Morgan Fairchild (born February 3, 1950) is an
American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and
early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in
which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also
performed in live theater and played guest roles in television
comedies. She is a board member of the
Screen Actors Guild.
Life and career
Early life
Fairchild
was born Patsy Ann McClenny in Dallas, Texas
, the daughter of Martha Jane (née Hartt), a high school English teacher, and Edward Milton
McClenny. As a child, she suffered a bout of
scarlet fever, which left her partially
deaf.
Career
Fairchild's first acting job was as a
double for
Faye
Dunaway during location filming for the movie
Bonnie and Clyde (1967). She
took her new first name, Morgan, from the 1966
David Warner film,
Morgan: A Suitable Case For Treatment.
Fairchild then moved to New York City, where she secured her first
credited on-screen role as the maniacal
Jennifer Pace in the daytime
soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1973 until
1977. From the mid-1970s, she began to make various appearances on
episodic primetime television shows such as
Kojak,
Happy
Days,
Police Woman,
and was cast as
Jenna Wade in the
television series
Dallas
in 1978. Her appearance in Dallas was intended for only one
episode, though the character was later brought back and was played
briefly by
Francine Tacker in 1980,
and then by
Priscilla Presley from
1983-88. In 1978, Fairchild made the TV movie
The Initiation Of
Sarah and also had a recurring role on the sitcom
Mork & Mindy. In 1980, she scored
her first regular primetime role as Constance Weldon Carlyle on the
soap opera
Flamingo Road.
Though the series had an impressive beginning, the ratings soon
dropped and it was canceled after two seasons, though Fairchild was
nominated for a
Golden Globe award for
her role.
After the cancellation of
Flamingo Road, Fairchild
continued to make guest appearances in a variety of episodic
television shows such as
Hotel,
Simon and Simon,
Magnum P.I., and
The Love Boat. She also starred in the
1982 theatrical film,
The
Seduction. In 1984, she co-starred in another primetime
soap opera,
Paper Dolls,
playing modelling agency owner Racine. The series was cancelled
halfway through its first season, but by this time, Fairchild was
established as a television actress and in 1985 she joined the hit
series
Falcon Crest, playing
the glamorous lawyer Jordan Roberts for a season. She also appeared
in the mini-series
North and South in
1985, and its sequel in 1986.
Fairchild continued to make appearances in films and television
shows throughout the 1980s, and garnered an
Emmy Award nomination for her guest appearance in
a 1989 episode of
Murphy
Brown. In the early 1990s, she was cast in a recurring
role in
Roseanne, as
Sandra Bernhard's
bisexual girlfriend Marla.
In 1995, Fairchild returned to daytime soap operas as the catty
Sydney Chase on
The
City. She played the role for a year, after which she went
on to appear in
General
Hospital. She also made guest appearances on the hit
sitcom
Friends (as
Chandler Bing's mother, Nora) and was a
recurring guest star on the sitcom
Cybill as Andrea, the rival of
Cybill Shepherd's character.
Through the years, Fairchild has also appeared in various theater
productions. More recently, she starred in the role of
Mrs. Robinson in the stage adaptation of the
film
The Graduate.
In 2005, Fairchild appeared in the competition
reality show,
But Can They Sing? on the
VH1 network.
In 2006, she was cast in yet another of her "rich bitch" roles in
the
My Network TV series
Fashion House, playing
Sophia Blakely, a rival to
Bo Derek's character,
Maria
Gianni. She has also appeared on the television series
Chuck as Dr. Honey Woodcomb, the
mother of
Captain Awesome.
In addition to her work as an actress, Fairchild has long
maintained a strong role within the
Screen Actors Guild. Currently,
Fairchild is a three year board member of the Guild and has served
on several diverse committees, including co-chair Legislative
Committee, National Executive Committee, SAG-AFTRA Relations
Committee, Commercials Contracts Committee, Honors and Tributes
Committee (HATS), and Guild Governance and Rules Committee.
Personal life
Fairchild was married to
Jack Calmes
(1967–1973) and dated
U.S. Senator and presidential candidate
John Kerry in the early
'90s. In an interview for the September 25, 2006,
edition of
People magazine, Fairchild said she has been in
a relationship with film company executive Mark Seiler for 20
years, although they have no plans to marry. Fairchild is active in
raising awareness of
AIDS-related issues and
environmental protection.
Television work
Filmography
Upcoming:
Guest appearances
- Murphy Brown (TV episode -
"TV or Not TV" as Julia St. Martin and Kelly Green) (1989)
- Roseanne (TV
episodes - "Ladie's Choice", "Stand on Your Man" as Marla)
(1992)
- Lois and Clark:
The New Adventures of Superman (TV episode - "Pheromone,
My Lovely" as Miranda) (1993)
- Murder, She Wrote (TV
episode - "Murder at a Discount" as Iris Novaro) (1993)
- Empty Nest (TV episode -
"Episode #1.9" as Zoe) (1994)
- Diagnosis Murder (TV
episode - "My Four Husbands" as Pamela Dorn) (1994)
- Friends (TV episode - "The One
with Mrs. Bing" as Mrs. Bing) (1995)
- Friends (TV episodes - "The One
With Monica and Chandler's Wedding - Part 1 and 2) (2001)
- Cybill (1995-1997 as Andrea
Thorpe)
- Touched By an Angel
(TV episode - "My Dinner With Andrew" as Jackie Skyes) (1997)
- Home Improvement (TV
episode - "Mr Likeable" as herself) (1998)
- The New Addams
Family (TV episode - "Thing's Romance" as Lady Pretensia)
(1999)
- Dharma & Greg (TV
episode - "Dharma Does Dallas" as Jackie) (2001)
- 7th Heaven (TV episode -
"Teased" as Merle Bird) (2001)
- Roswell (TV
episodes - "Panacea", "Chant Down Babylon" as Meris Wheeler)
(2002)
- That 80's Show (TV
episode - "Beach Party" as Cossima Blair) (2002)
- Just Shoot Me (TV episode
- "Pictures Of Lily" as Lily Barton) (2003)
- That '70s Show (TV
episode - "Going Mobile" as Carolyn) (2004)
- Two and a Half Men
(TV episode - "Young People Have Phlegm Too" as Donna) (2007)
- Men in Trees (TV episode -
"Get a Life" as Herself) (2008)
- Chuck (TV episode -
"Chuck Versus the Sensei" and "Chuck Versus the Ring" as Dr. Honey
Woodcomb) (2008-2009)
- Nip/Tuck (TV episode - "Manny
Skerritt" as Herself/Actress playing Colleen Rose) (2009)
- The Bold And The
Beautiful (TV episode - as Dorothy Bright) (2009)
References
- Morgan Fairchild Biography (1950-)
- The Family Tree of Morgan Fairchild
- FOXNews.com - Morgan Fairchild to Join Cast of
'Fashion House' - Television TV Online Shows
External links
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