American actress (b. 1945)
Loni Anderson
|
---|
Anderson in 2019
|
Born
| Loni Kaye Anderson
(
1945-08-05
)
August 5, 1945
(age 78)
[1]
|
---|
Occupation
| Actress
|
---|
Years active
| 1966?present
|
---|
Spouses
| -
Bruce Hasselberg
(
m.
;
div.
1966)
-
Ross Bickell
(
m.
;
div.
1981)
-
-
|
---|
Children
| 2
|
---|
Loni Anderson
(born August 5, 1945) is an American actress. She played receptionist
Jennifer Marlowe
on the
CBS
sitcom
WKRP in Cincinnati
(1978?1982), which earned her three
Golden Globe Awards
and two
Emmy Award
nominations.
Early life
[
edit
]
Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist, and Maxine Hazel (nee Kallin), a model. She grew up in suburban
Roseville, Minnesota
. As a senior at
Alexander Ramsey Senior High School
, she was voted Queen of the Valentine's Day Winter Formal of 1963.
[2]
As she states in her autobiography
My Life in High Heels
, her father was going to name her Leilani, but realized that when she got to her teen years, it was likely to be twisted (into "
Lay
" Lani) so it was changed to simply Loni.
[3]
Career
[
edit
]
Her acting debut came with a bit part in the film
Nevada Smith
(1966), starring
Steve McQueen
. After that, she was virtually unemployed as an actress for nearly a decade, then she received guest roles on television series in the mid-1970s. She appeared in two episodes of
S.W.A.T.
, then on the sitcom
Phyllis
, and the detective series
Police Woman
and
Harry O
.
She auditioned for the role of Chrissy on the sitcom
Three's Company
. She did not win the role, but in 1978 guest-starred as Susan Walters on a season two episode,
[4]
an appearance that brought her to the attention of the ABC network.
[
citation needed
]
Anderson's most famous acting role came as the sultry receptionist
Jennifer Marlowe
on the sitcom
WKRP in Cincinnati
(1978?1982). She was offered the role when producers saw a poster of her in a red swimsuit?a pose similar to
Farrah Fawcett
's famous
1976 poster
.
Hugh Wilson
, the sitcom's creator, later said Anderson got the role because her body resembled
Jayne Mansfield
's and because she possessed the innocent sexuality of
Marilyn Monroe
.
[
citation needed
]
Although the series suffered in the
Nielsen ratings
throughout most of its four-year run, it had a strong following among teens, young adults, and disc jockeys. Owing to her rising popularity as the series' so-called "main attraction", Anderson walked out on the sitcom during the 1980 summer hiatus, requesting a substantial salary increase. While she was renegotiating her contract, she starred in the television film
The Jayne Mansfield Story
(1980). When the network agreed to her requests, she returned to the series and remained until its cancellation in 1982. It has remained popular in syndication around the world.
[
citation needed
]
Aside from her acting career, Anderson has become known for her colorful personal life, particularly her relationship with and marriage to actor
Burt Reynolds
. They starred in the comedy film
Stroker Ace
(1983), which was a critical and box-office failure. She later appeared as herself in the romantic comedy
The Lonely Guy
(1984), starring
Steve Martin
. She voiced Flo, a
collie
in the animated film
All Dogs Go to Heaven
(1989).
In the mid-to-late 1980s, Anderson was teamed with
Wonder Woman
actress
Lynda Carter
in the television series
Partners in Crime
in 1984. She appeared in television adaptations of classic Hollywood films, such as
A Letter to Three Wives
(1985) with
Michele Lee
, and
Sorry, Wrong Number
(1989), both of which received little attention. After starring in
Coins in the Fountain
(1990), Anderson received considerable praise for her portrayal of comedian actress
Thelma Todd
in the television movie
White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd
(1991). In the early 1990s, she attempted to co-star with her husband
Burt Reynolds
on his sitcom
Evening Shade
, but the network was not fond of the idea, thus replacing Anderson with
Marilu Henner
. After
Delta Burke
was fired from the sitcom
Designing Women
in 1991, producers offered Anderson a role as Burke's replacement, which never came to pass because the network refused to pay Anderson the salary she had requested. She agreed to return as
Jennifer Marlowe
on two episodes of
The New WKRP in Cincinnati
, a sequel to the original series. In 1993, Anderson was added to the third season of the sitcom
Nurses
, playing hospital administrator Casey MacAffee. Although her entering the series was an attempt to boost the series' ratings, the series was canceled shortly thereafter.
[
citation needed
]
In April 2018, Anderson was seen promoting
WKRP in Cincinnati
and other television series on the
MeTV
television network.
Though less frequent since the start of the 21st century, Anderson continues to act in television series, and played a lead role in the 2016?2020
web series
My Sister is So Gay
.
