The daughter of a concert pianist, American actress Lori Singer first rose to prominence in the drama film, Footloose (1984). In her youth, she spent most of her time playing the celloーan instrument that she fell in love with when she was twelve years old. A musical prodigy, she was accepted into New York’s prestigious Julliard Performing Arts School at the age of fourteen. The school’s youngest undergraduate student at the time, she later made her professional debut as a soloist as a member of the Western Washington Symphony. It wasn’t until she was seventeen, that she developed an interest in acting after being inspired by her brother, Marc Singer’s success in the show business. At the age of twenty five, she appeared on television for the first time in the TV film, Born Beautiful (1982). Later that same year, she received a big break with the NBC series, Fame (1982), in which she played one of the lead characters. Following that, she made her motion picture debut in the movie, Footloose (1984)ーa film that ultimately garnered her international recognition as an actress.
In the subsequent years, Singer starred in a number of other films such as Falcon and the Snowman (1985), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Trouble in Mind (1985), Made in U.S.A. (1987), and Warlock (1989). A few other roles on the big screen later, the actress became a series regular in the Fox sci-fi show, VR.5 (1995). Her second major portrayal on television, it eventually earned her the title of being one of the “Most Beautiful People in the World” by People Magazine. Following that, she appeared in the film, Bach Cello Suite #4: Sarabande (1997), prior to taking a prolonged break from acting to focus on her personal life. Finally in 2004, the actress returned in the film, When Will I Be Loved (2004); soon afterwards, she appeared in the video short, Little Victim in 2005.
From there, Singer took another six-year break from the show business before returning as a guest star in the crime series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011). Still a regular cellist, she then portrayed a couple of cello players in the film shorts, Georgicia (2014), and Grain of Sand (2015). Eventually in October of 2015, the blonde graced the screens with her presence in the movie, Experimenter. Throughout her career, Singer has taken part in over 25 different projectsーa handful of which have earned her a variety of awards including a Golden Globe Special Award, two ShoWest Awards, a Television Academy Honors Award, and a Special Volpi Cup. Most recently this past year, she lent her voice to the documentary, God Knows Where I Am (2016).
What has the blonde beauty been busy with since then? What new projects have she filled her schedule with as of late? Is she still active within the entertainment circle? What happened to Lori Singer? Where is she now in 2018?
Lori Singer’s Early Life and Eventual Interest in Acting
Born on November 6, 1957, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Lori Singer is the daughter of Leslie and Jacques Singer, a concert pianist and a conductor; she has an older brother named March Singer, who also works as an actor. Growing up in Texas, Vancouver, London and Portland, Singer’s initial dream was to become a professional dancer. When she was twelve years old however, she fell in love with cello music.
Quickly mastering the stringed instrument, she was eventually accepted into New York’s prestigious Julliard Performing Arts School at the age of fourteenーa feat that earned her the title of being a musical prodigy. After a year of studying at the institute, she made her professional soloist debut as a member of the Western Washington Symphony. During that time, she also modelled briefly with the Elite Model Agency.
Following a successful music career, Singer began developing an interest in acting when she was seventeen, after being inspired by her older brother’s success. Wanting to follow in his footsteps, she soon enrolled herself in acting classes. At the age of twenty five, the aspiring actress made her TV debut in the made-for-television film, Born Beautiful (1982), where she starred alongside Ed Marinaro and Erin Gray. Not long afterwards, she was cast as a series regular in the musical drama, Fame (1982)ーa show that would later go on to win three separate Golden Globe Awards.
Lori Singer’s Early Acting Career
Filmed in Hollywood, Californiaーbased on the actual Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Artーthe series made its debut on January 7, 1982 on NBC. A popular show amongst viewers, it garnered millions of viewers every week while it was on air; in fact, its popularity eventually led to the release of several hit records by the castーa few of the actors even embarked on a live concert tour at the peak of its fame. A series regular in the first and second season, Singer appeared in a total of 38 episodes. Largely considered to be her breakthrough role, Fame garnered the up-and-coming actress much recognition in the early 80’s. After a five year run, it eventually came to an end on May 18, 1987 after a total of 136 episodes.
The year after she left the show, Singer was cast as the female lead in Herbert Ross’ musical drama film, Footloose (1984). Produced by Craig Zadan and Lewis J. Rachmil, it depicted the story of Ren McCormackーan upbeat teenager who moves to a small town called Bomont to live with his uncle and aunt; much to his dismay however, the local minister in the community has banned both rock music and dancing. Based loosely on the events that took place in Elmore City, Oklahoma, Footloose starred actor Kevin Bacon as the teen. Playing opposite of him, Singer portrayed the role of Ariel Mooreーa rebellious teenage girl whom he eventually finds himself falling for over the course of the film. Other featured actors in the movie include Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Penn.
