Camryn Manheim (born March 8, 1961) is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis Presley's mother in the 2005 mini-series Elvis.

Early life

Manheim was born Debra Frances Manheim in Caldwell, New Jersey, but grew up in Peoria, Illinois. She is the daughter of Sylvia, a teacher, and Jerome Manheim, a mathematics professor.Camryn Manheim Biography (1961-) Her family is Jewish.ABILITY Magazine | Camryn Manheim Interview by Chet CooperHollywood actress and Ethiopian immigrant raise their voices at women’s event Manheim became interested in acting after working at a Renaissance fair in high school. Manheim graduated from UCSC with a BFA degree in 1984 and NYU with an MFA degree in 1987.

Career

Manheim worked for a while as a sign language interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was utilized at times on The Practice, an episode of Law & Order and also for her role as a Child Behavioral Psychologist in the movie Mercury Rising. In 1998, Manheim collected an Emmy for her work on The Practice and exclaimed that "This is for all the fat girls!" She followed up on this statement with an autobiography entitled Wake Up, I'm Fat!. A one-woman show of the same name preceded the book.