she had planned could
(1984-92).
change her status overnight.
Knowing that his client "doesn't
The guests, probably worfl to a
relax very well," Light's longtime
frazzle after a 12-hour day, were
manager, Herb Hamsher, started
expected at 7. Light's car broke down
toying with a sitcom idea starring
early in the afternoon and she was
his
somewhat hyper client as
forced to rent a vehicle in order to fin-
"Who's
the Boss?" was winding
ish her shopping for fresh Cornish
down.
He
wanted a character very
hens and vegetables to present a tasty,
close
to
her
personality: "a person
perfectly color-coordinated meal.
completely obsessed with doing
With some help from her husband-
something she loves, which
in-waiting, actor Robert Desiderio,
Includes the good life and gracious
she worked like a person possessed to
living."
set everything up, then slithered into a
But Light turned off Hamsher's
slinky dress.
sitcom
concept in favor of the corn-
The handsome Hollywood new-
edy
series
"Phenom" (1993-94).
corners had a wonderful time enter-
When
"Phenom"
proved to be a
taining their high-powered guests until
Judith Light: Growing up, the former "Who's
flash in the pan, she was side-
Light made one more inspection of
the Boss?" star was one of six Jewish students
tracked for a few years as the star
the kitchen — only to discover that
at
St. Mary's, a private girls school.
and/or producer of such telefilms as
she had not turned on the unfamiliar
"Carriers," "Too Close to Home,"
oven. The sumptuous meal wasn't
Campbell means I'm playing control-
"A Step Toward Tomorrow," "Murder
served until 10:30 p.m.
freak me, which could be embarrass-
At
My
Door"
and
"A
Husband;
A
Having survived one of the most
ing. But I'm playing it for laughs,
Wife, A Lover."
horrendous nightmares in her profes-
because I've learned to be less obses-
A couple of years ago, during a few
sional life, she raised her glass to make
sive and frenetic than a few years ago.
idle minutes, she discussed Hamsher's
a toast — as the armrest fell off her
"Before, I was pretending to be the
sitcom project one more time.
rented chair. A deafening silence
swan gliding over the water, while
"Suddenly,
and
I
don't
know
why,
I
ensued.
underneath I was paddling like crazy.
found Herb's idea funny," she recalls.
"Something had to be said," says
Now I tell the people the truth: 'It was
The
result
is
"The
Simple
Life,"
Light, "and I finally told them that the
easy,' or 'I worked my butt off.'"
featuring Light as neurotic lifestyle TV
An only child, she was born and
host Sara Campbell (formerly known
Eirik Knutzen writes for Copley News
raised
in Trenton, N.J., to an accoun-
as Sara Lipschitz from Flushing),
Service.
EIRIK KNUTZEN
Special to The Jewish News
S
7/3
1998
84
tant and a women's wear buyer who
indulged their daughter's penchant for
acting from the age of 5. One of only
six Jewish students at St. Mary's Hall,
a highly respected private girls' high L
school, Light also enrolled in summer
drama programs at Carnegie Tech
(now Carnegie-Mellon University) in
Pennsylvania.
Fortified with a bachelor of fine arts
in 1970, she made her professional
acting debut in Richard III at the
California Shakespeare Festival in Los
Gatos. Five years with Seattle and
Milwaukee repertory companies paveci—\
the way for her 1975 Broadway
entrance in A Doll's House with Liv
Ullmann.
Her first screen role was an educa-
tional video teaching illiterate people
how to choose electrical appliances,
followed by an episode of "Kojak."
During a dry spell two years later,
Light contemplated getting out of the
acting business, perhaps to study law or --\
psychotherapy. That afternoon, she
became a $350 per-day understudy on
"One Life to Live" for an actress who
never fell ill. She swallowed her superior
attitude toward daytime soaps, eventu-
ally accepted the part of Karen Wolek
and thrived for the next five years.
She met her husband-to-be when
Desiderio was cast as Steve Piermont,
her lover on "One Life to Live." They -`
have since chosen to produce together,
but not to act opposite each other.
"We decided to keep our careers
separate long ago," Light explains. By
choice, they have not embraced par-
enthood.
"We love children, but I don't know
if we would ever want to have one,"
says Light. "Our work is very demand--/
ing and I believe that children are a
career. As a mother, I would probably
end up wanting to be home." ❑
The Simple Life" airs 8:30 p.m.
Wednesdays on CBS.