The world first discovered Lorna Luft through her delightful appearances on her mother’s landmark television series, The Judy Garland Show. She soon joined the family act for a summer concert tour, the highlight being Garland’s third and final appearance at The Palace Theater. In this legendary month-long engagement Garland shared the bill with her children, Lorna and Joe.
At age nineteen Lorna returned to Broadway in the hit musical Promises, Promises. That performance earned her the American Guild of Variety Artists “Rising Star of the Year Award”. Her Broadway performances continued with the musical Snoopy and the dramatic Extremities, with Farrah Fawcett. In addition, she starred in national tours of They’re Playing Our Song, Jerry Herman’s Broadway Years and as “Miss Adelaide” in Jerry Zak’s Guys & Dolls as well as regional theatrical productions including Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Girl Crazy, Mame and most recently Gypsy. Lorna also headlined in sold-out European tours of her shows Hollywood & Broadway and The Magical World of Musicals.
Concurrent with her theatrical career, Lorna is a gifted vocalist and her concert appearances have introduced her to the world’s most prestigious venues where she’s triumphed at The Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and The London Palladium.
Lorna is familiar to television audiences for her diverse role on Love American Style, Murder She Wrote, Caroline In The City, The Nanny, Trapper John M.D. as well as appearances on virtually every major talk and variety show around including The Tonight Show, Hollywood Squares, The Today Show and Live with Regis & Kathie Lee. She’s been a featured performer on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jerry Herman’s Broadway at the Bowl and The Tony Awards in which she joined her sister, Liza Minnelli in an electrifying duet. In 2004 she was the subject of a highly rated BBC television documentary entitled Somebody’s Daughter, Somebody’s Son. In movies Lorna is best remembered as Pink Lady “Paulette Rebchuck” in the camp classic Grease 2 and for her humorous role in Where the Boys are ‘84.
In 1998 Lorna added a new dimension to her multi-faceted career, that of New York Times best selling author upon release of her memoir—Me and My Shadow: living with the legacy of Judy Garland (Simon & Schuster). Lorna served as Co-Executive Producer on Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows, a 4 hour ABC-TV miniseries based on her book. Airing in February 2001 it drew upwards of 20 million viewers, garnered the highest ratings of the season and won 5 Emmy Awards. Lorna will continue her career as a producer with a project, currently in development, based on the life of Jimmy Slattery, better known as the Andy Warhol superstar, “Candy Darling.”
After decades of avoidance, Lorna finally approached her mother’s legendary songbook for the first time in the highly acclaimed multi-media production of Songs My Mother Taught Me—A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland. Critics have been writing love letters to Lorna; calling her a “New Legend” and praising her talent as explosive, magical and dramatically riveting. Audiences who’ve experienced her performance of Songs My Mother Taught Me are echoing their affirmation that she is one of the most vibrant, versatile and exciting artists on stage today.
Lorna the mother of two, Jesse and Vanessa, is married to celebrated musician, Colin R. Freeman and currently lives in Beverly Hills, California.
From her early work with her mother to spectacular concert performances, acclaim on Broadway and in television, Lorna proves again and again that she’s a stellar entertainer, proudly carrying the torch of her family’s legendary show business legacy.
