Loni Anderson
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American actress (born 1945)

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

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Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist, and Maxine Hazel (née 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

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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

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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

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes 1966 Nevada Smith Brunette Saloon Girl uncredited 1976 Vigilante Force Peaches uncredited 1983 Stroker Ace Pembrook Feeny nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress

nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star 1984 Herself uncredited 1989 All Dogs Go to Heaven Flo voice 1992 Munchie Cathy 1998 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain Medusa 1998 Barbara Butabi

Television films

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Year Title Role Notes 1977 Mrs. Daroon 1978 Three on a Date Angela Ross 1980 Jayne Mansfield 1980 self (host) [17] 1981 Sizzle Julie Davis [18] 1982 Country Gold Mollie Dean Purcell 1984 My Mother's Secret Life Ellen Blake 1985 Lora Mae Holloway 1986 Stranded Stacy Tweed [19] 1987 Blondie & Dagwood Blondie Bumstead voice 1988 Necessity Lauren LaSalle 1988 Whisper Kill Liz Bartlett 1988 Too Good to Be True Ellen Berent 1989 Sorry, Wrong Number Madeleine Stevenson 1989 Blondie & Dagwood: Second Wedding Workout Blondie Bumstead voice 1990 Coins in the Fountain Leah 1990 Blown Away Lauren 1991 White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd Thelma Todd 1992 Lacey 1994 Gambler V: Playing for Keeps Fanny Porter 1994 Without Warning Actress in the opening movie segment uncredited[20] 1995 Deadly Family Secrets Martha 2023 Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas Lily Marlowe [21]

Television series

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Year Title Role Notes 1975 S.W.A.T. Miss Texas episode: "The Steel Security Blanket" 1975 S.W.A.T. Art Teacher episode: "Deadly Tide: Part 1" 1975 Andrea Hanover episode: "Man of Influence" 1975 Harry O Linzy episode: "Lester Two" 1975 Phyllis Rita episode: "The First Date" 1975 Police Woman Waitress episode: "Farewell, Mary Jane" 1976 Police Story Waitress episode: "Odyssey of Death: Part 2" 1976 Barnaby Jones Dee Dee Danvers episode: "Deadly Reunion" 1976 Barnaby Jones Joanna Morgan episode: "Sins of Thy Father" 1976 Mrs. Swenson episode: "Going His Way" 1977 Leslie Greely episode: "Carlin's New Suit" 1977 Barbie episode: "Lost and Found/The Understudy/Married Singles" 1978–82 WKRP in Cincinnati Jennifer Marlowe 89 episodes

nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1980–81)

nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film

nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1980–81) 1978 Sheila Cantrell episode: "Of Guilt, Models and Murder" 1978 Three's Company Susan Walters episode: "Coffee, Tea, or Jack" 1980 Kitty Scofield[citation needed] episode: "The Kinfolk / Sis and the Slicker / Moonlight and Moonshine / Affair" 1980 Fantasy Island Kim Holland episode: "The Love Doctor / Pleasure Palace / Possessed" 1984 Partners in Crime aka Fifty-Fifty Sydney Kovak 13 episodes 1985 Amazing Stories Love episode: "The Guilt Trip" 1986–87 Easy Street L.K. McGuire 22 episodes 1990 B.L. Stryker Dawn St. Claire episode: "Grand Theft Hotel" 1991–92 Jennifer Marlowe 2 episodes: "Where Are We Going?", "Jennifer and the Prince" 1993 Empty Nest Casey MacAfee 3 episodes 1993–94 Nurses Casey MacAfee 22 episodes 1995 Burke's Law Claudia Loring episode: "Who Killed the Highest Bidder?" 1995 Women of the House Loni Anderson episode: "Women in Film" 1996 Melrose Place Teri Carson 3 episodes 1997 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Racine episode: "Witch Trash" 1998 Clueless Barbara Collier episode: "Labor of Love" 1999 Movie Stars Audrey Wyatt episode: "Mothers & Brothers" 1999 V.I.P. Carol Irons episode: "Stop or Val's Mom Will Shoot" 2001 Three Sisters Janet episode: "Mother's Day" 2003–04 Mandi Mullet-Heidecker 11 episodes 2006 So Notorious Kiki Spelling 8 episodes 2016 Baby Daddy Nana Lyle episode: "Not So Great Grandma"[22] 2016–18 My Sister Is So Gay Frances 12 episodes 2017 Love You More Jean Carlyle-Dixon TV pilot

Further reading

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Anderson, Loni; Warren, Larkin (1995). My Life in High Heels. New York: Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-14272-8. OCLC 32703710 – via archive.org— her autobiography

References

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