Loni Anderson
Encyclopedia
Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe
on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
.
, August 5, 1945, the daughter of Maxine Hazel (née Kallin), a model, and Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist and grew up in suburban Roseville
. As a senior at Alexander Ramsey Senior High School in Roseville in 1963, she was voted Valentine Queen of Valentine's Day Winter Formal. She attended the University of Minnesota
. As she says in her autobiography, My Life in High Heels, her father was originally going to name her "Leiloni," but then realized to his horror that when she got to her teen years it was liable to be twisted into "Lay
Loni." So it was changed to just plain "Loni."
. Her pinup photo in a bikini became one of the best-selling wall posters of the 1970s. She and husband Burt Reynolds
made one film together, the 1983 stock-car racing comedy Stroker Ace
, a huge box-office failure.
Shortly after her divorce from Reynolds, she appeared as a regular in the final season (1993–1994) on the NBC
sitcom Nurses
. Anderson portrayed actress Jayne Mansfield
in a made-for-TV biopic with Arnold Schwarzenegger
as her husband, Mickey Hargitay
. She teamed with Lynda Carter
in a 1984 television series, Partners in Crime.
Anderson made a series of cameo appearance
s on television shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as the Spellmans' "witch-trash" cousin on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
and Vallery Irons' mother on V.I.P.
(1988–1993). On May 17, 2008, Anderson married musician Bob Flick, one of the founding members of the folk band The Brothers Four
. The couple had met at a movie premiere in Anderson's native Minneapolis a few years after Flick's group hit No. 2 on the pop charts with "Greenfields" in 1960. The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds.
She has two children: a daughter, Deidra Hoffman (from her first marriage), who is a school administrator in California
; and a son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds (born August 31, 1988), whom she and Burt Reynolds adopted. Her autobiography, My Life in High Heels, was published in 1997.
Anderson is currently a practicing Lutheran.
Jennifer Marlowe
Jennifer Elizabeth Marlowe is a character on the television situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati . She was played by actress Loni Anderson, who received two Emmy nominations for playing the character.-Fictional character biography:...
on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
.
Early life
Anderson was born in St. Paul, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, August 5, 1945, the daughter of Maxine Hazel (née Kallin), a model, and Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist and grew up in suburban Roseville
Roseville, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,690 people, 14,598 households, and 8,598 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.9 people per square mile . There were 14,917 housing units at an average density of 1,126.4 per square mile...
. As a senior at Alexander Ramsey Senior High School in Roseville in 1963, she was voted Valentine Queen of Valentine's Day Winter Formal. She attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. As she says in her autobiography, My Life in High Heels, her father was originally going to name her "Leiloni," but then realized to his horror that when she got to her teen years it was liable to be twisted into "Lay
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
Loni." So it was changed to just plain "Loni."
Career
Anderson's most famous acting role came as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
. Her pinup photo in a bikini became one of the best-selling wall posters of the 1970s. She and husband Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
made one film together, the 1983 stock-car racing comedy Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds....
, a huge box-office failure.
Shortly after her divorce from Reynolds, she appeared as a regular in the final season (1993–1994) on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Nurses
Nurses (TV series)
Nurses is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1991 to 1994, developed and produced by Susan Harris as a spin-off of Empty Nest .-Synopsis:...
. Anderson portrayed actress Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
in a made-for-TV biopic with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as her husband, Mickey Hargitay
Mickey Hargitay
Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay was an actor and Mr. Universe 1955. Born in Budapest, Hungary, he was married to Jayne Mansfield, and the father of actress Mariska Hargitay...
. She teamed with Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter
Lynda Jean Carter is an American actress and singer, best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series The New Original Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ....
in a 1984 television series, Partners in Crime.
Anderson made a series of cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s on television shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as the Spellmans' "witch-trash" cousin on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
and Vallery Irons' mother on V.I.P.
V.I.P. (TV series)
V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
Personal life
Anderson has been married four times; her first three marriages were to: Bruce Hasselberg (1964–1966), Ross Bickell (1973–1981), and actor (and one-time co-star) Burt ReynoldsBurt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
(1988–1993). On May 17, 2008, Anderson married musician Bob Flick, one of the founding members of the folk band The Brothers Four
The Brothers Four
The Brothers Four are an American folk singing group, founded in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, known for their 1960 hit song "Greenfields".-History:...
. The couple had met at a movie premiere in Anderson's native Minneapolis a few years after Flick's group hit No. 2 on the pop charts with "Greenfields" in 1960. The ceremony was attended by friends and family, including son Quinton Reynolds.
