Annabelle Gurwitch (Born November 4, 1961 in Mobile, Alabama) is an American comedic actress best known for being the original hostess of TBS's Dinner and a Movie. She also played an anchorwoman of Not Necessarily the News alongside Tom Parks.
Gurwitch grew up in Florida graduating from Miami Beach High School in 1980. While there, she took acting classes with famed South Florida drama teacher Jay W. Jensen. After high school, she enrolled at New York University.
Gurwitch is currently a contributing writer for NPR's Day to Day, Los Angeles Times Magazine and the website Freshyarn.com. In the past, she has written for Child, Glamour, Cooking Light, Premiere and Los Angeles Magazine. She wrote an article entitled "Getting in Touch With Your Inner Bimbo" in Los Angeles Magazine. She once worked for Woody Allen, but was fired. She recently published a book of essays inspired by that dismissal, called Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, and Dismissed. She's also staged a number of live performances based on the Fired theme, and recently completed a documentary film on the subject.
In 1996, TBS premiered a new show called Dinner and a Movie. Gurwitch and Paul Gilmartin were signed by TBS executives to be the hostess and host of the new cooking and entertainment show. Claud Mann was hired to be the chef of the series and prepare various themed dinner dishes. For six years, Gurwitch served as host, until she left the show in 2002.
