Nancy Travis Finds That Film, Stage Roles Come in Threes

Nancy Travis can’t seem to get away from projects with “Three� in the title.

She appeared in the hit films “Three Men and a Baby� and “Three Men and a Little Lady� as the mother of the “Little Lady.�

And she’s now starring as Masha in Anton Chekhov’s classic “The Three Sisters� at La Jolla Playhouse.

“You’d be amazed how many people don’t know who Chekhov is,� Travis, 28, confesses. “You mention you are doing ‘Three Sisters’ and people say, ‘Who wrote it?’ When I tell them, they say, ‘Who is he?’ I would like to say he is the predecessor to Woody Allen. He’s the guy who came first and then Woody jumped on the bandwagon.�

Born in Massachusetts, Travis began acting on the New York stage, appearing on Broadway in “I’m Not Rappaport.� She also is founder of the N.Y.-based Naked Angels Theatre Company.

“I came out to L.A. two years ago and have been pretty much concentrating on filmmaking,� Travis says.

The move has been good for Travis. In 1990, she co-starred in the features “Internal Affairs,� “Loose Cannons,� “Air America� and “Three Men and a Little Lady.�

Travis returned to the stage last summer in Athol Fugard’s acclaimed “My Children, My Africa.�

“I re-found the love I have for being onstage,� Travis says. “It’s kind of a good way to keep in touch with the skills for which you are trained.�

No amount of training prepared Travis for her first major role: the lead in ABC’s 1986 miniseries “Harem.�

“It was the sort of thing where they flew me off to Spain to meet the director,� Travis recalls. “I was in every scene and I didn’t even know what was going on. Boy, the impact of being involved in something so big when you are so young.