Actress Amanda Bearse takes Out on Film Trailblazer award!
IN CONVERSATION WITH/TRAILBLAZER AWARD PRESENTATION TO AMANDA BEARSE
After graduating the Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner, Amanda began her professional acting career in New York on “All My Children”. In Los Angeles, she co-starred in the cult horror film “Fright Night” opposite Chris Sarandon, followed by another classic, playing Marcy D’Arcy on Fox’s “Married…With Children”. There she stepped behind the camera, launching her directing career in episodic television. Numerous decades of sitcoms and sketch comedies later, Amanda currently divides her time between Hollywood, New York, Palm Springs & Seattle (where she was Lead Instructor in the Acting for Film program at the Seattle Film Institute). After thirty-five years in entertainment, Amanda made her off-Broadway directing, as well as acting debut with “Party Face” in 2017, coming full circle with her work in theater.
At the height of her acting career Amanda - who grew up in Atlanta - came out as a lesbian to the public with a cover article in the Advocate. Amanda’s activism for the LGBT community began as the first poster child for HRC’s National Coming Out Day. She has served on the boards of The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, and has often spoken on behalf of the LGBTQ community, promoting visibility and equal rights.
She played a small role in Jon Heder’s indie feature Topawingo this summer and will start shooting Billy Eichner’s feature Bros this fall.
Bearse is returning to the other side of the camera, she is being honored with the Out on Film 2021 Trailblazer Award, given to an out LGBTQ entertainer who has made a mark on the field. The award event, which is part of the festival’s kick off on Thursday, will be presented in a virtual conversation with Bearse on opening night.
Here Bearse talks about vampires, the Varsity, and what it takes to last nearly 4 decades in show business. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.