photo courtesy of the George Street Playhouse
Stephanie Zimbalist
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Stephanie Zimbalist is a scioness of a very talented family. While she had many television and movie roles in the 1970s, including “The Awakening” with Charlton Heston, her rise to household name in her own right came in the early 1980s with her role as Laura Holt, the brains behind “Remington Steele.” While her co-star continued on into film, Ms. Zimbalist continued her career on the small screen and on the stage as well. Her latest effort, Nettie in “The Subject Was Roses,” continues through March 6. Recently Ms. Zimbalist spent a few minutes with QonStage.com:

Q on Stage: Has your work on "The Subject Was Roses” changed your views on war, either generally or regarding the particular wars where the US is presently involved?

Stephanie Zimbalist: No. It really doesn't have much to do with this play, when you see it. The "war" is onstage between the characters.

QoS: The wars within families are damaging, indeed, especially when time exposes the number of fronts where the war is being fought. You held some conservative views at an earlier point in your life. Did this conflict at all with your role as Laura Holt in "Remington Steele," a woman who needed a man to front the private investigation agency where she was the primary motivator?

SZ: When I was offered 'Laura Holt,' it was the best role to come along in a while, she had intelligence, humor, savvy, sexuality, and compassion. Nothing to do with politics—or everything?!

QoS: An excellent point and clearly some changes are a long time coming. More than 20 years later, we’re still waiting for equality in so many ways. You’ve got a varied and deep career. You've been active on the stage for some time, and you've had some very socially conscious roles at this point, which role or roles are your favorite(s) and why?

SZ: I like to keep the audience AWAKE. I don't know why, it's a particular interest of mine. So my favorite roles are the ones that my audiences have seemed to love. 'Sylvia' the dog in Gurney's "Sylvia," 'K. Hepburn' in "Tea at Five," 'Lizzie' in "The Rainmaker," 'Edith' in "My One and Only," to name a few....

QoS: The variety alone would keep the audience awake! And awakenings may take several forms. Considering that you come from a family of performers, your grandfather a concert violinist, your grandmother a renowned soprano, your father an actor, do you feel your talent is nature, nurture or some combination?

SZ: With great grandfather Alexander/Aaron [Zimbalist] an opera conductor, Grandpa [Efrem Zimbalist] a violinist, Grandmother Alma [Gluck] a singer, Aunt Marcia [Davenport] a writer, Daddy [Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.] an actor/composer/writer, brother Skip [Zimbalist] a publisher, cousin Maja a jewelry designer, niece Kristina a writer journalist, and both niece Alexis and nephew McNair heavily into running internet start-ups, I guess we be a "driven" family. A bit of both nature and nurture, I'd say. And we're all very supportive of each other. A couple years ago I played 'Vanna White' onstage at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show for my brother Skip when he first took the helm!

This is your last week to see Stephanie Zimbalist, Lee Sellars and Chris Wendelken in Frank Gilroy’s “The Subject Was Roses” continues through March 6 at George Street Playhouse. See what the buzz is all about. Check www.gsponline.org for tickets and details of the performances that remain.