Birth Name

Nickname

Height

Spouse

Trivia

Attended the Actors Studio Drama School, graduating in 1999.

She has worked as a reporter and editor for a weekly newspaper, a carny (for a carnival), a travel agent, an ESL teacher, a recreational therapist in nursing homes, a Jewish singles event organizer, a Musical Theatre after-school teacher.

Was given a letter of recommendation for her acting by Harvey Keitel.

Shortened her name (from Andrea Bernstein Wood to Breindel Wood) at the advice of director Peter Bogdanovich.

Began creating stories before she could write, using her mother's baby name book to create characters and recite her stories to her parents.

Began reading at age 3.

Disconnected her cable TV in 1998 so that she would make time to write.

The name Breindel is Yiddish and means "a flame."

Watches an average of 1-4 movies a day.

Personal Quotes

[When asked how Ophelia came to be] "Gosh, it's been quite a journey. It all started when I was in the Actor's Studio Drama School. I was on the Acting track so my Playwright/Director's Unit teacher wouldn't let me put up my writing. I only had three scenes of Ophelia then. So I asked the other PD Unit teacher and he said yes. That was Arthur Storch, the original director of Owl and the Pussycat. After I graduated I kept working on it until it became a finished play. Then Jagger Kaye, a local producer invited me to put a scene into his night of scenes showcase. Then I was in Titans Theatre Company, and the artistic director Sara Berg offered to produce my play as a reading. I met Joe Franklin once and so I invited him and he very kindly came to that. Then really I just started announcing to people that I was producing Ophelia as a play. I didn't even know how it was going to happen, I just kept saying that. Then two people offered to finance a showcase production of Ophelia. Joe Franklin also came to that. Then I called Miramax, now the Weinstein company, because I met Bob Weinstein once and they are reading the screenplay version. And Harvey Keitel kindly agreed to read it. And Peter Bogdanovich. And Joe Franklin agreed to act in a small role in the movie version. All these people have been so kind and inspiring, that they have lifted me up. For them to be so accessible and supportive and generous...just makes me keep going with this."

Where Are They Now

(June 2005) In preproduction for her debut film Ophelia, based on her stage play, Ophelia: The Musical!

Breindel, Kenneth (Lansdale, PA, US)

Rosett praised a column Breindel ...