She first made her mark belting out songs on Broadway in the mid-60s before going on to land her iconic role on the silver screen as one of Hollywood’s most unforgettable mothers.
It was a career-defining part that saw this actress embody a loud, but warm and loving matriarch in a hit romantic comedy in the early 2000s.
But long before that, the Brooklyn native built her reputation as both a singer and an actor, sharing the stage with Hollywood legends including Dean Martin and even serving as Barbra Streisand‘s understudy in the 1964 musical Funny Girl.
She went on to appear in dozens of television shows, perhaps most notably, hit sitcom The Nanny, where she played Aunt Frieda, and guest starring on medical drama series St. Elsewhere, which earned her an Emmy nomination.
Now 85, the TV and theater star keeps a low profile and rarely makes public appearances – making her outing in Los Angeles last week all the more surprising.
Can you guess who it is?
This actress and singer, perhaps best known for playing a loud, lovable matriarch in a hit 2002 romantic comedy, was snapped during a rare outing in Los Angeles last week
Now 85, the star tends to keep a lower profile and uses a wheelchair to get around, exclusive Daily Mail photos show
It’s Lainie Kazan!
The Hollywood veteran, beloved for her role as Maria Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequels, was seen enjoying a day out in Los Angeles last Monday in exclusive Daily Mail photos.
The Broadway star was carefully assisted out of a car and into a wheelchair.
Though she looked worlds away from her larger-than-life stage and big-screen persona, Kazan still looked glamorous in a leopard-printed blouse, taupe palazzo pants, sandals and white ruffled shawl.
She also accessorized with dangling gold earrings, designer sunglasses and gold jewelry.
Kazan began acting and performing at supper clubs and variety shows in the 1960s, before going on to land major film roles, including 1982 My Favorite Year, for which she earned a Golden Globe.
It was Kazan’s role as Maria Portokalos alongside Nia Vardalos in hit 2002 romcom My Big Fat Greek Wedding that introduced her to a whole new generation of fans
Kazan began acting and performing at supper clubs and variety shows in the 1960s, before going on to land major film roles; pictured on stage in 1985
The actress, pictured in 2012, reprised her role as Maria in the 2016 sequel and again in 2023 for the third installment of the franchise
She also starred in the Broadway musical of the movie, which also earned her a Tony for Best Featured Actress in 1993.
In 1970, at the height of her fame, she even posed for Playboy, a move that made headlines but also cemented her as a bombshell and serious talent.
But it was Nia Vardalos’s 2002 blockbuster romantic comedy that introduced Kazan to a whole new generation of fans, as she played one of the most unforgettable moms in Hollywood history.
She reunited with the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding cast for the sequel in 2016 and again in 2023 for the third installment of the franchise in which her character is battling dementia.
Kazan lives a quieter life these days, and largely keeps out of the spotlight.
In 2017, she was arrested for shoplifting from Gelson’s grocery store in Los Angeles, but was later released.
