NEED TO KNOW
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Amy Brenneman celebrated her graduation from Harvard on May 28.
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Brenneman, best known for her role in the series «Judge Amy» , received a master's degree in religion and public life from Harvard Divinity School.
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Brenneman, whose parents were Harvard-educated lawyers, previously graduated from the college in 1987 with a degree in comparative religion.
Amy Brenneman has a lot to be happy about!
On Thursday, May 28, 61-year-old Brenneman posted on Instagram announcing her graduation from Harvard Divinity School with a master's degree. In a photo gallery, she posed in her gown and cap with some of her classmates. She also shared a video of herself walking through a crowd of graduates and a photo of herself posing with her husband, Brad Silberling, and their two children, Charlotte and Bodhi.
In the caption, she wrote, "As @kathryneverett said: The best year with the best people. Thank you @harvarddivinity for bringing me back to life, my amazing family for their support, and my classmates for always showing me how to find a way out when there isn't one.".
She finished with the words: "We. Did. It."«
Brenneman, who grew up in Connecticut, earned her bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1987, specializing in comparative religion. Her mother, Frederica Schoenfield, began her undergraduate studies at Radcliffe College (then a branch of Harvard) in 1943 and entered Harvard Law School in 1950, the first year the school admitted women. Brenneman's father, Russell, also entered Harvard Law School that same year.
Her parents met and married while still in high school. Russell died in 2016, and Schoenfield in 2021. They were married for 65 years.
«"My parents remain a source of inspiration to me and many others," Brenneman wrote in a 2022 essay for the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute. "I followed in their footsteps to Cambridge and earned a degree in comparative religion from Harvard-Radcliffe. I am as passionate about my profession as an actor/producer as they were about law. They taught me that 'a person's calling is the place where their passion and the needs of the world intersect.'".
Brenneman landed her first major role in the series «NYPD Blue» , where she played a mafia-connected police officer in the first and second seasons, from 1993 to 1994. For this role, she was twice nominated for an Emmy Award.
In 1999, she created her own television series,« Judge Amy"» , based on the story of her mother, a judge from Hartford, Connecticut. She became a judge when Amy was three years old. For her role as Judge Amy Gray, she received three Emmy Award nominations. The TV series "Judging Amy"« was published until 2005.
Amy Brenneman on 'Judging Amy' Source: CBS via Getty
«"My mother and I combined our professions when I created the television show 'Judging Amy,' based on her life and work," Brenneman wrote in her 2022 essay. "We used our separate passions to collaborate on a project that told stories about humanity, systemic inequality, and public service.".
In the March issue Hope podcast Brenneman, a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, explained why she returned to the university to pursue a master's degree in religion and public life. While at Harvard, she spent a semester in Kathmandu, Nepal, and ended up studying Buddhist texts.
«"One of the reasons I chose religious studies as a major was that Harvard didn't have a theater department at the time. But, oddly enough, it really gave my classmates the opportunity to pursue what we wanted," she said.
Decades later, she learned about the Religion and Public Life program from a friend, who in turn heard about it from singer Maggie Rogers, who earned the same master's degree in 2022.
«"It's a year-long program for people already established in other professions, allowing them to strengthen their position, work on a project, and network with colleagues," she explained. "So I applied, I think, as soon as I heard about it." At the time, she was working on an FX series. «"Old man »", which ran for two seasons. She deferred admission until the series' conclusion in December 2024.
Brenneman, who is also active in liberal politics, said that during her time at the university, she learned, in particular, the importance of "creative self-expression" and the need to be "service-oriented.".
She explained that although she is not an economist, «I know from experience, from my deep faith, and from being an artist and a team player, that I am the best at being around people.».
Brenneman's other projects include the role of Violet Turner in the TV series «Private Practice» and the role of Laurie Garvey in the TV series "Survivors"« . She also starred in films such as «"Heat"» (1995) and «Casper» (directed by her husband, Zilberling).
Brenneman wasn't the only celebrity at Harvard's commencement ceremony. Conan O'Brien delivered the commencement address, and Audra McDonald, who congratulated Brenneman on her graduation, received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree.
Read the original article on People.