Constance Shulman Biography: Husband, Age, Kids, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Movies & TV Shows, Career

Constance Ann Shulman, professionally known as Constance Shulman, is an American actress known for her work across theater, television, and film.

She began gaining recognition in the late 1980s through notable off-Broadway stage work, which led to supporting roles in several Hollywood films. She later became widely known for voicing a popular animated character in the 1990s. More recently, she reached a new audience through her role as a calm and well-liked inmate in a critically acclaimed streaming drama series.

Constance Shulman
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Constance Ann Shulman
Stage Name:	Constance Shulman
Born:	April 4, 1958 (age 68 years old)
Place of Birth:	Johnson City, Tennessee
Nationality:	American
Height:	1.51m
Parents:	Herbert Lipner Shulman and Mrs. Shulman
Siblings:	6
Spouse:	Reed Birney (m. 1999)
Relationship:	Married
Children:	Gus Birney, Ephraim Birney
Occupation:	Actress
Net Worth:	$2 million

Early Life and Education

Constance Shulman was born on April 4, 1958, in Johnson City, Tennessee, where she grew up in a large family as one of seven children. She was raised by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lipner Shulman, who moved from Massachusetts to Tennessee to raise their family.

She developed an early interest in the arts and public service, influenced in part by her grandmother, Sadie Lipner Shulman, a pioneering judge from Boston. She attended public schools in Johnson City before studying speech and theater at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, preparing for a career in performance.

She is of White American background with Ashkenazi Jewish roots and practices the Jewish faith.

Career

Constance Shulman began their career in the mid-1980s when she moved to New York City and immediately started auditioning for professional stage productions.

She achieved a major career breakthrough in 1987 when she originated the memorable role of Annelle in the very first off-Broadway production of Steel Magnolias, which brought her significant critical praise and caught the eye of talent scouts. She easily transitioned into mainstream Hollywood feature films over the next several years, landing notable roles in popular comedies and dramas like Fletch Lives, Men Don’t Leave, and the beloved 1991 classic Fried Green Tomatoes.

Constance Shulman experienced a massive wave of success when she branched out into television voice acting by landing the iconic role of Patti Mayonnaise on the hit Nickelodeon animated series Doug in 1991. She voiced the beloved cartoon character throughout its entire run on both Nickelodeon and Disney, which lasted until 1999 and included a major feature film release called Doug’s 1st Movie.

She decided to take a step back from the intense Hollywood spotlight for over a decade so that she could focus her time on raising her children, though she continued to make occasional appearances in independent theater projects around New York.

Constance Shulman made a triumphant return to mainstream television in 2013 when she joined the cast of the massive Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black to play Yoga Jones. Her wonderful performance as the soft-spoken, yoga-teaching inmate won her deep critical praise and earned her three consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the show’s celebrated ensemble cast.

She remains an active and highly respected presence in the entertainment community, appearing in contemporary shows like The Curse and starring in acclaimed off-Broadway stage plays like Well, I’ll Let You Go, which keeps her career vibrant and strong.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @connie_shulman

Personal Life

Constance Shulman was born on April 4, 1958, and she is 68 years old. She is happily married to fellow veteran character actor Reed Birney, whom she wed in a lovely ceremony in 1999 after the couple had shared a close relationship within the New York acting community.

The couple has two children, a son named Ephraim and a daughter named Gus Birney, both of whom have followed their parents into acting on television and the Broadway stage. She lives a quiet family life in Manhattan, where she enjoys fashion design competitions, writing fiction, and supporting independent documentary film projects alongside her husband.

Filmography

• Fletch Lives (1989)
• Men Don’t Leave (1990)
• Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
• Doug (1991–1999)
• Heavens to Betsy (1994)
• The Faculty (1996)
• Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
• Doug’s 1st Movie (1999)
• Orange Is the New Black (2013–2017)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014)
• Sylvio (2017)
• Most Likely to Murder (2018)
• Strawberry Mansion (2021)
• Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021)
• The Curse (2023)

Net Worth

Constance Shulman has an estimated net worth of around $2 million, built through her long-running career as an actress and voice performer.

A significant portion of her earnings comes from her role as a main cast member on the streaming series Orange Is the New Black, along with ongoing residual income from the show. She also continues to earn from her voice work on Doug, commercial voiceover projects, and stage performances in New York theater productions.