Award-winning actress and singer Lainie Kazan is traveling the country to appear at health expos, as part of a campaign to support and discuss deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially fatal condition that affects up to 2 million people each year and kills up to 300,000 Americans annually - more than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Kazan is best known for her role in the blockbuster comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and has appeared in scores of other major motion pictures and television shows. She developed DVT several years ago when a blood clot broke off and traveled to one of her lungs. Since then, she has been an ambassador for the condition, raising awareness about its severity.
Kazan began her career as Barbara Streisand's understudy in the Broadway production of Funny Girl. She soon became the "chanteuse" of her native New York, appearing in nightclubs and as a guest on virtually every top variety and talk show on television. She appeared on The Dean Martin Show an unequalled 26 times, hosted her own variety special on NBC and opened the popular Lainie's Room and Lainie's Room East at the Los Angeles and New York Playboy Clubs.
Appearing at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, she attracted the attention of Francis Ford Coppola who offered her a role in One from the Heart. The following year, Kazan was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as "Best Supporting Actress" in Richard Benjamin's My Favorite Year with Peter O'Toole. Kazan's extensive film credits include Beaches with Bette Midler, The Cemetery Club with Diane Ladd and Ellen Burstyn, 29 St. with Danny Aiello and Anthony LaPaglia, The Associate with Whoopi Goldberg, Love Is All There Is with Paul Sorvino, Renee Taylor and Angelina Jolie, The Big Hit with Mark Wahlberg, Disney's The Crew with Richard Dreyfuss and Burt Reynolds, What's Cooking? with Mercedes Ruehl, Julianna Margulies, Joan Chen, Alfie Woodard, and Kyra Sedgwick and the Tom Hanks' produced comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
She recently completed filming a starring role in the feature film Red Riding Hood, a musical retelling of the classic story with modem dialogue and original songs. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance on St. Elsewhere and received a CableACE Award nomination for The Paper Chase.
In addition to her film and television career, Kazan frequently returns to live theater. She received a Tony nomination for her reprisal of her original role in the musical version of My Favorite Year at Lincoln Center. Kazan also produced and starred in the Broadway show Doin' What Comes Natur'lly, an all star tribute to Ethel Merman featuring Bette Midler, Madeline Kahn, Patti LuPone, Elaine Stritch and Andrea Martin to benefit the Gay Men's Health Crisis.
As a critically acclaimed singer, Kazan has performed with the Boston Pops and the Cleveland Pops as well as to sold-out houses in Las Vegas, throughout Europe and Asia, and at such venues as The Greek Theatre, Harrah's, Trump Castle and the hallowed stages of New York's Rainbow and Stars, Tatou and Tavern on the Green. A recording artist, her CDs include her jazz collections, Lainie Kazan - In The Groove and Body and Soul. She is a frequent headliner at The Algonquin and Regency Hotel's in New York City and stages throughout the country. Kazan also serves on several boards including the Young Musician's Foundation, AIDS Project LA and B'nai Brith.
Thirty years ago, Kazan's illustrious career was almost cut short when she nearly died from a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism (PE), brought about by a blood clot in her leg that traveled to her lungs.
Kazan experienced this deadly condition after she had broken her foot and was put in a cast. Several days later, her foot began to swell and she developed flu-like symptoms, including tightness in her chest. After contacting her doctor and receiving immediate medical attention, she was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and hospitalized for more than a month.
Since then, Kazan has taken a proactive role in her healthcare by educating herself about DVT and informing her doctors of her history of prior DVT. Kazan's experience has led her to speak out about the importance of knowing the risk factors for DVT and its signs and symptoms.
In addition to her roles on stage and screen, Kazan is now taking on a new role as an advocate to educate people about deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the large veins, usually in the lower limbs, leading to either partially or completely blocked circulation.
She will appear at the Health & Fitness Expo Oct. 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. She will be available for autographs.