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Iris Bahr

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Iris Bahr
Born
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Alma mater
Brown University, *Actors Center, New York
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, director, writer, producer, author
Notes

Iris Bahr is an American actress, comedian, director, writer, author, producer public speaking, and performance coach. She is best known for her recurring role as Rachel Heineman on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Perla on Hacks, her solo show DAI (enough), and her TV series Svetlana, which she wrote, directed, starred in and produced with Mark Cuban. She is the author of three published books, Dork Whore, Machu my Picchu and Book of Leon which she co-wrote with J. B. Smoove.

Early life

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Bahr was born in the Bronx, New York. At around twelve years old, her parents divorced and she moved to Israel with her mother. She served in the IDF for two years and held the rank of sergeant. [3] As a young woman, she traveled throughout Southeast Asia and South America.[4] She chronicles her adventures in her two memoirs, Dork Whore and Machu My Picchu. Both have been translated into several languages. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, where she studied neuropsychology and religious studies.[4] Bahr did neuroscience and cancer research at Stanford University and Tel Aviv University.[1] [5]

Career

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Bahr guest starred on a variety of television shows, including guest appearances on "Hacks", "The Conners", Good Girls, Losing Alice, 9-1-1, Strong Medicine, The Drew Carey Show, Friends, and The King of Queens, as well as recurring character Rachel Heineman on Curb Your Enthusiasm, appearing in four episodes, including the finale.

In 2006, Bahr appeared in her first movie lead role in playing Amy Butlin in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector alongside Larry the Cable Guy. In May 2006 she had a supporting role as Leonard Hofstadter's co worker in the unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory.

In November 2006, she opened her one woman show Dai (Enough) at the Culture Project in New York City.[6] Bahr received the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Performance for Dai, which also earned 2 Drama Desk Award nominations for Best Solo show and Best Sound Design. She also received a UK Stage Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. Bahr was invited to perform Dai at the United Nations for over 100 ambassadors and delegates. She premiered her third solo show, I Lost You There at the Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC in 2017. Her fourth solo show, a sequel to DAI, entitled DAI 2.0, was slated to open in NYC in April 2020 but was canceled due to Covid. She reimagined the show for streaming and premiered the show to a live audience online in December 2020. Her fifth solo show, "See You Tomorrow" was nominated for the 2024 Helen Hayes Award and premiered in Washington DC. It is slated to run in Toronto in July 2024. Her sixth solo show, "Stories from the Brink" premiered in Montreal in June 2024 and won the Frankie Storytelling Award.

In 2007, Bahr was a part of the film Poughkeepsie Tapes. In this she plays an interviewed news broadcaster.[7]

She moved to Los Angeles after a city truck injured her when it collided with her bicycle on Great Jones Street in New York.[2]

Bahr's memoir entitled Dork Whore was published in 2007, and was translated into German, Italian and Portuguese. It became a bestseller in Germany. The sequel, Macchu My Picchu chronicles her travels through South America. She co-wrote Book of Leon, which came out in 2018, with comic JB Smoove.

Bahr did voice acting work for the Star Trek computer games Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force, Star Trek: Elite Force II and Star Trek: Away Team, released in 2000, 2003 and 2001 respectively. She followed this up with an appearance on the last episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Endgame" in 2001. She also voiced the character of Madeline Taylor in Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002).

Bahr also had a weekly commentary on NPR's Los Angeles affiliate KCRW entitled "Social Studies",[8] featuring one of her characters - Svetlana, Russian lady of the night and proprietor of the "St. Petersburg House of Discreet Pleasure."[9][10] Svetlana was also a recurring guest on The Marc Maron Show, and has done regular pieces for Kurt Andersen's show on WNYC's Studio 360.[11] She is the host of the X-RAE podcast as her alter ego Rae Lynn Caspar White, a "Southern Intellectual, professional baby surrogate and sexpert". Her guests have included Lawrence O'Donnell, Doug Liman, author Roddy Doyle, Andie MacDowell, neuroscientists, academics and various comedians and artists. In 2023 she launched "The Near Death" podcast sharing both her own near death experiences and her guests.

