Clifton’s Nina Arianda won a Tony award for her role in Venus in Fur.
ical Rowe-Manse Emporium in Styertowne. With a friend, Nina would try on prom gowns at the store, and the girls would take photos of each other. Kathleen Kellaigh, co-founder (along with husband Joel Robertson) of Clifton’s Action Theater Conservatory, vividly remembers Arianda. “Nina came to ATC studios speaking only a few words of English,” Kellaigh said. “She was always a fast study, though, and it seemed like in no time she wanted to be playing every role in every story we did. As she got older, and her talent became as apparent as her enthusiasm, I thought more than once (in a very fond way), ‘We’ve created a monster.’” After moving to Germany (following her father’s Department of Defense career), Arianda returned to the U.S. at age 17. She began her show business climb at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, moved to the New School and finally on to NYU’s graduate program. A few months after graduating, she auditioned for and won her Tony-winning role in Venus in Fur. Newsday critic Linda Weiner wrote: “Streisand, Streep… now Adriana. All the hype is true. She really is that special. Since her Broadway success, Adriana’s career has grown and she has appeared in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep, Amazon’s Goliath, CBS’s The Good Wife, NBC’s 30 Rock and many other plays, TV shows and films.
Nina Arianda Tony Award winner, TV performer, movie star… the sky’s the limit for Clifton’s Nina Arianda. Born in Manhattan, Arianda’s family soon moved to Clifton. Her first performance came at age 3 when she recited a poem on the stage of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School on President St. in Passaic. By 9, she was committed to becoming a professional actress. Arianda gained hometown inspiration from the mag-
Jon Seda If you had to pick one actor to represent Clifton, it would likely be Jon Seda. Seda never set out to be a performer. He was tough kid who dreamed of being a Mustang and was later a running back, wrestler, and shortstop. He worked for the Herald News and played in his home park, starring on the Weasel Brook sandlots. In short, Seda is Clifton – a good-looking Puerto Rican kid with an edge.
In addition, two Sopranos mobsters made their fictional residences in Clifton: Burt Gervasi, who lived at 53 Haussler Terrace (and met his demise there courtesy of Tony Soprano’s consigliere Silvio Dante); and Vito Spatafore, who resided at 19 Ronald Dr. David Chase made sure Clifton lives in TV infamy, and the city is fine with that.
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March 2018 • Cliftonmagazine.com