Camryn Manheim on Family, Fans and Friends—Plus, Who She Keeps in Touch With From The Practice!

Author:
Debra Wallace
Apr 13, 2020

Camry Manheim has strong family ties, whether it's to her 18-year-old actor son, Milo Manheim, her colleagues from past projects like The Practice or the fans who've been following her work for decades.

In fact, she finds devoted fans wherever she roams. Some of them are talking about her latest show ABC's Stumptown, while others haven't let go of her character Ellenor Frutt from The Practice, David E. Kelley's hit legal drama, that helped catapult the careers of Manheim and many of her co-stars. Fans of that eight-season show that ran from 1997 to 2004 will be thrilled to learn she keeps in touch with her law firm family.

She has a new family now, too: her Stumptown costars. Manheim plays Lt. Cosgrove on ABC's crime drama, which is based on a series of graphic novels by the same name. The show follows Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), a sharp-witted Army veteran and private investigator. It also stars Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal and Michael Ealy. "It’s a wonderful experience to be there and collaborate with these amazing people," she told Parade.com in a recent interview.

Manheim spoke to us about her extensive TV career, her son and her on and off-screen families.

Jane Krakowski [who was on Ally McBeal while Manheim was on The Practice and the two shows filmed on the same studio lot] recently shared with us that the two of you are still close friends. Who else are you still in touch with from your days on The Practice?

I definitely keep in touch with Jane. I’m having dinner with LisaGay Hamilton when I am in New York and I am going to see her on Broadway in To Kill a Mockingbird. And I play poker withDylan McDermott, and sometimes Steve Harris. Me and Kelli Williams have lunch when we can. After eight years of all of that time together and shared experiences, we are like family.

Photo by: ABC/Matthias Clamer — Camryn Manheim in ABC's *Stumptown.*

Thanks to your long, successful career, you have fans from many projects from different times in your life. What does that mean to you?

I know and I feel it. No matter where I go, or what country I am in, I know that my shows have been translated there and that people know who I am. I feel I am an accessible person and they always show their love to me and this makes me feel so grateful. I’m nothing without my fans; I appreciate it.

How far have women come in entertainment and how far do they still need to go?

We are celebrating 40 years of the New York Women in Film & Television’s MUSE Awards but I think in the past couple of years we have moved mountains, and we're just beginning. The revolution has been televised. And we are part of that.

What is the best part of your latest show Stumptown?

All of the people, the cast, the crew, the producers, the writers; it’s like a family. We love working together.

What advice have you given your son Milo through the years that may have helped with find success in the entertainment industry?

I told him to keep it real, to be grateful and to keep your feet on the ground. And to love your work and to never do it for the wrong reasons.

You were frequently seen crying in the audience during Milo's time on Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. You never missed one show.

Of course I was crying. I was schlepping incredible nachas [The Yiddish word for great joy and pride]. I was really in awe of Milo. He has never had a professional dance lesson until [dance pro] Witney [Carson] taught him how to dance. So it was just incredible how willing he was to do everything. The zipline and backflips were amazing. He’s not a gymnast; I had never seen him do a backflip. So, he was fearless and for me, that was a beautiful thing to behold.

We could see that the audience and the judges loved how Milo commanded the ballroom stage. What was it like to witness that? What was going through your head when you saw him up there?

I knew that he was charming and charismatic. I didn’t know how fearless he was. The adults were so much more fearful because they kind of felt they had something to lose, where he was like “I’m 17 years old, what do I have to lose? I’ll zipline across the stage; I don’t care.”

I have to say I’m not really Camryn Manheim anymore; I am Milo’s mom and believe me, I am more than happy to pass the torch.

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