Nancy McKeon biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Actress Nancy McKeon was born on April 4, 1966, in Westbury, New York. The daughter of a travel agent, Nancy McKeon and her brother, Philip, grew up in the entertainment industry. McKeon started making commercials at the age of 2, followed by guest appearances on such soap operas as Another World, before moving to California in the mid-1970s.

McKeon and her family relocated to Los Angeles for her brother's career. He had landed a leading role in the sitcom Alice starring Linda Lavin. Lavin played the title character, a widowed single mother who works as a waitress in a diner. Philip McKeon played her son, Tommy. While her brother starred in a hit comedy, Nancy McKeon landed guest spots on such shows as Starsky and Hutch and The Love Boat.

'Facts of Life'

In 1980, McKeon had a supporting role on the short-lived police drama Stone, playing the daughter of a detective (Dennis Weaver). Her career, however, really took off that fall with her role on the sitcom The Facts of Life. She joined the show, which followed a group of girls at an elite boarding school, in its second season.

On the show, McKeon played a rough-around-edges tomboy named Jo Polnaiczek. Her fellow students included Lisa Whelchel as the pretty and snobby Blair Warner, Mindy Cohn as the funny but insecure Natalie Green, and Kim Fields as the bubbly and active Tootie Ramsey. Charlotte Rae played their housemother, acting as a maternal figure for the girls. For a time, the cast also included George Clooney and Cloris Leachman.

The coming-of-age comedy became a big hit with television viewers, lasting for nearly a decade. At the time it ended in 1988, The Facts of Life was one of the longest running sitcoms to date. McKeon also found time to take on other projects, branching out to take on more serious roles. She appeared in several television movies, including 1985's Poison Ivy with Michael J. Fox. The two were reportedly a couple off-screen for a time as well. In 1987's Strange Voices, McKeon starred as a young woman with schizophrenia. She also served as a producer on the project.

After The Facts of Life ended, McKeon found success in television films. She starred in 1989's A Cry for Help: The Tracy Thurman Story as a woman works to rebuild her life after becoming paralyzed from a physical attack by her husband. The film received strong reviews. Unlike some child stars, McKeon transitioned into more mature parts fairly easily. "I've been lucky. The audience has allowed me the chance to grow up and to be taken seriously," she told Entertainment Weekly.