Crystal Bernard

Crystal Lynn Bernard[1] (born September 30, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her role as Helen Chappell-Hackett on the sitcom Wings.

Crystal Bernard
Bernard at the 1994 Emmy rehearsal
Born	Crystal Lynn Bernard September 30, 1961 Garland, Texas, US
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Years active	1982–2008

Early life

Bernard was born in Garland, Texas to Southern Baptists. Her father, the televangelist Jerry Wayne Bernard, traveled across the United States preaching and singing.[2] Her mother, Gaylon née Fussell Bernard, was a teacher who in the 1980s, became an artist and sculptor.[3][4] Bernard became an entertainer at a young age, singing gospel songs with her older sister, Robyn, also an actress. One recording of the two that has survived from those years is a song called "The Monkey Song", on Feudin' Fussin' and Frettin' recorded when Crystal was 8 years old,[5] a recording of a 1972 Thomas Road Baptist Church service led by Jerry Falwell. She has two younger sisters, Scarlett and Angelique Bernard.

Bernard studied acting at Alley Theatre while growing up in Houston, Texas. She attended Spring High School and continued her education at Baylor University, studying acting and international relations.[6]

Career

Television

Bernard at the 1991 Emmy Awards

Bernard got her start in prime time television on the sitcom Happy Days, playing K.C. Cunningham during season 10 (1982–83). Then, after various guest appearances on other series, she joined the cast of the resurrected, syndicated version of the sitcom It's a Living,[7] playing waitress Amy Tompkins. In 1989, she starred in a television pilot, Chameleons, created by Glen A. Larson. She played Shelley, a self-proclaimed crazed heiress who discovers that her eccentric millionaire uncle Jason Carr has been murdered. She sets out on a quest to find the truth behind his murder.

She played strong-willed airport lunch-counter operator Helen Chappel Hackett on the sitcom Wings for the series' entire eight-season duration (1990–97). In 1999, she starred in the television movie To Love, Honor and Betray opposite David Cubitt and James Brolin.

Film

Early in her film career, she appeared in Young Doctors in Love (1982), along with her Happy Days co-star Ted McGinley. She starred in Roger Corman's horror film Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987). Later, her work included a role in the film Jackpot (2001) and starring roles in Welcome to Paradise (2007) and Grave Misconduct (2008). She also starred in two Hallmark Channel movies, Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) and its sequel, Meet the Santas (2005).

Theatre

Bernard has appeared in these stage productions since the end of Wings:

• 1999: a Los Angeles production of Crimes of the Heart
• 2001: a 1999 Marquis Theatre revival of Annie Get Your Gun[8] wherein she was the last in a series of actresses to play Annie Oakley
• 2005: West Coast premiere of Barbra's Wedding, starring opposite actor/playwright Daniel Stern at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California[9]

Music

In addition to acting, Bernard has a music career as a singer-songwriter. Albums include The Girl Next Door (1996) and Don't Touch Me There (1999). The latter includes a gospel track she recorded with her father and one sung with country artist Billy Dean. The single "Don't Touch Me There" peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

She co-wrote the song "If I Were Your Girl" with Rhett Lawrence, which appeared on Paula Abdul's album Head over Heels (1995).

Bernard sang a duet with Peter Cetera called "(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight", released on Cetera's album One Clear Voice (1995). The single peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

She sang a duet with Jim Messina called "Watching the River Run".[10]

She was in "They Might Be Giants" music video for "Birdhouse in Your Soul".

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Young Doctors in Love	Julie
1987	Slumber Party Massacre II	Courtney Bates
1999	Gideon	Jean MacLemore
2001	Jackpot	Cheryl
2007	Welcome to Paradise	Debbie Laramie
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Gimme a Break!	Kelly	Episode: "Hot Muffins"
1982–83	Happy Days	K.C. Cunningham	16 episodes
1983	Fantasy Island	Ally Miller	Episode: "The Devil Stick/Touch and Go"
	High School U.S.A.	Anne-Marie Conklin	Movie
1983/85	The Love Boat	Wendy 'Minerva' Pryor / Susie Epshaw	2 episodes
1984	The Master	Carrie Brown	Episode: "State of the Union"
1985–89	It's a Living	Amy Tompkins	93 episodes
1989	My Two Dads	Liz Schaefer	Episode: "The Courtship of Nicole's Fathers"
	Paradise	Laura Clark	Episode: "A Proper Stranger"
	Chameleons	Shelly	Movie
1990	Without Her Consent	Marty	Movie
	When Will I Be Loved?	Julie Weston	Movie
1990–97	Wings	Helen Chappell-Hackett	172 episodes
1992	Lady Against the Odds	Dol Bonner	Movie
1993	Miracle Child	Lisa Porter	Movie
1994	Siringo	Kaitlin Mullane	Movie
1995	As Good as Dead	Susan Warfield	Movie
1996	Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Peña Story	Ellen Hart Peña	Movie
1999	The Secret Path	Marie Foley	Movie
	A Face to Kill For	Allison Bevens	Movie
	To Love, Honor and Betray	Melissa Brennan	Movie
2003	According to Jim	Lisa Christie	Episode: "The Ring"
2004	Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus	Beth Sawtelle	Hallmark Channel movie
2005	Meet the Santas	Beth Sawtelle	Hallmark Channel movie
2008	Grave Misconduct	Julia London	Movie

Discography

Albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US Heat
Girl Next Door	Release date: October 29, 1996 Label: River North	47	36
Don't Touch Me There	Release date: February 2, 1999 Label: River North	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions			Album
		US Country [11]	US AC [12]	US [13]
1995	"(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight" (with Peter Cetera)	—	22	86	One Clear Voice
1996	"Have We Forgotten What Love Is"	56	—	—	Girl Next Door
1997	"State of Mind"	70	—	—
	"You're Gonna Miss a Whole Lotta Love"	—	—	—
1999	"Don't Touch Me There"	—	25	—	Don't Touch Me There
	"Hey"	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
1995	"I Wanna Take Forever Tonight
1996	"Have We Forgotten What Love Is"	Steven R. Monroe
1997	"State of Mind"
1999	"Hey"

References

1. "Crystal Bernard Biography". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
2. "Jerry Bernard". Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
3. Michael A. Lipton (November 22, 1993). "Crystal-a-Go-Go". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
4. "Mrs. Gaylon Bernard". March 2, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
5. "WFMU: Mark Allen: Playlist from June 16, 2005". wfmu.org. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
6. Bernard's Biography from Allmovie via The New York Times website
7. "It's a Living". The New York Times.
8. Replacements and additions to the 1999 Annie Get Your Gun revival Archived December 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Internet Broadway Database
9. "Barbra's Wedding". Falcontheatre.com. September 14, 2005. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
10. Artiscindesign (March 10, 2014). "Crystal Bernard & Jim Messina Watching The River Run". Retrieved September 30, 2017 – via YouTube.
11. "Crystal Bernard – Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
12. "Crystal Bernard – Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
13. "Crystal Bernard – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2019.

External links

• Crystal Bernard at IMDb
• Crystal Bernard at the Internet Broadway Database
• Crystal Bernard at AllMovie
• Crystal Bernard at AllMusic