Louise Lasser Louise Lasser Louise Lasser (born April 11, 1939) is an American actress and television writer. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". She was married to Woody Allen and appeared in several of his early films. Lasser was born in New York City, the daughter of Paula and S. Jay Lasser, a tax expert. Her family is Jewish. She studied political science at Brandeis University. Lasser was the understudy for Barbra Streisand in the Broadway musical "I Can Get It for You Wholesale". She also appeared on the
Louise Lasser Lear says, "when she read a bit of the script for me, I all but cried for joy ... Louise brought with her the persona that fit Mary Hartman like a corset." Exhausted from the grueling schedule, Lasser left the series after two seasons (325 episodes), and the serial was re-branded "Forever Fernwood", which continued on for 26 weeks focusing on the trials and tribulations of the other "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" characters. In 2000, Lasser appeared on a panel with her former cast members at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills (taped for the museum archives).