Bess Armstrong
| Bess Armstrong | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Key Armstrong December 11, 1953 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1975–present |
Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American film and television actress.
Contents |
[edit] Life and career
Armstrong was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Louise Allen (née Parlange), who taught at Bryn Mawr, and Alexander Armstrong, an English teacher at the Gilman School.[1][2] She attended the Bryn Mawr School for Girls and Brown University, from which she graduated with degrees in Latin and Theater (studying acting with Jim Barnhill and John Emigh). While at Bryn Mawr and Brown, Armstrong appeared in over one hundred stage plays.
Armstrong's professional acting career began in 1975 with the Off-Off Broadway debut, Harmony House. Then, in 1977, Armstrong made her television debut as Julia Peters on the CBS sitcom, On Our Own. In 1978 Armstrong starred opposite Richard Thomas in her first TV-movie Getting Married.
Armstrong continued to make several films for both the big and small screens in the 1980s, among them High Road to China opposite Tom Selleck; Jaws 3-D with Dennis Quaid; Alan Alda's The Four Seasons; the TV miniseries Lace; and Nothing in Common, starring Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason.
The 1990s brought Armstrong to her best-known role, playing Patty Chase on the critically acclaimed series My So-Called Life. In 2000, she appeared on the sitcom Frasier, in the episode "Mary Christmas." In 2008, Armstrong played Penelope Kendall on Boston Legal.
Armstrong remains active in films, television, and the stage.[3]
[edit] Selected Filmography
- On Our Own (1977) (TV)
- Getting Married (1978) (TV)
- The Four Seasons (1981)
- Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982)
- High Road to China (1983)
- Jaws 3-D (1983)
- The House of God (1984)
- Lace (1984) (TV)
- All is Forgiven (1986) (TV)
- Nothing in Common (1986)
- The Nanny (1993-1998) (TV)
- Dream Lover (1994)
- My So-Called Life (1994) (TV)
- The Tailhook Scandal (1995) (TV)
- Christmas Every Day (1996)
- That Darn Cat (1997)
- Pecker (1998)
- Frasier (2000-2004) (TV)
- Good Morning, Miami (2002) (TV)
- That Was Then (2002) (TV)
- One Tree Hill (2004, 2010) (TV)
- Boston Legal (2008) (TV)
- Criminal Minds (2009) (TV)
