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Rebecca Pidgeon

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Rebecca Pidgeon
Pidgeon at the premiere of Redbelt, April 2008
Born (1965-10-25) October 25, 1965 (age 59)
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationActress/Singer-songwriter
Years active1986–present
Spouse(s)David Mamet (1991-present; 2 children)

Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 25, 1965)[1] is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.

Early life

Pidgeon was born to English parents in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while her father, Carl R. Pidgeon, was a visiting professor at MIT.[2][3] Her mother was a yoga teacher.[2] Her paternal grandmother, Monica Pidgeon, the editor of Architectural Design, was the sister of artist Olga Lehmann and art critic Andrew George Lehmann.[4][5] She moved to Edinburgh, Scotland in 1970, with her parents. She holds dual American/British citizenship. She attended drama college and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London alongside Clive Owen, Liza Tarbuck and Serena Harragin.[6] After some promising work as an actress in the UK, she moved back to the U.S.

Career

From 1986 to 1990, Pidgeon was the lead singer of the British folk/pop band Ruby Blue. Pidgeon left Ruby Blue shortly after the band signed a major record label and was beginning to gather both commercial and critical success. She appeared in her first feature film in 1988, The Dawning. She then decided to concentrate on her acting career, starring in David Mamet's plays and films, initially in Homicide, then in Oleanna onstage, a part written for her by Mamet. She composed the music for the film version which starred Debra Eisenstadt in her role. [citation needed]

Returning to music in 1994, she released the solo album The Raven, followed by New York Girls' Club. Another album, The Four Marys, a collection of traditional Celtic folk songs, followed in 1998. In October 2005, she released Tough on Crime, which featured Walter Becker on guitar and the late Billy Preston on keyboards. Her most recent album, Behind the Velvet Curtain: Songs from the Motion Picture Redbelt, includes a cover version of the Beach Boys song, "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and a duet with Luciana Souza.

Pidgeon has had starring roles in several of Mamet's films, including The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Winslow Boy (1999), State and Main (2000), and Heist (2001). She had a small role in the 2008 movie Redbelt written and directed by Mamet, and also performed the music in it. Her most recent major film appearance was in 2010's Red. She appeared in the U.S. television series The Unit, playing Charlotte Ryan, and had a role in Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007), as Leeann Lewis, a murder-bank robbery suspect.

Personal life

Pidgeon is married to the American writer and director David Mamet. She met Mamet while acting in his play Speed-the-Plow during its run at the National Theatre, London.

Although married at the time to actress Lindsay Crouse, Mamet began a relationship with Pidgeon. Mamet divorced Crouse in 1990 and married Pidgeon in 1991. Pidgeon and Mamet have two children, Clara and Noah. Pidgeon, who was born to a non-practicing Christian family, converted to Mamet's Jewish faith.[7][8][9]

Discography

  • The Raven (1994)
  • The New York Girl's Club (1996)
  • The Four Marys (1998)
  • Retrospective (2003)
  • Tough on Crime (2005)
  • Behind the Velvet Curtain (2008)
  • Slingshot (2012)

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Rebecca Pidgeon profile at FilmReference.com
  2. ^ a b Winters, Laura (April 5, 1998). "FILM; A Deft Stage Presence Moves Into the Movies". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  3. ^ Carl Pidgeon biodata
  4. ^ "Monica Pidgeon". The Daily Telegraph. London. October 20, 2009.
  5. ^ Rowntree, Diana (September 21, 2009). "Monica Pidgeon obituary". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ "Hollywood previews". hollywoodpreviews.com. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  7. ^ Tabor, Mary B. W. (March 29, 1995). "Book Notes". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Weber, Bruce (November 17, 1994). "AT HOME WITH: David Mamet; Thoughts From A Man's Man". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  9. ^ "Miami Herald, January 25, 2001". January 25, 2001.

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