Loni Anderson

Loni Kaye Anderson (born August 5, 1945)[1] is an American actress. She is known for her role as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.

Loni Anderson
Anderson in 2019
Born	Loni Kaye Anderson August 5, 1945 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1966–present
Spouse(s)	Bruce Hasselberg ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1966)​ Ross Bickell ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1981)​ Burt Reynolds ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1994)​ Bob Flick ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	2

Early life

Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson (1922–1977), an environmental chemist and Maxine Hazel (née Kallin; 1924–1985), a model. She grew up in suburban Roseville, Minnesota. As a senior at Alexander Ramsey Senior High School in Roseville, she was voted Valentine Queen of the Valentine's Day Winter Formal of 1963.[2] She attended the University of Minnesota.[3] 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 likely to be twisted into "Lay Loni". So it was changed to simply "Loni".[4]

Career

Her acting debut came with a bit part in the film Nevada Smith (1966), starring Steve McQueen. After that, she went virtually unemployed as an actress for nearly a decade, before she finally began achieving guest roles on different television series in the mid-1970s. She appeared in two episodes of S.W.A.T., and later appeared on the sitcom Phyllis, as well as the detective series Police Woman and Harry O. In 1978, she guest-starred as Susan Walters on a season two episode of the popular sitcom Three's Company, after auditioning well but not winning the role of Chrissy at the start of the series.[5] Her appearance on the show brought her to the attention of the ABC network.

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 the poster of her in a red swimsuit—a pose similar to Farrah Fawcett's famous 1976 poster. The sitcom's creator, Hugh Wilson, later admitted Anderson got the role because her body resembled Jayne Mansfield and because she possessed the innocent sexuality of Marilyn Monroe.

Although the series suffered in the Nielsen ratings throughout the majority of its four-year run, it had a strong and loyal following among teenagers, 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. During her hiatus, while she was renegotiating her contract, she starred as blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield in the CBS made-for-television film The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980). After the network agreed to her requests, Anderson returned to the series and remained with it until its cancellation in 1982. The series has since remained popular in syndication around the world.

Aside from her acting career, Anderson has become known for her colorful personal life, particularly her relationship 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 classic film All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989).

Anderson in 1985

In the mid-to-late 1980s, Anderson's acting career gradually declined. She 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) with Patrick Macnee and Hal Holbrook, 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 new CBS 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 CBS 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 NBC 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. Anderson has since returned to guest-starring on several popular television series, such as playing the "witch-trash" cousin on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and as Vallery Irons' mother on V.I.P. She also starred in the comedy film A Night at the Roxbury (1998).

In April 2018, Anderson was seen promoting the WKRP in Cincinnati television series and other classic television series on the MeTV television network.

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 Stroker Ace [1983] co-star) Burt Reynolds (1988–1994).[6] On May 17, 2008, Anderson married musician Bob Flick, one of the founding members of the folk band The Brothers Four.[7][8] The couple had first met at a movie premiere in Minneapolis in 1963.[9]

Anderson has two children: a daughter, Deidre Hoffman[10] (fathered by Hasselberg),[11] who was a school administrator in California;[12] and a son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds (born August 31, 1988), whom she and Reynolds adopted.[13][14] She also has a sister named Andrea Sams.[10] Anderson's autobiography, My Life in High Heels, was published in 1997.

Growing up with parents of the World War II generation, 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 about COPD.[15] During a visit to Seattle for a COPD education campaign, Anderson became reacquainted with future husband Bob Flick.

In 2009, her daughter Deidre was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.[16]

Filmography

Film

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	The Lonely Guy	Herself	Uncredited
1989	All Dogs Go to Heaven	Flo	Voice
1992	Munchie	Cathy
1998	3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain	Medusa
1998	A Night at the Roxbury	Barbara Butabi

Television films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa	Mrs. Daroon
1978	Three on a Date	Angela Ross
1980	The Jayne Mansfield Story	Jayne Mansfield
1981	Sizzle[17]	Julie Davis
1982	Country Gold	Mollie Dean Purcell
1984	My Mother's Secret Life	Ellen Blake
1985	A Letter to Three Wives	Lora Mae Holloway
1986	Stranded[18]	Stacy Tweed
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	The Price She Paid	Lacey
1994	Gambler V: Playing for Keeps	Fanny Porter
1994	Without Warning	Actress in opening movie segment	Uncredited[19]
1995	Deadly Family Secrets	Martha

Television series

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	The Invisible Man	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	The McLean Stevenson Show	Mrs. Swenson	Episode: "Going His Way"
1977	The Bob Newhart Show	Leslie Greely	Episode: "Carlin's New Suit"
1977	The Love Boat	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	The Incredible Hulk	Sheila Cantrell	Episode: "Of Guilt, Models and Murder"
1978	Three's Company	Susan Walters	Episode: "Coffee, Tea, or Jack"
1980	The Love Boat	Passenger	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	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	The New WKRP in Cincinnati	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	The Mullets	Mandi Mullet-Heidecker	11 episodes
2006	So Notorious	Kiki Spelling	8 episodes
2016	Baby Daddy	Nana Lyle	Episode: "Not So Great Grandma"[20]
2016–18	My Sister Is So Gay	Frances	12 episodes
2017	Love You More	Jean Carlyle-Dixon	TV pilot

Further reading

• 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

1. "Loni Kaye Anderson, Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002". FamilySearch. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
2. "1963 Alexander Ramsey Senior High School Yearbook photos, pictures and photo tags". classmates.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
3. "Loni Anderson Biography (1945?-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
4. Anderson, Loni; Warren, Larkin (1995). My Life in High Heels. New York: Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-14272-8. OCLC 32703710 – via archive.org.
5. Cormier, Roger (January 1, 2016). "16 Regal Facts About Three's Company". Mental Floss. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
6. D'Zurilla, Christie (September 6, 2018). "Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson: The ugly divorce that just wouldn't end". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2020. left divorce court in 1994
7. "Loni Anderson marries folk singer Bob Flick 15 years after divorce from Burt Reynolds". Star Tribune. May 18, 2008.
8. "Loni Anderson Biography". bio. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
9. Orloff, Brian (June 26, 2008). "Loni Anderson's Sweet Happily Ever After". People Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
10. Dougherty, Margot; Marx, Linda; Balfour, Victoria; Armstrong, Lois (May 16, 1988). "Burt & Loni's Wedding Album". People. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
11. Schindehette, Susan (September 13, 1993). "What a Mess!". People. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
12. Lipton, Michael A. (September 15, 2003). "Red-Hot Grandmama". People. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
13. "Deidre Hall's Miracle." Archived December 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine The American Surrogacy Center, Inc., 1996. Retrieved September 7, 2006.
14. "Burt and Loni, and baby makes glee". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 3, 1988.
15. Stephens, Stephanie (December 11, 2015). "Loni Anderson: Now's the Time to Give Back". Parade. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
16. "Loni Anderson Rallies Around Her Daughter as She Battles MS". Closer. June 28, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
17. "Loni Anderson and 'Sizzle'". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. November 27, 1981. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
18. "Stranded: Full Credits". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
19. "Without Warning – Full Credits". tcm.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
20. "Baby Daddy: Not So Great Grandma". zap2it.com. Tribune Media Entertainment. Retrieved June 10, 2017.

External links

• Loni Anderson at IMDb
• Loni Anderson at the TCM Movie Database
• Loni Anderson at AllMovie