On October 3, 2023, it was announced that Anderson would feature in the
Lifetime
film,
Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas
. According to the official synopsis, the movie follows five soap opera divas readying for a reunion show who take on playing cupid during Christmas to bring together their director and producer as they all learn the meaning of the true Christmas spirit. The ensemble cast is made up of Anderson,
Linda Gray
,
Morgan Fairchild
,
Donna Mills
, and
Nicollette Sheridan
.
[5]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Anderson has been married four times. Her first three husbands were Bruce Hasselberg (1964?1966), Ross Bickell (1974?1981), and actor
Burt Reynolds
(1988?1994).
[6]
On May 17, 2008, she married musician Bob Flick, one of the founding members of the folk band
The Brothers Four
.
[7]
[8]
They had originally met at a movie premiere in Minneapolis in 1963.
[9]
Anderson has two children: a daughter, Deidra
[10]
(fathered by Hasselberg),
[11]
[12]
and a son, Quinton, whom she and Reynolds adopted.
[13]
[14]
[15]
She also has a sister, Andrea.
[10]
Anderson's autobiography
My Life in High Heels
was published in 1995.
[3]
Growing up with parents who both smoked, Anderson witnessed the effects of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), a lung disease often caused by smoking. In 1999, she became a spokesperson for a COPD support organization named COPD Together.
[16]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television films
[
edit
]
Television series
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Pilato, Herbie J. (2014).
Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door
. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 285.
ISBN
9781589799707
.
- ^
Boune, Sylvia-Marah (March 7, 2023).
"What Happened To Loni Anderson?"
.
Looper
.
Archived
from the original on April 1, 2024
. Retrieved
April 1,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Anderson, Loni; Warren, Larkin (1995).
My Life in High Heels
. New York: Morrow. p. 7.
ISBN
978-0-688-14272-8
.
OCLC
32703710
– via archive.org.
- ^
Cormier, Roger (January 1, 2016).
"16 Regal Facts About Three's Company"
.
Mental Floss
.
Archived
from the original on March 18, 2018
. Retrieved
March 18,
2018
.
- ^
"Legendary Actresses Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicollette Sheridan Join Together for "Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas" for Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime Holiday Slate"
. The Futon Critic. October 3, 2023.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2024
. Retrieved
October 3,
2023
.
- ^
D'Zurilla, Christie (September 6, 2018).
"Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson: The ugly divorce that just wouldn't end"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on March 10, 2020
. Retrieved
April 18,
2020
.
left divorce court in 1994
- ^
"Loni Anderson marries folk singer Bob Flick 15 years after divorce from Burt Reynolds".
Star Tribune
. May 18, 2008.
- ^
"Loni Anderson Biography"
.
bio
. A&E Television Networks.
Archived
from the original on September 5, 2012
. Retrieved
June 16,
2016
.
- ^
Orloff, Brian (June 26, 2008).
"Loni Anderson's Sweet Happily Ever After"
.
People Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2019
. Retrieved
November 10,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Dougherty, Margot; Marx, Linda; Balfour, Victoria; Armstrong, Lois (May 16, 1988).
"Burt & Loni's Wedding Album"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2019
. Retrieved
November 10,
2019
.
- ^
Schindehette, Susan (September 13, 1993).
"What a Mess!"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2019
. Retrieved
November 10,
2019
.
- ^
Lipton, Michael A. (September 15, 2003).
"Red-Hot Grandmama"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2019
. Retrieved
November 10,
2019
.
- ^
"Deidre Hall's Miracle."
Archived
December 3, 2005, at the
Wayback Machine
The American Surrogacy Center, Inc., 1996. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
- ^
"Burt and Loni, and baby makes glee".
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. September 3, 1988.
- ^
Nolasco, Stephanie (May 15, 2021).
"Loni Anderson on 'Hollywood Museum Squares,' trying on Marilyn Monroe's dress: It 'gave me chills'
"
.
Fox News
.
Archived
from the original on May 15, 2021
. Retrieved
May 15,
2021
.
- ^
Stephens, Stephanie (December 11, 2015).
"Loni Anderson: Now's the Time to Give Back"
.
Parade
.
Archived
from the original on April 11, 2018
. Retrieved
April 10,
2018
.
- ^
"The Fantastic Funnies (1980)"
.
Internet Archive
. Retrieved
February 16,
2022
.
- ^
"Loni Anderson and 'Sizzle'
"
.
The Lewiston Daily Sun
. Associated Press. November 27, 1981.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2024
. Retrieved
January 5,
2014
.
- ^
"Stranded: Full Credits"
.
Turner Classic Movies
. Retrieved
September 26,
2019
.
- ^
"Without Warning ? Full Credits"
.
tcm.com
. Turner Classic Movies.
Archived
from the original on August 3, 2020
. Retrieved
June 10,
2017
.
- ^
"Legendary Actresses Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan Join Together for "Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas" for Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime Holiday Slate"
. The Futon Critic. October 3, 2023.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2024
. Retrieved
October 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Baby Daddy: Not So Great Grandma"
.
zap2it.com
. Tribune Media Entertainment.
Archived
from the original on August 18, 2016
. Retrieved
June 10,
2017
.
External links
[
edit
]