Morgan Fairchild | |
|---|---|
 Fairchild in 2012 | |
| Born | Patsy Ann McClenny (1950-02-03)February 3, 1950 (age 76) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Spouse | |
| Website | morganfairchild |
| Signature | |
 | |
Patsy Ann McClenny (born February 3, 1950),[1] known professionally asMorgan Fairchild, is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since then.
Fairchild began her career on theCBS daytime soap operaSearch for Tomorrow asJennifer Pace from 1973 to 1977. In 1978, she appeared on the primetime soap operaDallas as the first actress to portrayJenna Wade, before taking a lead role on theNBC seriesFlamingo Road in 1980 (for which she was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama). In 1984, she co-starred onABC's short-lived television dramaPaper Dolls, and then appeared onFalcon Crest as attorney Jordan Roberts from 1985 to 1986. Fairchild has also performed in theater and played guest roles on television comedies, includingMurphy Brown (for which she was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series),Two and a Half Men,Roseanne,Cybill andFriends. She is a board member ofSAG-AFTRA.
Fairchild was born Patsy Ann McClenny inDallas, Texas, the daughter of Martha Jane (Hartt), a high school English teacher who taught at Richardson High School (inRichardson, Texas), and Edward Milton McClenny.[1] Fairchild has a younger sister, Cathryn Hartt, who is also an actress.[2] As a young child, she was seen onWFAA'sMr. Peppermint Show with hostJerry Haynes. In her teens, she was in the audience onWFAA'sSump'n Else bandstand show. She auditioned three times to be in The Little Group, which was the show's dance group. Also during this time, she appeared in several locally broadcast commercials on Dallas-Fort Worth television stations.
Fairchild's first acting job was as adouble forFaye Dunaway during filming for the filmBonnie and Clyde (1967), particularly in scenes where Bonnie is driving a car because Dunaway could not drive a stick shift.[3][1] She took her new first name, Morgan, from theDavid Warner filmMorgan - A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966). Fairchild then moved toNew York City, where she secured her first credited onscreen role as the maniacalJennifer Pace in the daytimesoap operaSearch for Tomorrow from 1973 until 1977. From the mid-1970s, she began to make various appearances on episodic primetime television series such asKojak,Happy Days,Police Woman,The Bob Newhart Show, and a few episodes ofCBS Radio Mystery Theater.
Fairchild playedJenna Wade in the soap operaDallas for one episode in 1978.[1] The same year, Fairchild made the television filmThe Initiation of Sarah and also had a recurring role on the sitcomMork & Mindy. In 1980, she scored her first regular primetime role as Constance Weldon Carlyle on the soap operaFlamingo Road.[4] Though the series had an impressive beginning, the ratings soon dropped and it was canceled after two seasons. Fairchild was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for her role.[5]After the cancellation ofFlamingo Road, Fairchild continued to make guest appearances in a variety of episodic television series such asHotel;Simon & Simon;Magnum, P.I.; andThe Love Boat. She also starred in the theatrical filmThe Seduction (1982). In 1984, along withJoan Collins, she co-hosted the ABC-TV specialBlondes vs. Brunettes, a one-hour variety show that gently poked fun at popular culture's blonde vs. brunette rivalry.[6] In that same year, she also co-starred in another primetime soap operaPaper Dolls playing modeling agency owner Racine. The series was cancelled halfway through its first season, but by this time, Fairchild was established as a television actress. In 1985, she joined the cast of the soap operaFalcon Crest, playing the glamorous lawyer Jordan Roberts for a season. She also appeared in the miniseriesNorth and South (1985), and its sequel (1986).
In 1985,Jon Lovitz onSaturday Night Live created the "Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar" character who claimed outlandish achievements for himself, culminating in the grand illusion that his wife was Morgan Fairchild. The obvious remoteness of such a possibility, and its mainstream comic appeal, was testimonial to Fairchild's broad popularity anddesirability.
Fairchild continued to make appearances in films and television series throughout the 1980s and garnered anEmmy Award nomination for her guest appearance in a 1989 episode ofMurphy Brown.[1] In the early 1990s, she was cast in a recurring role inRoseanne, asSandra Bernhard's bisexual girlfriend Marla. In 1994, Fairchild appeared in an unexpectedly campy advertisement campaign for clothing retailerOld Navy, withJoan Collins and other formerly familiar faces on television. Her reprised role as the over-the-top glamour vixen was so successful that the company created numerous sequels around her persona. She played herself in the comedy filmsNaked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994),Holy Man (1998) andWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).
