family - this page is a work-in-progress - click on name for wikipedia page, IMDB page or website.
husband, James Duffy -singer/songwriter/pianist/photographer/web developer - toured with Kenny Loggins and Hall & Oates.
Her mother's side are four generations of painters:
great-grandfather, Charles Edward Chambers (CE Chambers) - (1883-1941) - classical artist/painter/illustrator.
In 2010, Chambers was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Society of Illustrators. He is most-known for his Chesterfield cigarettes advertisements and Steinway & Sons portraits that ran during the early 1900-1920's. Chambers also illustrated stories for writers W. Somerset Maugham and Pearl S. Buck. His illustrations appeared regularly magazines including, Cosmopolitan, Harper's, and Redbook.
For years, Chambers had an exclusive contract with Cosmopolitan magazine. In 1917, during World War I, Chambers illustrated a poster for the United States Food administration, titled "Food Will Win the War." On the poster, it reads: "Food Will Win the War. In the 1920s,
Chambers was commissioned by Steinway & Sons to paint portraits of popular pianists. These portraits of pianists, which included, Sergie Rachmaninoff, Josef Hoffman, Alfred Cortot, and Paderewski, were widely reproduced for nine years.
Chambers was also commissioned by Chesterfield cigarettes. His series of billboard advertisements ran for five years. In 1931, these depictions of radiant models smoking, alongside a memorable catchphrase, was considered by Advertising Outdoors as, "the most beautiful posters ever painted. In all, he illustrated 45 billboard displays for Chesterfield cigarettes.
His illustrations set high standards for twenty-by-four outdoor posters of the time. In 1912, Chambers became a member of the Society of Illustrators. He was later President of the Artists Guild and member of the Allied AA.
Chambers' style of painting has been described as, "extremely competent, marked by subtlety of value and color." Other critics have said that because of the "polish" of his paintings, one would think he had studied at the French Academy. The use of color was considered his strength.
In 1931, he was awarded the 2nd Altman Prize at the National Academy of Design exhibition for his portrait of artist John Alonzo Williams.
great-grandmother, Fanny Munsell - (1884-1920) classical painter/illustrator/art professor -
wife of CE Chambers, daughter of an MD in the midwest. Was an art professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she and Charles Edward Chambers met (he was her student).
A prominent supplier of painted illustrations, in both grisaille and full color. Her work appeared in Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Home Companion and Harper's Monthly, among other nationally distributed publications.
Walt Reed (Illustration House/NYC) wrote that Fanny Munsell taught her future husband, Charles Edward Chambers, who modeled his approach to illustration on her style. Unfortunately, Fanny Munsell Chambers died at 36 of TB. C.E. Chambers remarried and went on to become extremely successful, earning admission to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2010. Fanny Munsell's career has remained largely obscure.
grandfather, Richard Chambers -classical painter/illustrator/portrait painter -
CE Chamber's son, Kathy Chambers' father - Woodstock, NY/Princeton University - art teacher at The Art Students League (NY) and at Otis Institute (CA). He was also a matte shot painter for the film industry and a successful portrait painter. He was one of a group of artists commissioned by the government to paint the Hiroshima disaster. He was passionate about watercolors and becoming a surrealist but died in his forty's of a heart attack.
mother, Kathy Chambers - artist/art teacher/intuitive -
is the daughter of Richard Munsell Chambers and granddaughter of Illustrators Charles Edward Chambers and Fanny Hamilton Munsell. She is also the grand-daughter of the visionary founder of Reed College. Her step-father, Dr. Ted Lee, was the beloved doctor for Peterborough, NH and the surrounding towns.
She went to Museum School of Fine Art- Boston and majored in painting and sculpture. She taught art at the deCordova and Dana Museum and Currier Art Museum. During the Vietnam War she used her training to protest the war and began looking for ways to teach peace to traumatized children and adults through art. Her goal for all ages was to find how her students could experience inner and outer balance through art, meditation and beauty.
Harvard University hired her to try her approach in a disadvantaged communities in Cambridge which was exciting and successful. She went on to teach in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York exploring techniques and skills to support her students in the authentic expression of the their truth in art and in life. The goal was to guide her students to go deeply enough with their creations to experience their innate, unshakable inner peace.
In New York, she taught 750 students a year in multiple mediums. A serious back injury ended her twenty year art career abruptly. Kathy, though no longer able to teach in studios began exploring the possibility of being supportive as an intuitive guide, working with meditation and inner visualization for those seeking the truth of their being. She has done this with people from all walks of life for over forty years.
great grandfather, William Trufant Foster -(1879-1950) Educator/Economist, is the visionary founder of Reed College.
