Ann Magnuson

Growing up in West Virginia, Ann Magnuson left those origins behind upon relocating to New York in the 1970s, where she emerged as a fixture in the downtown scene and a figure of diverse creative abilities. Her output has spanned performance art, magazine writing for major national outlets, vocals and lyrics for the cult rock band Bongwater, and mostly comedic acting roles on stage and screen. She became a frequent presence on television sitcoms, with her own series Anything but Love running concurrently with her film work. Magnuson starred opposite John Malkovich in Susan Seidelman’s Making Mr. Right (1987) and later took on smaller parts in larger productions such as A Clear and Present Danger (1994), as well as in notable misfires including her turn as an Indian goddess in Cabin Boy (1994). She has mounted multiple one-woman shows in intimate theater spaces while maintaining her activity as a recording rock artist.