Released theatrically on February 17, 1984, Footloose grossed over $8.5 million in its opening weekendーwhich was already more than its production budget of $8.2 million. By the time its run in theatres had ended, it had taken in a total of $80 million in the United States alone. In spite of its financial success however, reaction to the film was generally divided; while some praised it as a “must-see”, others such as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times criticized it for its confusing storyline. Still, Footloose received a number of industry recognitions, including two Academy Award nominations. For her portrayal of the protagonist’s love interest, Singer was given a ShoWest Award for the category of “Breakthrough Performer of the Year”ーwhich was accurate, considering the breakthrough nature of her role in the movie.
Highlights from Lori Singer’s Continued Acting Career
Distributed by Fine Line Features, the comedy drama enjoyed a limited theatrical release on October 3, 1993; across five screens, Short Cuts managed to gross over $106,000. A commercial success in the end, it went on to earn more than $6.1 million at the box office. Accompanied by a book that consists of nine stories, the film received glowing reviews from criticsーmany of whom praised it for its beautiful integration of disparate characters. Met with wide acclaim, the motion picture later won over a dozen awards, including an Oscar nomination. As a member of the cast, Singer also received a Golden Globe and a Special Volpi Cup, both of which she shared with the rest of her co-stars.
Returning to television for a lead role, Singer starred as Sydney Bloom in the Fox science fiction series, VR.5 in 1995. Created by Jeannine Renshaw, it centered around her character, young woman who accidentally discovers that she is able to access a virtual reality world after placing her telephone on top of her modem. As she delves deeper into the virtual realm, she finds herself being chased after by a mysterious organization. Besides Singer, VR.5 also starred Michael Easton, Will Patton, Anthony Head, and David McCallum.
Originally premiered on March 10, 1995, VR.5 debuted on the Fox network as a mid-season replacement. Filmed in Los Angeles, the series was largely praised by viewers upon its release. Despite the fact that it was described by many fans to be “utterly brilliant”, it was ultimately short-lived as it was eventually cancelled after ten episodes. In the end, only ten out of its thirteen produced episodes were aired during the original run. Next to Felicity, VR.5 is Singer’s second best-remembered portrayal on the small screen; it also marked the last time that she played the main lead on television.
Since then, Singer has appeared in a variety of films and series including When Will I Be Loved (2004), Little Victim (2005), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011), Georgica (2014). In 2015, she also made a small appearance in the biopic, Experimental alongside Jim Gaffigan, John Palladino and Anthony Edwards.
What’s Lori Singer Doing Now In 2024 – Recent Updates
Singer hasn’t appeared in any films for several years. Her last role was in the 2017 horror thriller The Institute, which also starred James Franco, Allie Gallerani, Tim Blake Nelson, and Pamela Anderson. Based on a true story, it centers around a young girl at the Rosewood Institute after her parent’s sudden death. While Gallerani played the role of Isabel Porter, Singer played the role of Madame Werner, one of the supporting characters.
Prior to that, she appeared in the documentary God Knows Where I Am, which follows the life and death of a homeless woman named Linda Bishop. Not only did Singer narrate the film, but she also contributed to the cello soundtrack (“Linda’s Song”). Praised by critics, it went on to win 17 film festivals as well as an Emmy Award.
And on television, her last role was in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She made a guest appearance in the twelfth season, which aired in 2011.
Don’t worry, though. According to IMDb, she will be making a comeback in an upcoming film titled, Rachel Hendrix, which is slated for a 2023 release. Directed and written by Victor Nunez, it will star Lori Singer as Rachael Hendrix, the film’s titular character. Other cast members include Catherine Dent, Roxanne Hart, Kersti Bryan, Hugo Armstrong, and Philip Casnoff. In terms of what it’s about, it will follow the life of a professor who experiences a relapse of grief following the death of her husband.
According to her official website, she will also be launching a film company called Prescientfilms, which is currently in the works (coming soon in 2023). If anything, that’s probably what she’s been keeping herself busy with lately.
Earlier this summer, she also participated in the East Hampton Artists and Writers Charity Softball Game, which helped raise funds for The Retreat, East End Hospice, Phoenix House Academy, and The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center. And before that, she gave a virtual interview with Dan Rattiner, which you can check out on YouTube here.
And as always, she’s been playing the cello. As a matter of fact, she had posted a video of herself playing during the beginning of the pandemic. The video, which she had shared to her official Facebook page, was dedicated to all nurses, doctors, grocery staff, farmers, and food deliverers. She also took the opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts in trying to dampen the spread of the pandemic.
