Annie Golden

Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer.

The band headlined CBGB in the late 1970s and recorded 3 albums for Capitol Records, The Shirts (1978), Street Light Shine (1979) and Inner Sleeve (1980).

When she met Art LaMonica in 1971, he invited her to join his group called Lackeys & Schemers.

Golden began her career as the lead singer of the Shirts.

Her father, a Teamster, died at age 52 and her mother died in 1974, at the age of 42.

Golden on her family: "My mom never saw me do anything."

She said that she "had no training."

She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums.

She began her acting career as Mother in the 1977 Broadway revival of Hair; later taking on the role of Jeannie Ryan in the 1979 film version of the musical.

On Broadway, she has appeared in the 1977 revival of Hair, Leader of the Pack (1985), Ah, Wilderness! (1988), On the Town (1998), and The Full Monty (2000).

She had the title role in the workshop of the short-lived adaptation of Stephen King's novel Carrie.

Golden has appeared in three separate versions of Hair: a Broadway revival in 1977, the motion picture in 1979 and a special benefit performance concert in 2004.

In 1984, her song "Hang Up the Phone" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Sixteen Candles.

She performs a revue of songs from her stage career along with originals called Annie Golden's Velvet Prison.

Golden appeared at Phish's New Year Eve concert on December 31, 2023, where she portrayed the grandmother of the character Jimmy from the song "Harpua" during a performance of their Gamehendge song cycle.

While with the Shirts, Golden was discovered by Miloš Forman, who gave her a part in Hair.

She had featured roles on the television series Cheers and Miami Vice.

Golden was the voice of Marina in the Don Bluth animated feature film The Pebble and the Penguin.

Other notable film credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Longtime Companion (1989), Strictly Business (1991), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), 12 Monkeys (1995), The American Astronaut (2001), It Runs in the Family (2003), Adventures of Power (2008), and I Love You Phillip Morris (2009).

In 1985–1986 she appeared as the recurring character Tommy in Miami Vice, and from 1989 to 1992 she portrayed the recurring role of Margaret O'Keefe on the classic sitcom Cheers.

She has appeared as a guest star on several television programs, including American Playhouse, Dear John, Father Dowling Mysteries, High Maintenance, Law & Order, and True Blue among others.

She currently stars as Cinderella's Mother, Granny, and the Giant's Wife in the 2022 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods .

Golden was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.

She sang in school and church choirs as a child.

During the early 1990s she performed as part of the duo Golden Carillo with Frank Carillo.

She also played the role of Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme in Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical Assassins during its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 1990–1991, and is featured on the cast recording of it, on the RCA label.

They released three albums, Fire in Newtown (1992), Toxic Emotion (1994), and Back for More (1997).

She returned to the Shirts, but she has also performed solo and with a band.

She also appeared in the lab production of the musical Hit the Lights! in 1993 at the Vineyard Theatre.

She played a taxi driver in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys (1995), wherein she had a scene with Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe.

In recent years, she has been seen in commercials for Coinstar, in which she portrays the Tooth Fairy.

She played Lucy Schmeeler, the whiny friend with the chronic cold, in the off-Broadway Public Theater production at the Delacorte Theater of On the Town in August 1997.

In 2003 she joined other original off-Broadway cast members in a Reprise! (Los Angeles) concert production of Assassins.

In 2007, she was stand-by for the two comic villain roles in the musical Xanadu on Broadway.

She appears in the musical film Temptation with actor Adam Pascal, Tony Award winners Alice Ripley and Anika Noni Rose, and film actress Zoe Saldana and in 2009 had a small role in I Love You Phillip Morris with actors Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey, playing a simple woman requiring legal assistance.

Golden starred with Peter Scolari in the world premiere of The Nutcracker and I from November 29 to December 31, 2011, at the George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Comically playing the Sugar Rush Fairy (and three other roles) in this musical comedy featuring the music of Tchaikovsky and lyrics by Gerard Alessandrini, she and Scolari were compared in one review to the team of Imogene Coca and Sid Caesar.

Golden is best known for portraying mute Norma Romano in the Netflix comedy-drama streaming television series Orange Is the New Black from 2013 to 2019.

In 2013, she began playing the role of the nearly mute Norma Romano in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black, for which she won a 2015 Screen Actors Guild Award (along with the rest of the ensemble cast).

Golden appeared in the musical Violet starring Sutton Foster on Broadway in 2014.