Why Agnes Van Rhijn From The Gilded Age Looks So Familiar

New York in the late 1800s might seem like a distant time, yet viewers of HBO's The Gilded Age Season 4 will encounter a familiar face. Christine Baranski, who portrays socialite and matriarch Agnes Van Rhijn, has a prolific career that spans television, film, and Broadway. Fans of sit-coms will recall her as Beverly Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory, where she portrayed the analytical psychiatrist of Leonard (Johnny Galecki).

Her longest-running role was on CBS for 156 episodes, playing Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife from 2009 to 2016. Baranski later appeared as the protagonist in The Good Fight, a spin-off of The Good Wife, running for six seasons from 2017 to 2022. Her history with CBS began in 1995 with the Chuck Lorre sitcom Cybill, where she played the best friend of the titular character.

This was her first role as a series regular. Since then, Baranski has held main roles in Welcome to New York and Happy Family, among other television credits. She has also provided voice roles and guest appearances on shows like Law & Order, Frasier, Ugly Betty, and Psych. Prior to her television success, Baranski studied performing arts at Juilliard, graduating in 1974.

She then appeared in numerous Broadway productions, winning Tony Awards for her roles in The Real Thing and Rumors. Her stage background translated into several movie musicals, including ABBA's Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, where she played Tanya, a friend of Meryl Streep's Donna. Additionally, Baranski portrayed the Stepmother in Disney's Into the Woods and had supporting roles in Chicago, Cruel Intentions, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Eloise at the Plaza, Eloise at Christmastime, and Trolls.