"The Ideal College is a college free to pursue its mission with unobscured vision of the truth, and power to proclaim the truth without fear or favor of politicians, or religious sects, or benefactors, or public cries, or its own adminstrative machinery." The comprehensive historical book of his vision and the history of Reed College is "Comrades of the Quest" by John Sheehy. His economic theories strongly influenced the anti-depression programs of Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Marriner Eccles.
father, Theo Saunders, Jazz Pianist/Composer/Arranger-
son of Nicholas Saunders and Gedda Petry, has been a professional jazz musician for 60 years. He has played with Sonny Fortune, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Lovano and Carla Bley. Theo has performed on five continents and more than 25 countries. His appearances run the gamut from The Village Vanguard and Lincoln Center in NYC to The Paris Opera House and the Montreux Jazz Festival. His 60 recordings include 10 under his leadership. He was a sideman for many years in the bands of Bob Brookmeyer, John Klemmer, Sonny Greenwich, Freddie Hubbard, Carla Bley, Sonny Fortune, and Azar Lawrence.
brother, Christian Lincoln -actor/contractor/writer -
related to Abraham Lincoln (different father than Laria), studied art/painting at New Paltz University-NY then MFA at NYU-Tisch School of the Arts for acting. He also has a BA in Comparative French Literature. He appeared on Broadway and on "Law & Order" before becoming a contractor/builder. He is also a talented writer/screenwriter.
On her father’s side are four generations of actors and performers.
uncle, Lawrence Pressman - actor -
married to Lanna Saunders and still working at over 80 years old. He has been a regular guest on nearly every television series from, "Law in Order" to "Murder She Wrote" but is most known for "Doogie Howser M.D"., "Judging Amy," "Transparent" and "Star Trek." His Broadway credits include, "Never Live Over the Pretzel Factory"- Theatre World Award (with his future wife, Lanna Saunders), "Play It Again, Sam" with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Broadway and London: "Man In the Glass Booth," directed by Harold Pinter, written by Robert Shaw with Donald Pleasence, Jack Warden and later, Maximillian Schell where Larry recreated his part in the film. He has been with many regional theatres. Just before Covid, he played in "Awake and Sing" at the Quintessence Theatre in Philadelphia, where he was nominated for a Barrymore Award.
great-grandfather - Nicholas Soussanin - (1889-1975) actor -
appeared in dozens of films including over 20 silent and talkie films, many with Emil Jannings and Adolphe Menjou. These included “Those High Grey Walls “- 1939, “Under Two Flags”-1936, “Last Command”-1928, and “Hotel Imperial”=1927. His second wife was Olga Baclanova of The Moscow Art Theatre and star of the American Film “Freaks”.
grandfather, Nicholas Saunders -(1914-2006) actor/translator -
His film appearances include "Bananas", "Fail Safe," "The Next Man," and "Arthur." He appeared in hundreds of television shows dating back to Kraft Television Theatre, Philco Playhouse, and Playhouse 90 and had a running part (Captain Barker) on the Phil Silvers Show, Sgt. Bilko.
His Broadway credits include "Lady in the Dark," "Look Back in Anger," "Take Her, She’s Mine," "Passion of Joseph D.," "Scenes and Revelations," and "The Magnificent Yankee."
His Off Broadway credits include "Blood Moon" at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, "Enemy of the People" at Actor’s Playhouse, and "After the Rise" at The Astor Place Theatre.
He was a member of Los Angeles’ Anteaus Company and appeared at the Mark Taper Forum in "The Wood Demon" by Anton Chekhov ( translation by Nicholas Saunders and Frank Dwyer) with music by her father, Theo Saunders. Plus her uncle, Lawrence Pressman also performed in this production.
Nicholas Saunders also performed in, "The Summer People" and "Zoyka’s Apartment" (both translated by Nicholas Saunders and Frank Dwyer).
aunt, Lanna Saunders- (1941-2007) actor-
daughter of Gedda Petry and Nicholas Saunders, a member of the first Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre Company. Her Broadway Theatre Credits include "Sunrise at Campobello," "Philadelphia", "Here I Come," "The Anniversary Waltz" and "Milk and Honey." She appeared in dozens of TV shows but is best known for the character of Sister Marie on "Days of Our Lives." She also appeared in the film "Body Heat," playing the sister of William Hurt’s character.
cousin, David Pressman - actor -
Son of Lanna Saunders and Lawrence Pressman who is still a working actor and has also been on countless television series and films but is best known for his role in the tv series, "School of Rock," "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Newhart." His film credits include: "Independence Day," "Stargate," and "Zoolander." Coming in 2022 are voice credits including: "DC's Legion of Superpets" (2022) and Fox cartoon, "Krapopolis" (2022).
step-mother, Lanna Sue Heldfond (Susie)- actor/dancer/choreographer/artist/poet -
wife of Theo Saunders and his biggest supporter in the jazz scene. An actor and performer in film and television in the 1970-1980's including a guest on "Love Boat" and choreographer of the popular film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Susan was the protege of well known Spanish dancer, Carmelita Maracci. She was active in the classical and avant-garde theater world in New York and Los Angeles. She is also a talented multi-media artist and poet and her uncle was a prolific abstract painter of the jazz scene in the Bay area, CA. She is a peace activist and practicing soto zen buddhist.
grandmother, Gedda Petry -actress/singer/dancer -
appeared with the Ballet Russe Montreal-choreographer, Michel Fokine. A cabaret performer in NYC in her 20’s and appeared in 12 Broadway Shows, including “Carousel”, “Lady in the Dark”, “Babes in Arms”, “Mexican Hayride”, “The Fifth Season”, and “Passion of Joseph D." Her film work included The Europeans, The Defection of Simas Kurdika, The Unknown War, and The Deer Hunter.