Filmography

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Film

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List of performances in film
Year Title Role Notes
2002 Reality School Student Short film
2004 Exit 4A Sibel Short film
2005 The Unchosen Ones Fiona, Rivka, Avivit and Aunt Rivka Short film
2006 Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector Amy Butlin
2006 Mimesis God Short film
2007 Speed Dating Lynn Short film
2007 The Poughkeepsie Tapes Psychiatrist
2010 Fair Game CPD Agent
2010 The Last Exorcism Iris Reisen
2013 9 Full Moons Keren
2015 How to Grow Your Own Nina
2016 Justification Stranger Short film

Television

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List of performances on television
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Star Trek: Voyager Female Cadet Episode: "Endgame"
2002 The Rerun Show Marcy D'arcy Episode: "Married... with Children: Weenie Tot Lovers & Others Strangers/Bewitched: A Bunny for Tabitha"
2002 Strong Medicine Ronnie Vongolia Episode: "The Philadelphia Chromosome"
2003 Coupling Alice Episode: "A Foreign Affair"
2003 Columbo Police Officer Episode: "Columbo Likes the Nightlife"
2003 The Agency Sara Shamir 1 episode
2003 Dragnet Becky Episode: "The Cutting of the Swath"
2003 The Drew Carey Show Mindy Episode: "Drew Answers the Belle"
2003 Friends Glenda Episode: "The One with Ross's Tan"
2004 Significant Others Dave's Wife Episode: "A Date, Fate and Jail Bait"
2005; 2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Rachel Heineman 4 episodes
2006 E-Ring Rosa Episode: "Hard Cell"
2006 The Big Bang Theory Gilda Uncredited
Episode: "Unaired Pilot"
2006 Commander in Chief Tuba Ozel Episode: "Happy Birthday, Madam President"
2007 Shorty McShorts' Shorts — Voice role
Episode: "Too Many Robots"
2007 State of Mind Elizabeth Ellis Episode: "Helpy Helperpants"
2009 Dollhouse Detective Donovan Episode: "Instinct"
2010–2011 Svetlana Svetlana Lead role; 23 episodes
2011 Eagleheart Tiffany Episode: "Death Punch"
2015 Revenge Detective Adams Episode: "Epitaph"
2015 The Brink Talia Levy 3 episodes
2015 Blunt Talk Doctor 2 episodes
2017 Elementary Emily Gray Episode: "The Ballad of Lady Frances"
2020 9-1-1 Arlene Branson Episode: "Pinned"
2020 Good Girls Clinic Doctor Episode: "Egg Roll"
2021 Hacks Perla Episode: "New Eyes"

Video games

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List of voice performances in video gaming
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force Telsia Murphy
2001 Star Trek: Away Team Sira D'Qua
2001 Star Trek: Armada II —
2002 Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix Madeline Taylor
2003 Star Trek: Elite Force II Ensign Telsia Murphy
2017 Prey Sarah Elazar

Bibliography

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  • Bahr, Iris (2009). DAI : (enough): a play (1st ed.). Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 9780810126435. LCCN 2009024606.
  • Bahr, Iris (2007). Dork whore: my travels through Asia as a twenty-year-old pseudo-virgin (1st U.S. ed.). New York, New York: Bloomsbury, Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers. ISBN 9781596912342. LCCN 2006018506.
  • Bahr, Iris (2011). Machu my Picchu: searching for sex, sanity and a soul mate in South America. maps by Piper Verlag. Guilford, Connecticut: Skirt!. ISBN 9780762772773. LCCN 2011024307.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Iris Bahr". Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale. May 29, 2008. GALE|H1000179084. Retrieved 2012-05-10 – via Fairfax County Public Library. Gale Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Campbell (January 5, 2007). "So Many Different People to Be, Onstage and Off, if She Can Dodge the Trucks". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
  3. ^ Interview With Iris Bahr - Anne Sebba. (2011, August 8). Anne Sebba. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://annesebba.com/journalism/interview-with-iris-bahr//
  4. ^ a b "Who's News by Lorrie Lynch". USA Today. 2006-05-21. Retrieved 2006-11-30. [dead link‍]
  5. ^ Iris Bahr. (2007, October 1). KCRW. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.kcrw.com/people/iris-bahr
  6. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (2006-11-14). "Culture Project Opens Iris Bahr Solo Dai (enough) Nov. 14". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
  7. ^ "Shaw Theatre". Shaw Theatre. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  8. ^ "Social Studies". KCRW. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  9. ^ Roderick, Kevin (June 18, 2007). "Morning Buzz: Monday 6.18.07". LA Observed. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  10. ^ "Knocked Up on Darfur - Social Studies on KCRW". Kcrw.com. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  11. ^ "Getty Fabulous: Live in L.A." Studio 360. 2007-07-06. Archived from the original on 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
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