In 1995, Fairchild returned to daytime soap operas as the catty Sydney Chase onThe City.[7] She played the role for a year, after which she went on to appear inGeneral Hospital. She also made guest appearances on the hit sitcomFriends (asChandler Bing's mother,Nora) and was a recurring guest star on the sitcomCybill as Andrea, a rival ofCybill Shepherd's character.
Through the years, Fairchild has also appeared in various theater productions. More recently, she starred in the role of Mrs. Robinson in the stage adaptation of the filmThe Graduate. She also fronted an international advertising campaign for the consumer tooth whitening product Dental White.[8] In 2005, Fairchild appeared in the competitionreality showBut Can They Sing? onVH1.
In 2006, she was cast in yet another of her "rich bitch" roles in theMyNetworkTV seriesFashion House, playingSophia Blakely, a rival toBo Derek's character,Maria Gianni.[9] She has also appeared on the television seriesChuck as Dr. Honey Woodcomb, the mother ofCaptain Awesome. In 2007 she appeared onTwo and a Half Men where she was cast as acougar who propositionsCharlie Harper with the line "What has multiple orgasms and hums?" She made another return to soap operas in 2009 when she had a guest role in the daytime seriesThe Bold and the Beautiful.[10] In recent years, she guest-starred inBones,Revenge andHot in Cleveland.[11][12]
In 2014, Fairchild was named spokesperson for a website that was created to help consumers make burial preplanning choices.[13] It was previously known as BurialPlanning.com but is now known asMemorialPlanning.com. In that capacity, she appeared in television commercials[14] and in a direct mail campaign.
Fairchild has appeared in some independent movies in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2017, she returned to daytime for a limited run inDays of Our Lives playingAnjelica Deveraux, a role previously played by soap actressJudith Chapman.[15] Fairchild received aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series nomination for her performance.[16] In 2022, she guest-starred in the two episodes of ABC soap operaGeneral Hospital playing Haven de Havilland.[17]
On October 3, 2023, it was announced that Fairchild would feature in theLifetime film,Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas. According to the official synopsis, the movie follows five soap opera divas readying for a reunion show who take on playing cupid during Christmas to bring together their director and producer as they all learn the meaning of the true Christmas spirit. The ensemble cast is made up of Fairchild,Loni Anderson,Linda Gray,Donna Mills, andNicollette Sheridan.[18]
Fairchild was married toJack Calmes from 1967 to 1973.[19]
For many years, she has been an activist for social causes includingAIDS andenvironmentalism.[1]
She has revealed that she has a mild form of a chronic illness known asME/CFS. In 2015, she made a speech about her challenges with the illness at a briefing for theNational Academy of Medicine formerly known as the Institute of Medicine (IOM).[20][21]
In 1987, she was involved in a long-term relationship with Mark Seiler.[19] Fairchild reported on her Twitter account that Seiler died on July 7, 2023.[22]
She stated that she was twice kidnapped in the early 1970s.[23][24]
In addition to her work as an actress, Fairchild has long maintained a strong role within theScreen Actors Guild, nowSAG-AFTRA. Fairchild was a three-year board member of the Guild and has served on several committees, including co-chair Legislative Committee, National Executive Committee, SAG-AFTRA Relations Committee, Commercials Contracts Committee, Honors and Tributes Committee (HATS), and Guild Governance and Rules Committee.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde | Faye Dunaway's Double | Uncredited |
| 1970 | A Bullet for Pretty Boy | Small role | Uncredited |
| 1978 | The Initiation of Sarah | Jennifer Lawrence | Television film |
| 1979 | Murder in Music City | Dana Morgan | Television film |
| 1980 | The Memory of Eva Ryker | Lisa Eddington | Television film |
| Challenge of the Tiger | Celebrity | ||
| 1981 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite | Stella Walker | Television film |
| 1982 | The Seduction | Jamie Douglas | |
| Honeyboy | Judy Wellman | Television film | |
| 1984 | Time Bomb | Renee DeSalles | Television film |
| The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood | Lady Marian | Television film | |
