At 72, Elaine Bromka From ‘Uncle Buck’ Writes About First Ladies

Released in 1989, Uncle Buck promised plenty of mishaps from the well-meaning but bumbling titular uncle, played by John Candy, who was tasked with babysitting his brother’s children. Before the children can even assess their temporary caretaker, though, Buck faces doubt from their mother, Cindy Russell, played expertly by Elaine Bromka. Under Bromka’s care, Cindy is the balance of concerned yet determined – all with a twist of subtle comedy. That’s just part of Bromka’s story, though. What came next?

Elaine Bromka was born on January 6, 1950, in Rochester, New York. She would primarily stay an east coast resident in her personal life years later. In fact, she’s a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Smith College, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. This background would serve her well as Bromka delved into more ambitious projects of her own design.

So begins three decades of dedicated work

After this stellar academic performance, Bromka dabbled in different entertainment mediums as she got into the industry, though she would show particular enthusiasm for theater later. She can be seen in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as well as the popular soap opera All My Children. Then came Uncle Buck relatively early in her growing career. Bromka went from fussing over her film children to educating kids through television in ABC Afterschool Specials.

RELATED: The Cast Of ‘Uncle Buck’ Then And Now 2022

Her filmography does show a tendency toward television, as Bromka has been in the original Law & Order as well as its spinoffs, Criminal Intent, and Special Victims Unit. She gave a special shoutout to Mariska Hargitay, calling her “such a generous heart.” That is before counting dozens of episodes in Days of Our Lives playing Stella Lombard across ten years as well as several episodes of Passions. Bromka was able to connect with Days of Our Lives casting director Fran Bascom thanks to their mutual upbringing in New York. In 1976, she tied the knot with Frederick Phillips.

Was Elaine Bromka in ‘The Sopranos?’

Today, Bromka is still very much active in the industry. Her extensive list of TV credits also includes The Sopranos in 2002 as Ellen McDermott. Even today, her work favors television, with her latest 2021 credit coming from the TV series Invasion. But she has an unshakable passion for the stage, which she taps into as a faculty member of both her alma mater and NYU’s Steinhardt School.

Bromka does not always need a big team to get the job done, though. She once played eight First Ladies for The Presidents on PBS. Now, she’s the brains behind Lady Bird, Pat & Betty: Tea for Three, a one-woman show that has Bromak play Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford. Her website states that the show still tours the country today. That’s not the only thing she takes around the country, though; after three decades of dedicated acting work, Bromka brings her academic and practical success to others by taking one-day acting workshops to over 150 schools and colleges around the U.S. Today, she is 72, and her fans hope to hear of more success stories from Bromka in the future!