| Patricia Richardson | |
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 Richardson after the 1994 Emmy Awards |
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| Born | Patricia Castle Richardson February 23, 1951 (age 58) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ray Baker (1982–1995) |
Patricia Castle Richardson (born February 23, 1951) is an American television and film actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on Home Improvement.
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Personal life
Richardson was born in Bethesda, Maryland, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth (née Howard) and Lawrence Baxter Richardson, who was a corporate executive and retired naval officer.[1] Richardson attended the Holton-Arms School in Maryland and then the Hockaday School for Girls 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.
Richardson is divorced from actor Ray Baker, who is three years her senior. They have three children together: Roxie, Joe, and Henry.
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, and Quantum Leap, Richardson also appeared in the films C.H.U.D. and You Better Watch Out before landing her break-out 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 movies and won an Independent Spirit nomination in 1997 for her first major theatrical film role in Ulee's Gold.
Richardson played a small, one-episode role on the Cosby show as one of Dr. Huxtable's patients, Annabel Hayes, in labor with her tenth child (eighth time at the hospital to give birth. The seventh time she had twins) in the episode "Wanderlust". (Season 1, Episode 5), and on the crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which initially aired on October 18, 1999. In 2002 she replaced Janine Turner on the Lifetime medical drama Strong Medicine as Dr. Andy Campbell, a role she held until 2005.
The final two seasons of The West Wing featured Richardson in a recurring role as campaign director for Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda, continuing until the end of the series in 2006.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patricia Richardson |
External links
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