Biography
Penelope Russianoff (1917–2000) was an American psychologist, author and occasional actor. Born in Baltimore, she studied psychology at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University and maintained a clinical practice in New York, where she was on the faculty of the New School for Social Research.
She appeared as the therapist Tanya in the 1978 film An Unmarried Woman, directed by Paul Mazursky. Recommended for the role by Claudia Weill, Russianoff filmed her scenes in her own Manhattan penthouse office and contributed to the dialogue based on her therapeutic work. The performance brought her wider recognition.
Russianoff later wrote several self-help books, including the 1982 bestseller Why Do I Think I Am Nothing Without a Man? and When Am I Going to Be Happy? (1989). She also appeared on television, notably on The Bob Braun Show in 1983.
