To make money in New York, you have to add gigs when starting out, so while I was acting quite a bit, I would do modeling.

It's in my nature to feel, 'I could be this! This could be mine!'

The thing I always thought of myself as was an actress. I never thought: I want to be. It was always: I am.

I was born and grew up in Vandalia, Illinois, a small town of about 6,000. It was farm country, and this was the little county seat.

I had three influential teachers. The first was Uta Hagen. The second two, Bobby Lewis and my late husband, Charles Kakatsakis, were both from the Actors Studio.

I loved New York. I made enough money and studied acting with Kenneth McMillan, which was my first formal training.

To make money in New York, you have to add gigs when starting out, so while I was acting quite a bit, I would do modeling.