Lorna Luft

Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American television, stage, and film actress, singer and author. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and producer Sidney Luft, and half-sister to singer and actress Liza Minnelli.

Luft was born in Santa Monica, California. She attended University High School in Los Angeles during her senior year and was a member of the school choir. She studied theatre at HB Studio in New York City.

Stage and television

Luft made her show business debut at age 11 singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" on the 1963 Christmas episode of Garland's CBS television series, The Judy Garland Show. Siblings Liza Minnelli and Joey Luft also appeared.

Luft soon joined the family act on a summer concert tour, the highlight being Garland's third and final appearance at New York City's famed Palace Theatre on Broadway in 1967. In this month-long engagement,Garland "shared" the bill with Luft (then 14 years old) and Joey (12 years old). The show was recorded live and released on ABC Records as Judy Garland at Home at the Palace.

Luft made her Broadway debut in 1971 at the Shubert Theatre as a replacement cast member in the musical Promises, Promises, adapted from the classic 1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment.It is best known for the hit song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again".

Luft starred in the 1981–82 national tour of They're Playing Our Song and in 1982 she played Paulette Rebchuck in Grease 2.In 1983, she played Peppermint Patty in the Off-Broadway production of Snoopy! The Musical, a sequel to You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.Later that year, she costarred in Extremities with Farrah Fawcett.

Luft appeared as Nurse Libby Kegler on the CBS television series Trapper John, M.D. during the final season of 1985–1986. She also appeared as Patti Bristol in a 1985 episode of Murder, She Wrote entitled 'Broadway Malady'. In the episode, Luft played the daughter of Vivian Blaine. Blaine had originated the role of Adelaide in Guys and Dolls on Broadway, while Luft would go on to play the same role in the 1992 National Tour.

From 1992 through 1994, Luft played Adelaide in the American and world tour productions of Guys and Dolls. In 1996, she appeared in an Irish production of Follies in Dublin with Mary Millar, Alex Sharpe, Christine Scarry, Aidan Conway,Enda Markey, Dave Willetts and Millicent Martin. In 2002, she starred as Mama Rose in a University of Richmond school production of Gypsy.

In December 1995, Luft released a cover version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which was reworked as a "virtual duet" with Garland. Produced by Gordon Lorenz, it was issued as a CD single only in the UK by Carlton Sounds label. A music video featured Luft performing the song in a studio interspersed with classic footage of Garland singing to a then 11-year-old Luft on the 1963 Christmas episode of The Judy Garland Show, all placed on the same screen.

In November 2006 through January 2007, Luft performed in the UK premiere of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, a new stage adaptation based on the film. She reprised her role in it the next year, playing the Edinburgh Playhouse from November 19 to December 8, 2007 and the Wales Millennium Centre in the Donald Gordon Theatre from December 13, 2007 through January 12, 2008.

Luft appeared in four episodes of the 2007–2009 Logo animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World.

In October 2007, Luft released her debut CD Lorna Luft: Songs My Mother Taught Me in the United Kingdom. Produced by Barry Manilow and her husband Colin R. Freeman, the album celebrates Garland's music. In 2005 she toured Ireland with her stage show, Songs My Mother Taught Me. In June 2006, she surprised audiences at Carnegie Hall by performing a duet with Rufus Wainwright on the song "After You've Gone" at the end of Wainwright's tribute concert of Garland's triumphant 1961 comeback at Carnegie Hall.

Luft appeared in The Wizard Of Oz, a stage version of the movie that made Garland famous, at The Lowry in Manchester, England. She portrayed the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Margaret Hamilton in the film.

In April 2009, Luft completed a successful UK tour of the critically acclaimed Hugh Whitemore play Pack of Lies, in which she played the role of Helen Kroger. She starred alongside Jenny Seagrove, Simon Shepherd and Daniel Hill. In May 2009, she appeared in W magazine as a special guest performer for the acclaimed avant-garde Theo Adams Company's latest project, 'Performance', photographed by David Sims. In July 2009, she appeared at the Mermaid Theatre, London to record for the radio series Friday Night Is Music Night. Lorna Luft and Friends – A Tribute to Judy Garland also featured John Barrowman, Frances Ruffelle and Linzi Hateley.

Luft participates in various children's and AIDS-related charities, including the annual Los Angeles AIDS Walk and The Children's Wish Foundation International. She has been an advocate for drug rehabilitation and has spoken for the Council on Alcohol & Drugs.

In May - July 2015, Luft toured the UK in Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland, a show highlighting Garland's life and music. The show featured her signature songs and recreations of film scenes from her MGM years.

Film

In films, Luft has appeared in Grease 2 (1982), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), Fear Stalk (1989), 54 (1998) and My Giant (1998). She and her brother, Joey, made cameo appearances in the 1963 film I Could Go On Singing.

Author

Luft is the author of the 1998 book Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir.Among its revelations is that she had an affair with Barry Manilow in 1971.In 2001, it was adapted as an Emmy-winning TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. It stars Judy Davis as the adult Judy, Tammy Blanchard as the teenage Judy, Hugh Laurie as Vincente Minnelli, Victor Garber as Sid Luft, and Marsha Mason as Ethel Gumm. Luft is the co-author (film historian Jeffrey Vance is credited as the other co-author) of the 2018 book,A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away which she describes as "a vivid account of the film classic's production, loss, and reclamation".

In 2013, Luft's radiographer informed her that she had grade-2A breast cancer. She called her close friend, Barry Manilow, who connected her with cancer specialist David Agus. To save her breast, she opted for a lumpectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. She completed her final chemotherapy treatment in 2013.

In June 2015, Luft revealed that her cancer had reemerged. Consequently, the UK tour of Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland concluded early on July 11, and she returned to the United States for surgical treatment.

In March 2018, Luft was diagnosed with a brain tumour after collapsing following a London performance. In late March, Luft underwent surgery to remove the brain tumour. The surgery was successful, and Luft has since recovered.

Studio albums

Singles

Cast albums

Album appearances

DVD releases

• Luft, Lorna (1998). Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671019006.
• Luft, Lorna (2018). A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away. Running Press. ISBN 978-0762464807.