Kathleen York: Call Her Bird

By Liane Hansen

Published September 28, 2003 at 11:54 AM EDT

Kathleen 'Bird' York, from the cover of <i>The Velvet Hour</i>. — Kathleen 'Bird' York, from the cover of *The Velvet Hour*.

Fans of the prime time television hit The West Wing know actress Kathleen York as Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt, the sassy and self-confident ex-wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Toby Ziegler.

As Bird York, the polished actress turns into sultry and seductive singer-songwriter, with a CD out called The Velvet Hour.

Kathleen 'Bird' York talks with NPR's Liane Hansen about the daunting challenge of building two successful careers in Hollywood, a town where most people can't even get a first job in the entertainment business.

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Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.