Ilene Graff
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Brooklyn, New York born actress Ilene Graff (b.February 28, 1949) began her professional career as a teenager when she performed as a background singer and commercial actress. She attended Van Buren High School in Queens Village and graduated from Ithaca College in 1970 and played the role of Sandy in the Broadway stage production of Grease for 2 years after which she went on to more notable roles in television and film.
Her early work consisted of appearances on American sitcoms Barnaby Jones and Laverne & Shirley. From 1981-1984, Graff saw a steady line of work on popular American sitcoms such as Mork & Mindy and Three's Company, as well as the drama St. Elsewhere. In 1985, she took what is possibly her best known role, playing the wife of Bob Uecker in the sitcom Mr. Belvedere. The show went off the air in 1990.
Upon the ending of Mr. Belvedere's television run, Graff had roles in four television movies and four guest starring roles on television programs. In addition to her roles on television, she also appeared in the motion picture Ladybugs playing the girlfriend of Rodney Dangerfield and mother of Jonathan Brandis.
Graff's most recent work was in the 2006 film Loving Annabelle.
[edit] Personal life
Ilene is the daughter of Jerry Graff who was, at one time, a member of the musical group Pied Pipers. While on Broadway performing in Grease she met and married composer Ben Lanzarone. Married since 1978, the couple have one daughter. Graff is the older sister of Tony Award nominated actor Todd Graff, and is the spokesperson for the AMC Cancer Research Center.
