Actress Roberta Bassin Resurges With Roles on 'Ray Donovan' & New Movies

LOS ANGELES – Recognized for the 1987 cult classic “Barfly,” accomplished actress Roberta E. Bassin, is today experiencing a resurgence, as she prepares to appear in Showtime’s hit crime drama “Ray Donovan,” set to air Sept. 6 and the upcoming films “The Petal Pushers,” “Shovel Buddies."

The actress who first came to public attention with her iconic role as Lilly the boozy bar regular in the cult film “Barfly,” starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, is having a breakthrough year with a slew of roles in film and television.

“Show business is like a roller coaster, with great highs, lows, steady ride and then sudden twists and turns. For me it is enjoying the ride, that ride that an actor experiences when one delves into each new role,” she said.

It was 1987 when the then unknown actress landed the role of a lifetime as Lilly in “Barfly.” Her performance earned accolades from many of Hollywood’s biggest film critics. It would launch a career that would earn her a number of roles in such films as “Normality,” “Rock N Roll High School Forever,” Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” as well as a number of television shows such as the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning TV movie “Indictment: The McMartin Trial,” series like “Criminal Minds,” “Grey’s Anatomy, “ER,” “The Pretender,” “Crossing Jordan,” “American Dreams,” and many others.

“I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to my career with highs and lows,” she said. “But I love acting and enjoy each new success, big and small. In the end, you have to love what you do, be passionate about it and most of all persevere.”

Starting with last summer’s thriller “Warning Label,” Bassin has been on a tear with roles in the upcoming Bob Torrance comedy “The Petal Pushers,” starring Kaitlyn Black of the CW’s “The Heart of Dixie;” the film “Shovel Buddies,” starring Bella Thorne, as well as an upcoming episode of Showtime’s acclaimed series “Ray Donovan” starring Liev Schreiber.

It was just last month that Bassin guested on TNT’s procedural drama “Major Crimes,” starring Mary McDonnell, while working on another upcoming television show.