Second Tony Nomination

Sunday’s Tony Awards will see Cal State Fullerton graduate Linda Emond (B.A. theatre arts ’82) in the company of cast mates Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield, plus director Mike Nichols — all nominated for Tonys for the Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman.”

It’s Emond’s second Tony nomination for her acting on Broadway. The stage and screen veteran is a nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her work opposite Hoffman in Nichols’ production of “Death of a Salesman,” which is nominated for Best Revival of a Play and seven Tonys overall.

The sold-out and critically acclaimed limited run of Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre had its final curtain call June 2. College of the Arts Dean Joseph Arnold saw the play during spring break.

Caption: Linda Emond as Linda Loman in “Death of a Salesman” staged on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 2012. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe Download Photo

“I’m not surprised Linda was nominated for a Tony for her work in ‘Salesman’,” Arnold said. “She brought an emotional complexity to that role that I had never seen before. It was a beautiful, multilayered performance that was quite remarkable.”

Emond’s competition for the coveted award includes Spencer Kayden from “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” Celia Keenan-Bolger from “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Judith Light from “Other Desert Cities” and Condola Rashad from “Stick Fly.”

The Titan alumna is among Tony nominees interviewed on this short video about the annual event. 

Emond’s first Tony nomination was for her role in “Life x 3,” with Helen Hunt and John Turturro — an experience she describes for Broadway.com. Her Broadway credits include the 1997 revival of “1776,” in which she played Abigail Adams. She also played Adams in the PBS American Experience production of “John & Abigail Adams.”

The New York-based actress attracted Nichol’s attention for her hourlong monologue in Tony Kusher’s “Homebody/Kabul,” in which she played a London housewife obsessed with Afghanistan. That role spanned five years and three productions, including one at LA’s Mark Taper Forum, and earned her an Obie Award.

More recently, moviegoers saw her as Julia Child’s best friend, Simone Beck, in the 2009 film “Julie & Julia,” starring Meryl Streep; as Ida King in the 2008 “Stop-Loss”; and as Lucy’s mom, Mrs. Carrigan, in 2007’s “Across the Universe.” She has a recurring role as Judge Leora Kuhnon the CBS television hit drama “The Good Wife.”

The Tony Awards will be presented during a ceremony broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. June 10 from the Beacon Theatre.