Patricia Richardson

For the UK politician, see Patricia Richardson (politician).

Patricia Richardson
Richardson after the 1994 Emmy Awards
Born	Patricia Castle Richardson (1951-02-23) February 23, 1951 Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Ray Baker (1982–1995; divorced)
Children	Henry (b. 1985) twins Roxanne and Joseph (b. 1991)

Patricia Castle Richardson (born February 23, 1951) is an American television and film actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement.

Early life

Richardson was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, as the third daughter of Mary Elizabeth (née Howard) and Lawrence Baxter Richardson. Her sisters' names are Ann, Lynn and Cathy. Her father was a corporate executive and retired naval officer. He also owned a restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland, called Richardson's (which has since closed but other businesses keep the building where it is). Richardson attended the Holton-Arms School in Maryland and then The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. She is a 1973 graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she was friends with classmates Beth Henley and Stephen Tobolowsky, who was slated to be a cast member of Home Improvement but had other contractual commitments when the series began filming. Tobolowsky initially suggested to producers of Home Improvement that Richardson be considered for the role of Jill Taylor after Frances Fisher was deemed too serious for the role.

Career

Richardson began as an understudy in Angela Lansbury's Broadway production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable, eventually playing several parts. With early roles in programs such as Double Trouble, The Equalizer, Quantum Leap, and Kate & Allie. She appeared in one episode of The Cosby Show in the third season. Richardson appeared in the films C.H.U.D. and You Better Watch Out before landing her breakout role in 1991 on Home Improvement after Frances Fisher tested poorly in the role of Jill Taylor. Richardson received four Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations in this role.

After Home Improvement, she appeared in several made-for-TV films and won an Independent Spirit nomination in 1997 for her first major theatrical film role in Ulee's Gold.

She also had a starring role in the Lifetime medical drama Strong Medicine, as Dr. Andy Campbell (née March).

The final two seasons of The West Wing featured Richardson in a recurring role as Sheila Brooks, campaign director for Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda).

Richardson also appeared in the first season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2010, she appeared in a NBC made for TV film, The Jensen Project, and in 2011, she appeared in the Lifetime TV film Bringing Ashley Home, also starring AJ Cook and Jennifer Morrison. In 2011, she starred in the coming-of-age film Beautiful Wave and in the following year appeared as Lola in the Hallmark Channel TV film Smart Cookies. In 2012 Richardson filmed the film Avarice, which is as of February 2013 yet to be released.

Personal life

Richardson is divorced from actor Ray Baker. They have three children together: Henry Baker (born on February 22, 1985), and twins Roxanne Elizabeth Baker and Joseph Castle Baker (born on January 3, 1991). Richardson and Baker divorced in August 1995. Richardson has a goddaughter named Betty.

Richardson had a long-term relationship with retired psychologist Dr. Mark Cline, whom she had met when they were both students at Southern Methodist University. When she joined the cast of Strong Medicine, Richardson mentioned in an interview they lived together in her LA home. Details about when or why they broke up were never revealed.

She has also served as a spokesperson for "Cure PSP", a website that tries to raise awareness of progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and multiple system atrophy, as her father was a victim of PSP.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	You Better Watch Out	Moss' mother
1981	Love, Sidney		1 episode
1984	C.H.U.D.	Ad Woman
	Double Trouble	Beth McConnell	8 episodes
1985	ABC Weekend Special	Pamela Sawyer	1 episode
	Kate & Allie	Pamela	1 episode
1986	Yuri Nosenko, KGB	Joan Black
	Spenser: For Hire	Sarah Cabot	1 episode
1987	The Cosby Show	Mrs. Schrader	1 episode
	Hands of a Stranger	Helen
	The Equalizer	Sandy	1 episode
1988	Eisenhower and Lutz	Kay 'K.K.' Dunne	13 episodes
1989	The Parent Trap III	Cassie McGuire
	Lost Angels	Cheryl's Mother
	In Country	Cindy
	Quantum Leap	Rachel Porter	1 episode
1989–1990	FM	Lee-Ann Plunkett	13 episodes
1996	Sophie & the Moonhanger	Bonnie Edgerton
	Undue Influence	Laurel Vega
1997	Ulee's Gold	Connie Hope	Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
1991–1999	Home Improvement	Jill Taylor	203 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998) Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1994, 1995)
1999	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Annabel Hayes	1 episode
2001	Blonde	Gladys Baker
	Viva Las Nowhere	Helen/Wanda
2002–2005	Strong Medicine	Dr. Andy Campbell	59 episodes Nominated – Prism Award for Best Performance in a Drama Series (2003)
2005	Candy Paint	Linda Miller
2005–2006	The West Wing	Sheila Brooks	9 episodes
2007	California Dreaming	Aunt Bonnie
2009	Lost Dream	Patricia
2010	The Jensen Project	Ingrid
2011	Beautiful Wave	Sue
	Bringing Ashley Home	Michelle McGee
2012	Smart Cookies	Lola
	Avarice	Claire

External links

• Patricia Richardson at the Internet Movie Database
• Patricia Richardson on Twitter