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Dr. Seward
Patti LuPone
Biography
DR. SEWARD
Played by Patti LuPone

The strong, confident American Dr. Seward is a practitioner of Alienism, an early form of psychotherapy, whom Vanessa goes to for treatment. She is also a dead ringer for Joan Clayton, the woman who instructed Vanessa in the dark arts.


PATTI LUPONE
Patti LuPone returns to PENNY DREADFUL this season as Dr. Seward, after receiving critical acclaim and a Critics' Choice Award nomination for her performance last season as The Cut Wife. She also began work with Taylor Hackford and Robert DeNiro on the new film THE COMEDIANS IN February 2016.

LuPone is a two-time Tony® Award winner for two now-legendary stage performances:  as Argentina's controversial First Lady Eva Peron in the Broadway premiere of the musical EVITA; and as "Madame Rose," the mother of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, in the most recent Broadway revival of the classic musical GYPSY.

This summer, she will take on her latest stage role, that of cosmetics pioneer Helena Rubenstein, in the world premiere of the new Scott Frankel/Michael Korie/Douglas Wright musical WAR PAINT at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.

A founding member of both the Drama Division of New York's Juilliard School and John Houseman's The Acting Company, she is equally at home on the Broadway stage as she is in front of film and television cameras. Select highlights of her stage career include performances as Lucia in WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations); Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's production of SWEENEY TODD (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations); Maria Callas in MASTER CLASS; Reno Sweeney in ANYTHING GOES (Drama Desk Award; Tony Award nomination); Moll in THE CRADLE WILL ROCK; Nancy in OLIVER!; The Reporter in ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST; and Rosamund in THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM (Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations). A long-time collaborator of writer-director David Mamet, she starred on Broadway in his PLAYS THE ANARCHIST, THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD and THE WATER ENGINE; off-Broadway in THE WOODS and EDMOND and she appeared in his films STATE AND MAIN and HEIST.

In London, LuPone was the first American actor to appear with the Royal Shakespeare Company in their production of LES MISÉRABLES, in which she created the role of Fantine. For that performance, as well as for a reprise of her performance as Moll in a West End engagement of THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, she was the first American actor to win London's coveted Olivier Award. Her subsequent West End appearances include the world premiere of SUNSET BOULEVARD in which she created the role of Norma Desmond (Olivier Award nomination) and MASTER CLASS.

Her other New York stage appearances include her debut as guest soloist with the New York City Ballet singing the role of Anna 1 in the company's production of THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS; the New York Philharmonic's concert productions of the musicals COMPANY (as Joanne), CANDIDE (as the Old Lady) and SWEENEY TODD (where she first played the role Mrs. Lovett); Lincoln Center's American Songbook series concert production of PASSION (as Fosca); and the City Center Encores! productions of GYPSY, CAN-CAN and PAL JOEY.

Film: PARKER, UNION SQUARE, CITY BY THE SEA, JUST LOOKING, SUMMER OF SAM, DRIVING MISS DAISY and WITNESS.

TV: GIRLS, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN, 30 ROCK, LAW & ORDER: SVU, GLEE, UGLY BETTY, WILL & GRACE, the Emmy® winning telecasts of PASSION and SWEENEY TODD, OZ, MONDAY NIGHT MAYHEM, EVENING AT THE POPS with John Williams and Yo Yo Ma, FRASIER (Emmy nomination), LAW & ORDER, THE WATER ENGINE, LBJ: THE EARLY YEARS and LIFE GOES ON.