She has two children: a daughter, Deidra Hoffman (from her first marriage), who is a school administrator in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; and a son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds (born August 31, 1988), whom she and Burt Reynolds adopted. Her autobiography, My Life in High Heels, was published in 1997.
Anderson is currently a practicing Lutheran.
Filmography
- Vigilante ForceVigilante ForceVigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
(19761976 in filmThe year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
) - Stroker AceStroker AceStroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds....
(19831983 in film-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
) - The Lonely GuyThe Lonely GuyThe Lonely Guy is a 1984 romantic comedy film, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Steve Martin. The screenplay was written by Neil Simon, based on the book The Lonely Guy's Book of Life by Bruce Jay Friedman....
(19841984 in film-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
) - All Dogs Go to HeavenAll Dogs Go to HeavenAll Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...
(19891989 in film-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
) (voice of Flo) - Coins in the FountainCoins in the FountainCoins in the Fountain is a television film which was released on September 28, 1990. The film is based on the novel Coins in the Fountain by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as Three Coins in the Fountain. It was directed by Tony Wharmby and written by Lindsay Harrison...
(19901990 in filmThe year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) - MunchieMunchieMunchie is a 1992 comedy film. The film was directed by Jim Wynorski, and Jennifer Love Hewitt makes her debut as a film actress. The film stars Andrew Stevens and Loni Anderson .The film was released in 1992...
(19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) - 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain is a 1998 American martial arts film, and the fourth and last installment in the 3 Ninjas franchise....
(19981998 in film-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
) - A Night at the RoxburyA Night at the RoxburyA Night at the Roxbury is a 1998 comedy film based on a recurring skit on television's long-running Saturday Night Live called "The Roxbury Guys." Saturday Night Live regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, and Colin Quinn star....
(1998)
Selected television work
- S.W.A.T.S.W.A.T. (TV series)----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city....
(1 episode, 1975) - "The Steel Security Blanket" (playing "Miss Texas") - WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
(1978–1982) - The Incredible Hulk (1 episode, 1978) – "Of Guilt, Models and Murder," (playing "Sheila Cantrell")
- Three's CompanyThree's CompanyThree's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
(1 episode, 1978) – "Coffee, Tea, or Jack," (playing "Susan Walters") - The Jayne Mansfield StoryThe Jayne Mansfield StoryThe Jayne Mansfield Story is 1980 television film directed by Dick Lowry and starring Loni Anderson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, based on the life of Jayne Mansfield.The film was originally titled Jayne Mansfield: A Symbol of the '50s....
(1980) - Partners in Crime (1984)
- A Letter to Three WivesA Letter to Three WivesA Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 film which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas in his film debut, Jeffrey Lynn, and Thelma Ritter...
(1985) - Amazing StoriesAmazing Stories (TV series)Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes...
(1 episode, 1985) – "The Guilt Trip" - Easy StreetEasy Street (TV series)Easy Street is a short-lived American sitcom that aired for 22 episodes on NBC during the 1986-87 television season.-Overview:The series starred Loni Anderson as L.K. McGuire, a onetime showgirl who manages to nab a young wealthy husband, only to have him die and leave her fending for herself...
(1986) - Blondie and Dagwood (1987, voice)
- Too Good to Be TrueToo Good to Be True (film)Too Good to Be True is a 1988 American television film starring Loni Anderson, Patrick Duffy, Daniel Baldwin, Glynnis O'Connor, Larry Drake, Neil Patrick Harris, James Sikking, and Julie Harris....
(1988) - Sorry, Wrong NumberSorry, Wrong NumberSorry, Wrong Number is a 1948 American suspense film noir directed by Anatole Litvak. It tells the story of a woman who overhears a plot for murder. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson and William Conrad.The film was adapted by Lucille...
(1989) - White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma ToddWhite Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma ToddWhite Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd is a 1991 television film. The film is a biographical film, on the life of the 1930s comedienne actress Thelma Todd...
(1991) - The Price She Paid (1992) TV Movie, she played Lacey.
- NursesNurses (TV series)Nurses is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1991 to 1994, developed and produced by Susan Harris as a spin-off of Empty Nest .-Synopsis:...
(cast member from 1993 to 1994) - Without Warning (1994)
- The MulletsThe Mullets (TV series)The Mullets is a sitcom that was created by producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. It first aired on UPN in 2003, and was cancelled in 2004 due to poor reception...
(2003–2004) - So NoTORIousSo NoTORIousSo NoTORIous is an American sitcom on VH1, loosely based on the life of actress Tori Spelling. The series debuted on April 2, 2006 and despite lasting only ten episodes, received substantial acclaim from critics.-Premise:...
(2006)