Betsy Aidem

Betsy Aidem is an American actress.

Her film work includes The Bleeding House, See You in the Morning, A Vigilante, and Aeris. Her television work includes The High Life and The Americans, appearing in the latter in the episodes "Safe House" and "Covert War".

Her stage work includes Steel Magnolias and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Prayer for the French Republic. In 2007, she was given an Obie Award for "sustained excellence of performance" for her work Off-Broadway.

Background Aidem first became interested in acting while she was in high school. Her debut was as a fairy in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. She was the first wife of William Fichtner and had a child with him.

Career Stage work Midway through 2009, Aidem was in Nicki Bloom's Tender, a story about an act of violence that destroys a family. The play, directed by Daniela Topol, also starred Kerry Bishé, Michael Cullen, and Matt Dellapina. In October 2018, she appeared as the loony and flamboyant Professor Carroway in Love Course which was about two eccentric neurotics, Carroway and Professor Burgess, teaching a course in romantic literature and two students who attend the course and end up teaching it. She is also a stage play director and her first professional production as director was 2018's A Doll's House, Part 2, a George Street Playhouse production of the Lucas Hnath comedy.

Film work Her earliest film work was in the 1982 film A Little Sex, where she played a passer-by. In 1985, she appeared in the television film Kojak: The Belarus File as Elissa Barak.

She appeared in Sarah Daggar-Nickson's 2018 film A Vigilante which starred Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector and Kyle Catlett. Also that year she was in Aeris, a film about a couple adopting a sick kitten.

Television shows Her work on television shows includes recurring roles on The High Life as Irene, and as Dr. Sloane on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Stage appearances + Title RolePlaywright Director Year Notes # Balm in Gilead Kay Lanford Wilson John Malkovich 1984 Off-Broadway Crossing the Bar Performer Michael Zettler Jerry Zaks 1985 Off-Broadway A Lie of the Mind Sally Sam Shepard Sam Shepard Off-Broadway Steel Magnolias Shelby Robert Harling Pamela Berlin 1987 Off-Broadway Road CarolJim Cartwright Simon Curtis Off-Broadway The Night Hank Williams Died Nellie Bess Powers ClarkLarry L. King Christopher Ashley 1989 Off-Broadway Five Women Wearing the Same Dress GeorgeanneAlan BallMelia Bensussen 1993 Off-Broadway Teibele and Her Demon TeibeleIsaac Bashevis Singer Daniel Gerroll 1994 Off-Broadway The Butterfly Collection PerformerTheresa Rebeck Bartlett Sher 2000 Off-Broadway Good Thing Nancy RoyJessica Goldberg Jo Bonney 2001 Off-Broadway Sea of Tranquility PhyllisHoward Korder Neil Pepe 2004 Off-Broadway Celebration and The Room JulieHarold Pinter 2005 Off-Broadway Mary Rose Mrs. MorelandJ. M. Barrie Tina Landau 2007 Off-Broadway Crooked EliseCatherine Trieschmann Liz Diamond 2008 Off-Broadway TenderNicki Bloom Daniela Topol 2009 Off-Broadway The Metal Children Lynne / Roberta CuppAdam Rapp Adam Rapp 2010 Off-Broadway Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling Performer Neil Pepe 2011 Off-Broadway Nikolai and the Others Lisa SokoloffRichard Nelson David Cromer 2013 Off-Broadway All the Way Lady Bird Johnson / variousRobert Schenkkan Bill Rauch 2014 Broadway Mama's Boy Marguerite OswaldRob Urbinati Brian P. Allen 2015 Regional Final Follies Wilma Trumbo/Professor CarrowayA. R. Gurney David Saint 2018 Off-Broadway Prayer for the French Republic Marcelle Salomon BenhamouJoshua Harmon David Cromer 2022 Off-Broadway Leopoldstadt Grandma EmiliaTom Stoppard Patrick Marber Original Broadway Production Prayer for the French Republic Marcelle Salomon BenhamouJoshua Harmon David Cromer 2023 Original Broadway Production Liberation Margie Bess Wohl Whitney White 2025 Off-Broadway World Premiere Original Broadway production

Partial filmography + Title Role Director Year Notes A Little Sex Passerby Bruce Paltrow 1982 Kojak: The Belarus File Elissa Barak Robert Markowitz 1985 See You in the Morning Larry's Sister-in-Law Alan J. Pakula 1989 Fool's Fire Lady Angela Julie Taymor 1992 Nine Months Gail's Nurse Chris Columbus 1995 Music of the Heart Mrs Lamb Wes Craven 1999 You Can Count on Me Minister Kenneth Lonergan 2000 Maze Lydia Rob Morrow 2000 Far from Heaven Pool Mother Todd Haynes 2002 People I Know Talia Greene Dan Algrant 2002 Winter Passing Nurse Adam Rapp 2005 Confess Julie Bradford Stefan Schaefer 2005 The Attic Ms. Kettering Mary Lambert 2007 Motherhood Jordan's Mom Katherine Dieckmann 2009 The Bleeding Marilyn Philip Gelatt 2011 Mr. Popper's Penguins Tavern Hostess Mark Waters 2011 The Oranges Anne Allen Julian Farino 2011 Margaret Abigail Kenneth Lonergan 2011 Arbitrage Vogler's Secretary Nicholas Jarecki 2012 The Greatest Showman Mrs. Carlyle Michael Gracey 2017 A Vigilante Andrea Shaund Sarah Daggar-Nickson 2018 Triumph of the Will Gabriel Nussbaum TBA

Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResult Ref.2022 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Featured Performer in a PlayPrayer for the French Republic Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actress in a Play 2024 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Tony Award Best Actress in a Play 2025Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play The Ask Outstanding EnsembleLiberation New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Ensemble Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play Tony Awards Best Featured Actress in a Play