Nancy McKeon
 |
Nancy McKeon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nancy Justine McKeon April 4, 1966 Westbury, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Marc Andrus (2003-present) |
Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life.
Career
McKeon and her older brother Philip appeared in numerous commercials.[citation needed] McKeon also appeared on the soap operas The Secret Storm and Another World. The McKeons moved to Los Angeles in 1975, when Philip began appearing on the television series Alice with Linda Lavin.
In 1979, McKeon was discovered by a casting director for The Facts of Life on the basis of her performance in a Hallmark greeting cards advertisement, in which she was able to cry on cue.[1]
She was cast as tomboy Jo Polniaczek, and debuted on the show in the fall of 1980. This is her most famous role and she portrayed the character throughout the series until the show was canceled in 1988. McKeon also provided the voice for many ABC Weekend Special cartoon characters, including the voice for Scruffy.
In 1994, both she and Courteney Cox auditioned for the role of Monica Gellar on Friends. The role went to the latter. When asked in interviews about the auditions McKeon said, "I have no hard feelings. The role went to the right person, Courteney was brilliant. Now, I can't see anybody playing the role, not even myself." In 1995 she starred in her own series, Can't Hurry Love, which lasted one season. In 1998, she starred in a sitcom with Jean Smart titled Style & Substance.
McKeon portrayed Inspector Jinny Exstead on the Lifetime police drama The Division from 2001 to 2004, with her pregnancy incorporated into the storyline of the last year of the series. From 2009 to 2010, McKeon appeared in a recurring role in the Disney Channel Original Series Sonny With a Chance, as Connie Munroe, the mother of Demi Lovato's title character.
McKeon also starred in numerous made-for-TV movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story, in which she portrayed the title role of Tracey Thurman, and The Wrong Woman, portraying a woman framed for killing her boss. In 2003, McKeon starred in the film Comfort and Joy. According to her A&E Biography, she initially turned down the role of Tracey Thurman because she feared that she couldn't work with the material, she then met Thurman herself, and chose to take it on, she again had second thoughts during the second day of shooting, wanting to be replaced because she felt she would not be able to do Thurman any justice if she were to remain in the role, she was once again talked into remaining with the cast and finished the shooting.
Personal life=
While McKeon was on The Facts of Life, she and her parents, all devout Catholics, were granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II.[2]
McKeon lives in Austin, Texas.[1] Nancy Mckeon married Marc Andrus on June 8, 2003, they have two children together.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1992 | Where the Day Takes You | Vikki | |
| 1994 | Teresa's Tattoo | Sara | |
| 1995 | The Wrong Woman | Melanie | |
| 1997 | Just Write | Bride | |
| 2011 | Love Begins | Millie | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | Starsky and Hutch | Vikki Mayer | Episode: The Crying Child |
| 1978 | Return to Fantasy Island | Ann | TV-Pilot/TV-Movie |
| A Question of Love | Susan Moreland | ABC TV-Movie | |
| 1978, 1981 | Alice | Girl Orphan Kimberly |
Episode: Who Ordered the Hot Turkey? Episode: Alice's Halloween Surprise |
| 1979 | Stone | Jill Stone | ABC TV-Movie |
| Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | Additional Voices | Voice role | |
| The Love Boat | Penny Barrett | Episode: The Brotherhood of the Sea... | |
| 1979–1983 | ABC Weekend Special | Dolly Amelia Matilda Daley Scruffy |
Voice role 7 episodes |
| 1980–1988 | The Facts of Life | Joanna 'Jo' Polniaczek | 186 episodes |
| 1980 | Stone | Jill Stone | 9 episodes |
| ABC Afterschool Special | Lucy Twining | Episode: Schoolboy Father | |
| 1980, 1981 | Thundarr the Barbarian | Tai | Voice Role Episode: Harvest of Doom Episode: Last Train to Doomsday |
| 1981 | Please Don't Hit Me, Mom | Nancy Parks | ABC Afterschool Special |
| 1982 | The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour | Dolly | Voice Role 13 episodes |
| The Facts of Life Goes to Paris | Joanna 'Jo' Polniaczek | NBC TV-Movie | |
| 1983 | Dusty | Slugger | TV-Pilot |
| High School U.S.A. | Beth Franklin | NBC TV-Movie | |
| 1985 | Poison Ivy | Rhonda Malone | NBC TV-Movie |
| This Child Is Mine | Kimberly Downs | NBC TV-Movie | |
| 1986 | Firefighter | Cindy Fralick | CBS TV-Movie |
| 1987 | The Facts of Life Down Under | Joanna 'Jo' Polniaczek | NBC TV-Movie |
| Strange Voices | Nicole Glover | NBC TV-Movie | |
| 1989 | A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story | Tracey Thurman | NBC TV-Movie |
| 1990 | The Hitchhiker | Episode: New Dawn | |
| 1991 | Lightning Field | Martha | USA Network TV-Movie |
| 1992 | Baby Snatcher | Karen Williams | CBS TV-Movie |
| 1993 | Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage | Rosalie Profaci Bonanno | CBS TV-Movie |
| 1995 | A Mother's Gift | Margaret Deal | CBS TV-Movie |
| Can't Hurry Love | Annie O'Donnell | 19 episodes | |
| 1997 | In My Sister's Shadow | Joan Connor | CBS TV-Movie |
| 1998 | Style & Substance | Jane Sokol | 13 episodes |
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Rachel | Episode: The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life |
| 2001–2004 | The Division | Insp. Jinny Exstead | 88 episodes |
| 2003 | Comfort and Joy | Jane | TV-Movie |
| 2004 | Category 6: Day of Destruction | Amy Harkin | CBS Miniseries |
| 2006 | Wild Hearts | Emily | TV-Movie |
| 2007 | Without a Trace | Gail Sweeney | Episode: Absalom |
| 2009–2010 | Sonny With a Chance | Connie Munroe | 7 Episodes Recurring role |
Awards and nominations
Marco Island Film Festival
- 2000: Won, "Audience Award for Best Short Drama" - A Wakening
- 2000: Won, "Crystal Palm Award for Best Short Film" - A Wakening
- 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Episode" - The Division
- 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series" - The Division
- 2004: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi Episode Storyline" - The Division
- 2007: Nominated, "The 'When Bad Teens Go Good' Award" - The Facts of Life
- 1982: Nominated, "Best Young Comedienne in Motion Picture or Television" - The Facts of Life
- 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Television Special" - Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
- 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television" - The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
- 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series" - The Facts of Life
- 1984: Nominated, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series" - The Facts of Life
References
- ^ a b "The Facts of Life". Biography. Season 18. Episode 28. July 25, 2005. The Biography Channel.
- ^ "Intimate Portrait: Nancy McKeon". 2001. Lifetime.
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External links
- Nancy McKeon at IMDb
- Nancy McKeon on the Nancy McKeon Fans site
- Nancy McKeon on the Facts of Life site
- Nancy McKeon on Yahoo movies
- A Cry for help, the Tracey Thurman story, movie trailer
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| National | |
