Editing Judith Light (section)

{{short description|American actress (born 1949)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Judith Light
| image              = Judith Light headshot.jpg
| caption            = Light in 2019
| birth_name         = Judith Ellen Light
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1949|2|9}}
| birth_place        = [[Trenton, New Jersey]], U.S.
| known_for          = {{hlist|''[[Who's the Boss?]]''|''[[One Life to Live]]''|''[[Other Desert Cities]]''|''[[The Assembled Parties]]''}}
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1969–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Robert Desiderio]]|1985|}}
| website            = {{URL|http://judithlight.com/}}
| education          = [[Doane Academy]]
| alma_mater         = [[Carnegie Mellon University]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]])
}}

'''Judith Ellen Light''' (born February 9, 1949)<ref name="biography.com" /> is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in the 1975 revival of ''[[A Doll's House]]''. Her breakthrough role was in the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] daytime soap opera ''[[One Life to Live]]'' from 1977 to 1983, where she played the role of [[Karen Wolek]]; for this role, she won two consecutive [[Daytime Emmy Award]]s for [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]] in 1980 and 1981. In 2024, Light won the [[75th Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series]] for ''[[Poker Face (TV series)|Poker Face]]''.

Light starred as Angela Bower in the long-running ABC sitcom ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'' from 1984 to 1992. Light played the recurring role of [[Elizabeth Donnelly]] in the [[NBC]] legal crime drama ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' (2002–2010) and also played [[Claire Meade]] in the ABC comedy-drama ''[[Ugly Betty]]'' (2006–2010), for which she was nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award]] in 2007. From 2013 to 2014, she played the role of villainous [[List of Dallas (2012 TV series) characters|Judith Brown Ryland]] in the [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] drama series ''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]''. In 2014, she began starring as Shelly Pfefferman in the critically acclaimed [[Amazon Studios]] dark comedy-drama series ''[[Transparent (TV series)|Transparent]]'', for which she received several [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]], Primetime Emmy, and [[Critics' Choice Television Award|Critics' Choice]] Award nominations. She again received Primetime Emmy and Critics' Choice Award nominations for playing [[Marilyn Miglin]] in ''[[The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story]]'' in 2018. In 2019, she was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

Light received her first nomination for a [[Tony Award]] in 2011, for her performance in the original Broadway play ''[[Lombardi (play)|Lombardi]]''. In 2012 and 2013, she won two consecutive Tony Awards for [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Best Featured Actress in a Play]], for her performances in ''[[Other Desert Cities]]'' and ''[[The Assembled Parties]]''. Light is a prominent LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist. Her advocacy work began in the early 1980s, in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.