ELIZABETH BERRIDGE, who plays Constanze, Mozart’s wife in Amadeus was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1962. She grew up in Larchmont, where she began acting. Her next-door neighbor, a member of the Lee Strasberg Theater, urged her to pursue a television career. She made 30 TV commercials between the ages of 13 and 17, in addition to half a dozen daytime serials. Acting and attending school at the same time, she was accepted into the adult program of the prestigious Strasberg Theater.
Her first feature film was "The Funhouse," a horror film with Sylvia
Miles. Still in school, she played Hal Holbrook’s daughter in "Natural
Enemies" and was featured in the TV movie "Soldier’s Home."
She made a guest appearance in Mickey Rooney’s situation comedy, "One
of the Boys."
After graduating high school, Beth played six months on "Texas" and
studied with Warren Robertson, whom she credits as being a major influence on
her acting career. (Robertson is well-known for his association with Diane Keaton
and Jessica Lange.) It was Robertson who recommended Beth to the casting agent
of Amadeus.
"On the sets in Prague, Milos kept telling us to forget the sets, the costumes.
He didn’t want a costume epic, but simple, unadorned performances. ‘Don’t
do anything,’ he kept saying, ‘just be there.’ I came to think
of Constanze not as the wife of Mozart, the historical genius, but as a woman
whose husband was an irresponsible guy who couldn’t take care of himself
without my help—and relate to Mozart the husband on that level."
Ms. Berridge was a continuing character on "The John Larroquette Show"
playing the part of Officer Eve Eggers. Among her other film and television
credits are "Payback," "Broke Even," and the part of Rosie
Casals in "When Billie Beat Bobby."
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Shooting Amadeus on location in Prague was hard work for Hulce. "At first,
it felt like a costume party. It took all of half an hour just to put on my
wig. But gradually I began to feel at home as Mozart in Prague. Beth Berridge,
who plays my wife Constanze, helped both of us to steep ourselves in our characters;
the production designer, Patrizia Von Brandenstein, even catered a period dinner
for us, just so we could get comfortable about eating and drinking on camera.
And slowly, over seven months on location, I felt at home with the food, the
costumes, the wigs, the sets. I became Mozart. Knowing that I was standing in
the very spot where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere of ‘Don
Giovanni’ was an eerie and awe-inspiring experience."