Daly Takes 'Judging' Seriously

Newsday - October 13, 2000

By Liz Smith

"It's not 'just a TV show' as far as I'm concerned. That is a phrase never used on my set!"

That was Tyne Daly's regal and emphatic response when, during our chat at the Regency Hotel in New York, I jokingly referred to her terrific series, "Judging Amy," as, well, just a TV show.

Daly, who stars with Amy Brenneman on the hit show, is as serious as can be about her work. Listen, this remarkable actress played the Dowager Empress in "Anastasia" at the tender age of 17! She had her Screen Actors Guild card at 15. She became famous, along with Sharon Gless, on the great "Cagney & Lacey" series and hasn't been out of the spotlight, one way or another, since.

On Broadway, she delivered a classic, powerhouse portrayal of the ultimate monster stage mama, Rose, in the hit revival of "Gypsy." (Those not fortunate enough to have seen Tyne in this role missed one of the most electrifying theater experiences ever. By the time Daly got to the lip of the stage and belted out a savage "Rose's Turn," her audiences sat there, mouths agape.)

Daly has often commented that she is one of the few examples of "real aging" on television -- her gray hairs and full figure are proudly worn. But she is not without a certain Earth-mother glamour; and her persona is striking, a mix of kitchen- sink dame and rather grand lady of the manor. Her speech is quick, crisp, perfectly enunciated and devoid of slang and grammatical shortcuts. Not one "you know" fell from her lips.

"I never thought I'd do another series after 'Christy,' but this came along and I felt here was a character, Maxine, that I could work with. Also, I'd done six indie features and basically needed a real job again." (Of those six, she has the highest hopes for Linda Yellen's "The Simian Line," in which she has an amusing turn as a fortune-teller.) Of her long and varied career, this mother of three says, "The first 30 years were typical -- I wept, screamed, fell down. Girl stuff. Then I got a chance to be a hero on 'Cagney & Lacey.' Now? Now I'm ready for 'Mother Courage.' "

Tyne will star in Bertolt Brecht's play later in the year. She's ready. But remember "Anastasia"? Tyne's been ready for quite a while.


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