NYWIFT Blog

#Muse40for40: Meryl Streep (1983)

For our final #Muse40for40 installment we had to of course give a shout out to the indomitable Meryl Streep. Meryl was honored in 1983, and the photo of her cheeky over-the-shoulder smile as she modeled a NYWIFT jacket has become an indelible image for our organization.

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#Muse40for40: Susan Sarandon (1990)

For an actress who said “my life has been filled with happy accidents,” it’s not surprising that Susan Sarandon got her start in the business in a serendipitous way, when she accompanied her then husband to an audition shortly after college.

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#Muse40for40: Cicely Tyson (1999)

Born in Harlem in 1924, Academy Award winner, Golden Globe nominee, and three-time Emmy winner Cicely Tyson was first discovered by a fashion photographer working for Ebony Magazine, and began her career as a fashion model.

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#Muse40for40: Maggie Gyllenhaal (2014)

Oscar-nominated and Brooklyn-based mother, activist, actress and producer Maggie Gyllenhaal has spent much of her career making independent films, and has accrued a body of work that is both bold and complex. From her breakout sadomasochistic role in The Secretary, to her boundary-pushing, compelling performance in The Kindergarten Teacher, Gyllenhaal has not followed the blockbuster path, opting for films that challenge the way we think.

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#Muse40for40: Alfre Woodard (2002)

Oscar nominee, Golden Globe and four-time Emmy Award winner, Oklahoma-born Alfre Woodard had her breakthrough role in 1977 in the legendary off-Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

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#Muse40for40: Penny Marshall (1994)

Bronx-born Penny Marshall, best known for playing Laverne DeFazio on ABC's Laverne & Shirley, smashed Hollywood's glass ceiling with her sophmoric directorial effort Big ('88) starring Tom Hanks.

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#Muse40for40: Madhur Jaffrey (2000)

Actress, food and travel writer, cookbook author, and television personality Madhur Jaffrey began her illustrious career in Delhi, India, where she performed in school Shakespeare plays and dramas on All India Radio, eventually appearing in acclaimed theatrical productions on the Indian stage.

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#Muse40for40: Glenn Close (1989)

Glenn Close had a distinguished career on Broadway, long before she made her feature film debut in 1982's The World According To Garp, alongside Robin Williams. Yet, it was her role as a psychopathic temptress in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction that turned her into a box office darling and a household name

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#Muse40for40: America Ferrera (2009)

America Ferrera is an actress and producer who made her film debut in 2002 in Real Women Have Curves. She has also starred in the drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and television roles like ABC’s Ugly Betty (2006–2010)

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#Muse40for40: Phylicia Rashad (2001)

Phylicia Rashad is a television, film & Broadway actress, stage director & singer. Her role on NBC’s The Cosby Show (1984–92), earned her Emmy Award nominations in the mid ‘80s.

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#Muse40for40: Marquita Pool-Eckert (1999)

The award-winning journalist and producer Marquita Pool-Eckert began her career journey at WABC-TV in New York. She continued on to WNET/13 Public TV to then finally making her way to CBS and becoming the senior producer at CBS News, overseeing production at CBS Sunday Morning.

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#Muse40for40: Sally Field (1994)

Sally Field is an actor and director who has received two Academy Awards among many other accolades. She began her career in television in the series Gidget in the mid 60’s.

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#Muse40for40: Ellen Burstyn (2018)

Actor Ellen Burstyn is known for her work in a number of movies and television shows including Requiem for a Dream, The Exorcist, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Last Picture Show, Law & Order: SVU, Political Animals, Resurrection, The Age of Adaline, House of Cards and many others.

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#Muse40for40: Ida Lupino (1998)

Ida Lupino was an English-born American film and television actress, director, and screenwriter who first gained fame through her portrayals of strong, worldly-wise characters and went on to become one of the first women to direct films in Hollywood

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#Muse40for40: Judith Light (2017)

A two-time Tony Award winning actress and producer, Judith Light has starred in highly successful television shows including Amazon Prime's Golden Globe winning series Transparent, One Life to Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ugly Betty, Who’s The Boss? and on Broadway in Lombardi, Other Desert Cities, The Assembled Parties, Wit, and more.

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#Muse40for40: Abigail Disney (2014)

Abigail E. Disney is an American documentary filmmaker, philanthropist, and social activist. She produced the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, and is the executive producer, writer, and director of The Armor of Light, which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary.

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#Muse40for40: Gabourey Sidibe (2015)

Gabourey Sidibe is an Academy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actress recognized for her roles in the films Precious, Gravy, Life Partners and White Bird in a Blizzard.

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#Muse40for40: Sarah Barnett (2015)

When we honored Sarah Barnett with a Muse Award in 2015 she was the President and General Manager of BBC America; under her leadership the network enjoyed awards recognition and a ratings surge for popular programs including Orphan Black, Doctor Who, and Killing Eve.

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