Actress & Activist
Camryn Manheim: Biography at a Glance
- Acclaimed actress and social activist Camryn Manheim found success on her own terms.
- Known for her Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning role on The Practice, Manheim is a fierce trailblazer on and off the screen.
- Shattering her critics’ expectations and defining her career by versatility, determination, and a sense of adventure, Manheim continues to inspire legions of fans and audiences with her candor, humor, and story.
Media
Biography
Acclaimed actress and social activist Camryn Manheim found success on her own terms. Known for her Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning role on The Practice, Manheim is a fierce trailblazer on and off the screen. Shattering her critics’ expectations and defining her career by versatility, determination, and a sense of adventure, Manheim continues to inspire legions of fans and audiences with her candor, humor, and story.
As she tells in her New York Times bestseller, Wake Up, I’m Fat, Manheim's journey in show business has been an exercise in resilience. “I have been a fighter since the day I was born,” she says, “In fact, I feel like I have boxing gloves on all the time.”
But Manheim’s strength prevailed, leading to her iconic, Emmy-winning role on The Practice, which lasted eight seasons. Her rare comedic and dramatic talents earned her parts on some of TV’s biggest shows. Winning laughs on Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, and Will & Grace, Manheim also unnerved audiences as “Control” on Person of Interest. Most recently, she has had recurring roles in Major Crimes, Masters of Sex, and Code Black, and appeared in Paramount mini-series Waco.
In 2015, Manheim made an unforgettable Broadway debut in Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening. Fluent in American Sign Language since college, Manheim spoke and signed her dialogue in this groundbreaking revival.
Off-screen, Manheim raised everyone’s expectations as a semi-professional poker player, competing on Celebrity Poker Showdown and Celebrity Blackjack, raising money for Children’s Media Fund, the Venice Family Clinic, and the ACLU.
A vocal advocate for human rights, Manheim’s activism has included work with the ACLU, RAINN, Planned Parenthood, and the American Cancer Society. A breast cancer survivor herself, Manheim confronted the diagnosis as she does just about everything, with humor, curiosity, and courage.
She was named one of the “Most Intriguing People” by People magazine and “Woman of the Year” by Glamour. Always passionate, with a dash of irreverence, her speeches cover everything from show business to self-esteem. Manheim reminds audiences that life is not a dress rehearsal and to get the part—they must first believe in themselves.
Topics
Behind the Camera with Camryn Manheim
A movie might be the end result, but the real story happens behind the scenes. To get to the premiere, you have to be as good at business as you are on stage. Having experienced the ups and downs of a life in the arts, Camryn Manheim shares what brought her to the top and how she stayed there. Join Manheim as she guides you through the glitz and glamor of the silver screen and the business behind it.
Mitzvah Therapy: Living Life Generously
Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that translates to “repairing the world.” Understanding the world’s interconnectedness and our own responsibility to others is at the heart of being a citizen of the world. In her speech Mitzvah Therapy: Living Life Generously, Camryn Manheim explains how doing well by others really helps us to do well for ourselves.
Breaking the Rules: Don't Take 'No' for an Answer
In today’s competitive world, people face rejection on an almost daily basis and in show business that level of rejection is magnified exponentially. Learning how to process those rejections is the key to unlocking success and getting to where you want to go. In this talk, Camryn Manheim explains how the fastest route to achievement is getting past negative people who put up barriers and paving your own road to success.
Cancer. Been There, Beat That!
Camryn uses humor, passion, curiosity and courage to tackle the daunting task of facing her breast cancer diagnosis head on:
When your doctor calls and the first thing she says is “Where are you right now?” you pretty much know it’s not going to be good news I mean, what’s the likelihood she’s going to follow that up with “I’m in the neighborhood and thought we could get some coffee?”
So there, in the parking lot of Home Depot, while I sat in my car staring blankly at the outdoor display of barbecue grills, I got the news. And then, in the first of what would be many “screw-you-cancer” moves, I got out of the car, went into the store, and bought myself a damn refrigerator. Because not even cancer was going to force me to go to Home Depot twice.
Her wickedly funny stories about her search for doctors, her determination to find a radiologist with good parking, and the parade of friends who drove her to radiation every day create a perfect vehicle for a revelation of the travails and (in her case) the successes of cancer treatment. And most important to Camryn is her opportunity to give homage to the courageous women who have fought, and continue to fight, for research, funding, and early detection.
Being the Star of Your Own Life
Opportunity doesn’t just stumble onto your doorstep. You have to get out there and make your own luck. With decades of experience and success in one of the world’s most competitive fields, Camryn Manheim has seen and done it all in Hollywood, managing to stay relevant in an always changing industry without losing sight of herself and her goals. Persistence, strategy, and negotiation are your tools, and she knows how to use them. Allow Manheim to teach you to make confidence your co-star and get the role of a lifetime.