Philanthropy Technology & The Performing Arts

Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna

Not typical for the profiles found in ‘On The Town’ at Baghdad by the Bay are the dynamic duo of Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna who stepped up to the plate for the 9th Help is on the Way show last July 28 while playing in their national smash hit they are touring America with, If You Ever Leave Me…I’m Going With You! Taylor and Bologna brought down the house with a zany treatment of "It Had To Be You," including a little Taylor-style bump-and-grind. Together as lovers, actors, writers, and touring stars since 1965 and jointly responsible for film, television and stage efforts as diverse and brilliant as Lovers And Other Strangers, Made For Each Other, The Bermuda Avenue Triangle, It Had To Be You, Acts Of Love And Other Comedies, the CBS special Paradise and Bedrooms for HBO, this enormously talented couple seem to be at home in every aspect of the performing arts and just plain wonderful people to boot.

Mrs. Bologna had early stage successes after discovery by Elaine May and casting by Mike Nichols in the off Broadway review The Third Ear and as understudy to Anne Jackson in Luv. George Abbot discovered her and asked her to join his Agatha Sue, I Love You and from there she went on to The Rehearsal. She then appeared in Three Sisters and Machinal before moving on to starring roles in the national companies of Annie Get Your Gun, L’il Abner and Wish You Were Here. Renee made her movie debut in Jerry Lewis’ The Errand Boy and followed that by collaborating with her husband Joseph Bologna developing the films Lovers and Other Strangers and Made for Each Other. They followed that by co-writing and co-directing their third movie It Had To Be You. She has had starring roles in Last Of The Red Hot Lovers, A New Leaf with Walter Matthau, The Detective starring Frank Sinatra, Lovesick starring Dudley Moore and Love, Sex and Marriage with Marlo Thomas and Charles Grodin. Recent film appearances include Hollywoodland, White Palace, Delirious and All I Want For Christmas with Lauren Bacall. Renee also penned the best selling satire “My Life On A Diet” published by Putnam. Renee’s most recent television tour de force was co-starring in the hit series The Nanny. Up next for Renee is the highly anticipated remake of Alfie in which she will co-star with Jude Law.

Joe Bologna attended Brown University, did a tour in the Marines and began directing documentaries and commercials, which led him to writing comedy material by 1965 when he met and married the love of his charmed life, Renee Taylor. He made his acting debut with his bride in the play they co-wrote, Lovers and Other Strangers. Together they wrote the screen version of their first collaboration that earned them their first Oscar nomination. Bologna and Taylor won an Emmy for co-writing Acts of Love and Other Comedies. They received a Writers Guild award for their television special Bedrooms and created the CBS series Calucci’s Department and followed that with the original feature film Love is All There Is starring Angelina Jolie. Joe’s film credits include My Favorite Year, The Woman in Red, Blame it On Rio, Chapter Two, Honor Thy Father, Coupe de Ville, Cops and Robbers, Mixed Company and The Big Bus. He also played Adam Sandler’s father in Big Daddy.

Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna are stars in the traditional time honored sense simply because they bring integrity, honesty, craftsmanship and artistry to stage and screen that is their own experience and they share that experience with clarity and intellectual freedom. It’s almost impossible to imagine another couple that has made more significant contributions to the performing arts than these two charming and estimable ‘lovers.’ Both Joe and Renee have experienced great success in their individual projects, but they will be most remembered for their collaborations on stage, screen and television. It is this partnership that celebrates their lives and careers by using vignettes from some of their best known works, such as the film Lovers and Other Strangers and the play Bermuda Avenue Triangle, as well as video clips of their Merv Griffin televised wedding. “Renee Taylor is part Gracie Allen and part Mae West. She is sexy, savvy, and terribly funny. Joe Bologna plays the Ricky to her Lucy (his Latin lover looks and screaming outbursts at Renee are very reminiscent of the Cuban band leader-minus the accent). It is this camaraderie from two acting and life partners that makes each one of their offerings better than the last. Joe and Renee have one son, Gabriel, who has followed in their footsteps and gone into show business. They live in Beverly Hills with two dogs, a cat and a bird and are still in love and working together for more than 35 years.”