JUDY NAZEMETZ is a Central Jersey girl who got the musical theatre bug when she saw Davy Jones as the Artful Dodger in Broadway’s “Oliver.” At the University of Rhode Island, she got a BA in Sociology and honed her comedy chops as a Tri Delta and by presenting the Student Union Suggestion Box to the URI Union Board.  Her work experience? She’s hired, trained and fired Santa Clauses, waitressed at Howard Johnson’s, cashiered at a grocery store, was an ace switchboard operator, sold demographic market research, worked for David Rockefeller, transcribed memos via Dictaphone at the Trilateral Commission and was a NYC Lotto girl, all of which led her to the NYC improv scene and the main stage of Chicago City Limits. She was a founding member of the East Village’s Other Leading Brand comedy group.  In Los Angeles, she joined LA Theatresports, improvising full musicals and rock operas, and she appeared every Sunday for 9 years with the improv group Wrought Irony at LA’s Laugh Factory. Judy played Fred Willard’s wife innumerable times on stage and TV and worked with Fred and Martin Mull in the Fernwood 2Night Anniversary Show at the Aspen Comedy Festival.

She’s written and performed ALL THAT NAZ, her first one-woman show (with a cast of five) and NAZZ-MA-TAZZ, her second one-woman show (cast of one) at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Judy then became a storyteller, performing at the Folk Alliance West annual conference.

Always up for musical comedy, Judy ended 2023 starring as Fritzi in Kander and Ebb’s 70 Girls 70 at the Group Rep Theatre, directed by Bruce Kimmel.

As Mags in The Beauty Queen of Leenane for The Production Company, Irish-accented Judy won a coveted Best Actress Scenie award and repeated the win as German-accented Helga the maid in Theatre 40’s Night Watch. She portrayed the Waitress and the Schoolteacher in Prodco’s Working: The Musical and Sheryl in ENRON, winning Scenies for Best Ensemble.

Judy originated the role of Mona in The Rose Bowl Queens at The Lounge Theatre. She sang leading lady Raisel/Bubbie (working with Mike Stoller, Iris Dart and Artie Butler and directed by Leonard Foglia) in the pre-Broadway readings of the musical Laughing Matters (aka Schmaltz aka The People In The Picture.) She was the Nazi Marching Song singer Frau Fahrenkopf in Night of the Iguana at A Noise Within. At Eclectic Company Theatre, she’s been Estelle/Justine in Martyrdumb, Mommy in Turkey Day, Tania in Two Jews and A Ham, Monica O’Brien Cohen in Ida’s Home and Lorna in Show of Affection. She was March/Arlene in Jewtopia.

Commercially, Judy was Mrs. Bernstein of salad dressing fame, improvising interviews with people on the street and having them do taste tests. For Mazda, Judy was nearly run over by 40 speeding vehicles, for Captain Crunch, she was blown out of a pool by a submarine and for Acutrim’s CLIO-winning spot, she plunged headfirst into a super-deluxe ice cream sundae. Yes, Judy’s been flown and Judy’s been blown up. She’s worked with dogs and cats and 2 monkeys from the film Outbreak and she’s been hired for her sneeze, laugh, scream, and swimming skills.

On the small screen, Judy called Marcia Clark “a bitch” in The People v OJ. and she appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno over 100 times (once, in the audience, giving birth to 38 babies). She shared a hot tub with Ellen DeGeneres on Ellen’s sitcom and, yes, did an episode of Baywatch.

Her characters Smokey Lady, Miss Morella and Sparrow have lives of their own as special guests and emcees at events and shows.

She’s a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity.

Musically, Judy’s a genre-fluid singer-songwriter with 4 albums of original songs, ranging from comedic songs about kielbasy, hamsters, getting old and why people can’t say someone’s name right to serious ballads about social issues of the day. Judy keeps up her singing chops with jazz legend Sue Raney. For info about her music, go to Judy’s music website: judynazemetzmusic.com or judynazemetz.hearnow.com.