Kristine Nielsen

Kristine E. Nielsen (born May 28, 1955) is an American actress known for her work on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Nielsen was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike as Sonia. 2Personal life Nielsen grew up in the Washington, D.C. and Bethesda, Maryland areas, the daughter of Homer Nielsen (1912-2005), who was born in the Philippines, and Eloise (née Gerard) Nielsen (1918-2009). Her mother, a Democrat, worked in government, at one point for president Jimmy Carter, and her father was a U.S Navy captain. Her sister was Karen (Nielsen) Grammaticas (1951-2007), wife of Dr. Andrew Grammaticas. Her family spent summers at Cape Cod. Her paternal grandfather was Harold Nielsen (1879-1958), who fought in World War I and had Danish ancestry. Her great-grandfather, Lewis Gerard (1833-1914), was an immigrant from France who fought for the Union in the Civil War.She trained at Northwestern University (B.A) and the Yale School of Drama (M.F.A). At Yale her classmates included Frances McDormand and Tony Shalhou