Melody Anderson

Melody Anderson
Anderson at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, October 17, 2009.
Born	December 3, 1955 (1955-12-03) (age 53) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation	Film, television actress
Years active	1977–1995

Melody Anderson (born December 3, 1955) is a Canadian American social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact of addiction on families. She is more widely known as an actress, with her most high-profile role being Dale Arden in the 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon.

Career as actress

Her first national exposure came as a "sweathog" in an episode of Welcome Back, Kotter in 1977. She made numerous guest appearances on television in the 1980s, in series such as Archie Bunker's Place, Battlestar Galactica, Dallas, T. J. Hooker, and The Fall Guy. She had recurring roles on St. Elsewhere (even appearing in an episode called "Addiction") and Jake and the Fatman. She was a cast member of Manimal and in the 1990s, All My Children.

In 1983, Anderson also played the title role in a made-for-TV film called Policewoman Centerfold, in which her character, a divorced police officer, is fired after posing nude for a men's magazine (based loosely on the true story of Springfield, Ohio patrolwoman Barbara Schantz, who was subsequently fired from her job after posing nude in Playboy Magazine in the early 1980s). She also starred in the 1986 made for television movie, Beverly Hills Madam opposite Faye Dunaway, Robin Givens, Terry Farrell and Donna Dixon.

Anderson's most recent appearance in television was a 1995 guest appearance in the short-lived CBS revival of Burke's Law.

Career as social worker

Anderson received a Master of Social Work degree.

In 1997, she was the Coordinator of Family Services at Hazelden New York, treating family and friends of substance abusers. More recently, a 2006 biography (from the Dragon Con website) notes she is in private practice in New York City, working on a book for parents with kids who use drugs and alcohol.

Filmography

External links

• Melody Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
• Melody Anderson at Allmovie
• Melody Anderson at TV.com
• Biography from the website of a speakers bureau
• Biography from the Dragon Con 2006 website

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