An only child.
Attended Carnegie Mellon University, graduated 1971.
Attended St. Mary's Hall in Burlington, New Jersey.
Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, her parents nurtured her interest in acting throughout her childhood and supported her decision to study in a summer program at Carnegie-Mellon University between her junior and senior years of high school. This experience prompted her to enroll in that institution where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Daughter of Sue and Sidney Licht.
For her outstanding performance in the off-Broadway tour of "Wit", Judith received the Helen Hayes Award in Washington, DC, as well as the Elliot Norton Award in Boston.
Friend of Jill Eikenberry and Tony Danza.
Judith Light and Robert Desiderio to accept the Matthew Shepard Foundation's 1st Annual "Making a Difference" Award for their Longstanding Commitment to Erase Hate.
Met her husband Robert Desiderio when they were both on the soap opera "One Life to Live" (1968).
One of her performances on "One Life to Live" (1968) - "Karen Wolek on the Stand" - was so powerful and is remembered so vividly that, to this day, it is used as a model in acting classes throughout the nation. Additionally, it was recently honored as being one of TV Guide's "100 Most Memorable Moments on Television."
Shaved her head completely to star as Vivian Bearing (a literary academic dying of ovarian cancer) in the off-Broadway show, "Wit", in 1999.
She played "Jeanne White" in the the made-for-TV movie The Ryan White Story (1989) (TV). She also spoke at the 20th anniversary of his death at Clowes Hall.
She stated the reason she never had children wasn't because she didn't want them, it was because if she wanted to have children she wanted to be a full-time mother and with an acting career she wouldn't have been able to do that.
Strong supporter of Gay rights.
While on "One Life to Live" (1968) Judith won two Emmys, two Soapy Awards and a Soap Opera Hall of Fame Award.