Linda Purl

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Linda Purl
Born	September 2, 1955 (1955-09-02) (age 54) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Desi Arnaz Jr. (divorced) Alexander Cary (divorced) William Broyles Jr. (divorced)

Linda Purl (born September 2, 1955 in Greenwich, Connecticut) is an American actress and singer, best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in the first season of Matlock.

Early life and education abroad

Purl was raised in Japan, becoming the only foreigner to train at the Toho Geino Academy.^{[citation needed]} While at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Purl performed in several plays, gaining the role of Louis in The King and I, Bet in Oliver!, and the role of Helen in The Miracle Worker. Ms. Purl attended high school at Wykeham Rise school for girls in the arts in Washington, CT. After attending Finch College, Ms. Purl went to England to study under Marguerite Beale, before returning to the United States to study at the Lee Strasberg Institute, and later with Robert Lewis.

Movie roles

Purl's first major movie role was in Jonathan Demme's 1975 comedy, Crazy Mama. Subsequent movie appearances have included The High Country, Viper and Mighty Joe Young. She has also featured in many movies made for television, including Little Ladies of the Night and The Young Pioneers.

Television roles

Linda Purl has played several roles on television, notably on The Secret Storm, Happy Days, Matlock, and First Monday. She also played secret agent Kate Del'Amico in the short-lived series Under Cover. In Happy Days she played two different roles: Richie's occasional girlfriend Gloria in the second year of the show, and Fonzie's steady girlfriend Ashley eight seasons later. In 1978, she appeared as newlywed Molly Beaton in the three-episode ABC western drama series, The Young Pioneers, set in the Dakota Territory of the 1870s and based on the novels of Rose Wilder Lane. Roger Kern starred as her television husband, David Beaton. She also acted alongside Shaun Cassidy in the 1979 TV movie Like Normal People. She also portrayed a hospital nurse, Sheila Munroe in the 1982 horror movie Visiting Hours.

Purl appeared in two episodes of The Waltons. She played sophisticate Alica in a third season episode called "The Spoilers", original airdate 10/31/74. In a fifth season episode called "The Heartbreaker" she played Mary Ellen's sister-in-law (and Jason's love interest) Vanessa, and sang a couple songs in this episode, original airdate 2/17/77 .

Purl appeared in the role of Pam Beesly's mother on NBC's The Office, starting with the Season 6 episode "Niagara."^[1].

Theatre roles

She is a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the long-running touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners produced by Marc Sinden. Sept. 12, 2008 Linda Purl opened at the Cleveland Playhouse in Cleveland, Ohio in the production, The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, playing Amanda, the mother of the main characters.

Charity

Ms. Purl also does charity work, for AIDS Project Los Angeles, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Haven House, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She also supports Actors and Others for Animals.^{[citation needed]}

Music

Purl launched a jazz music career after leaving Matlock and has released several albums of music, most recently Out of This World --- LIVE.

See also

• Matlock (TV series)
• List of characters in Matlock

References

External links

• Linda Purl at the Internet Movie Database
• Linda Purl's Official Home on the WWW
• Book Linda to appear at your event