1946-2019
Who Was Peggy Lipton?
Actor Peggy Lipton became an overnight sensation as one of the stars of the TV crime drama The Mod Squad. The show ran from 1968 to 1973, and Lipton won a Golden Globe and earned four Emmy nominations for her role as Julie Barnes. Prior to her breakout role, Lipton started out as a model in New York in the early 1960s. She soon moved on to acting roles, appearing in such TV series as Bewitched and The John Forsythe Show before her most famous role. Lipton took a break from acting during much of the 1970s and 1980s while raising her children with then-husband Quincy Jones, but she returned to TV in 1990 with David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. In May 2019, Lipton died of cancer at age 72.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Margaret Ann Lipton
BORN: August 30, 1946
DIED: May 11, 2019
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
SPOUSE: Quincy Jones (1974-1990)
CHILDREN: Kidada and Rashida Jones
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo
Early Life and Career
Actress Peggy Lipton was born on August 30, 1946, in New York City. She was originally named Peggy Ann, but her mother later changed it to Margaret Ann, Lipton wrote in her memoir Breathing Out. She grew up as the middle child in an upper middle class Jewish family. Her father was a lawyer, and her mother was an artist.
While she had many advantages growing up, Lipton also faced some difficult challenges. She developed a stutter around the age of 7. Lipton wrote in her memoir that the condition was likely connected to being sexually abused by a relative around this time.
Lipton started modeling at 15, signing with Eileen Ford’s agency. In her later teens, Lipton moved with her family to California. There her acting career began to take off. One of her first television appearances was a guest spot on Bewitched. Lipton then landed a role on the short-lived series The John Forsythe Show, which ran from 1965 to 1966. In 1968, she appeared with her brother Robert in the 1968 western Blue starring Terence Stamp, Joanna Pettet, and Karl Malden.
The Mod Squad
Lipton became an instant celebrity in 1968 with the debut of The Mod Squad. She, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III played a trio of young people recruited to work undercover for the police after running into trouble with the law. The show proved to be a huge hit with viewers, and Lipton quickly became a popular celebrity. She even tried to launch a singing career, releasing an album in 1968.
For her role as Julie Barnes on the show, Lipton won the 1971 Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama. She also received four Emmy Award nominations. Despite her success, Lipton struggled emotionally. “When I started the series, I had no confidence. I was 18 and insecure,” she told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Lipton reprised her role as Julie Barnes for the 1979 TV movie The Return of Mod Squad.
Ex-Husband Quincy Jones and Daughters
After The Mod Squad ended in 1973, Lipton soon settled down with composer Quincy Jones. The couple wed in 1974 and had two daughters, Kidada and Rashida, together. Lipton largely left Hollywood behind to focus on her family.
She stayed out of the spotlight until her marriage ended. Lipton and Jones separated in 1986 before she filed for divorce in 1989. The split was made legal the following year.
Her daughter Rashida Jones has become a popular actor in her own right. Her best known roles are as Ann Perkins in the TV comedy Parks and Recreation, as well as the movies The Social Network (2010) and Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012).
Later Career and Death
Lipton returned to acting after her split from Quincy Jones, appearing in the 1988 TV movie Addicted to His Love. She then landed the role of Norma Jennings on David Lynch’s offbeat drama Twin Peaks, which aired from 1990 to 1991. In 1992, Lipton played Norma Jennings in the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. She also appeared in 1997’s The Postman starring Kevin Costner.
Lipton also had recurring roles on such shows as Popular, Alias, and Crash. She reunited with her ex-husband to play the parents of their real-life daughter Rashida Jones on the TV series Angie Tribeca.
Lipton died after a battle with cancer on May 11, 2019, at the age of 72.
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