| Terror in the Aisles | Jaime Douglas | Archival footage | |
| 1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | Agent Dottie | |
| Rodney Dangerfield's Guide to Auto Repair | Angry Customer | ||
| 1986 | Red Headed Stranger | Raysha Shay | |
| 1987 | Campus Man | Katherine Van Buren | |
| Sleeping Beauty | Queen | ||
| Deadly Illusion | Jane Mallory / Sharon Burton | ||
| 1988 | Street of Dreams | Laura Cassidy / Eva Bomberg | Television film |
| Midnight Cop | Lisa | ||
| 1989 | Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge | Mayor Karen Wilton | |
| The Haunting of Sarah Hardy | Lucy | Television film | |
| 1990 | How to Murder a Millionaire | Loretta | Television film |
| Mob Boss | Gina | ||
| Menu for Murder | Paula Preston | Television film | |
| 1991 | Even Angels Fall | Leslie | |
| Writer's Block | Magenta Hart | Television film | |
| Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady | Irene Frances Adler | Television film | |
| 1992 | Just Deserts | Catherine Harcourt | Television film |
| 1993 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal | Alana Westbrook | Television film |
| Das Paradies am Ende der Berge [de] | Irmgard Hoelzl | ||
| Freaked | Herself | ||
| Based on an Untrue Story | Satin Chow | ||
| 1994 | Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III | Beth Chaney | |
| Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000 | Camella Swales | ||
| Naked Gun33+1⁄3: The Final Insult | Herself | ||
| 1995 | Criminal Hearts | District Attorney | |
| Venus Rising | Peyton | ||
| Gospa | Sister Fabijana Zovko | ||
| 1996 | Dead Man's Island | Valerie St. Vincent | |
| Star Command | Commander Sigrid Ivorstetter | Television film (UPN) | |
| 1997 | Moment of Truth: Into the Arms of Danger | Diana Astin | Television film |
| 1998 | Shattered Illusions | Angie | |
| Holy Man | Herself | ||
| 1999 | Nice Guys Sleep Alone | Lorraine | |
| 2000 | Unshackled | Mrs. Rebecca Miller | |
| Held for Ransom | Mrs. Kirkland | ||
| 2001 | Peril | Terry | |
| 2002 | Teddy Bears' Picnic | Courtney Vandermint | |
| I Was a Teenage Faust | Babylonia | Television film | |
| 2004 | Knuckle Sandwich | Mrs. Simms | |
| Arizona Summer | Debbie | ||
| 2006 | Shock to the System | Phyllis Hale | |
| The Initiation of Sarah | Trina Goodwin | Television film | |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Herself | |
| 2008 | The Sno Cone Stand Inc | Cathy Wanton | |
| 2009 | The Slammin' Salmon | Herself | |
| 2010 | Life's a Beach | Felicia Wald | |
| The Steamroom | Sheila | ||
| 2011 | Boy Toy | Barbara | |
| Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 | Dog Show Judge | ||
| eCupid | Venus | ||
| 2012 | American Horror House | Miss Margot / Rosemary | Television film |
| Spring Break '83 | Mouth's Mother | Unreleased | |
| A Perfect Ending | Valentina | ||
| 2013 | Fighting Back | Cheryl | |
| Wiener Dog Nationals | Ms. Merryweather | ||
| Dark Power | Elizabeth Archer | ||
| 2014 | Perfect On Paper[25] | Beverly Wilcox | Television film |
| Bikini Model Academy | Herself | ||
| Beethoven's Treasure Tail | Charlene | Video | |
| Sam | Lulu | ||
| Christian Mingle | Lacie Wood | ||
| 2016 | Mostly Ghostly: One Night in Doom House | Lulu | Direct-to-video |
| A Christmas in Vermont | Joanne Davis | ||
| 2017 | Scales: Mermaids Are Real | Principal | |
| You're Gonna Miss Me | Audrey Lake | ||
| 2018 | All Good Things | Gramma | |
| My Perfect Romance | Ms. Robinson | Television film | |
| 2019 | A Date Before Christmas Eve | Mrs. Kringle | Television film |
| 2021 | Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story | Morgan | |
| 2023 | The Nana Project | Francesca | |
| Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas | Margaux Roberts | Television film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–1977 | Search for Tomorrow | Jennifer Pace | |
| 1976 | Kojak | Allison | Episode: "A Hair-Trigger Away" |
| 1977 | Rafferty | Lisa Farrell | Episode: "A Point of View" |
| Switch | Shelley Bloom | Episode: "Downshift" | |
| Rosetti and Ryan | Claire Blake | Episode: "The Ten-Second Client" | |
| Happy Days | Cynthia Holmes | Episode: "My Fair Fonzie" | |
| The Bob Newhart Show | Bianca / Linda | Episode: "Grand Delusion" | |
| 1978 | Police Woman | Cheryl | Episode: "Murder with Pretty People" |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | Lisa Benson | Episode: "Night of the Clones" | |
| Barnaby Jones | Felice Winters and Scotty MacKay respectively | Episodes: "Daughter of Evil" and "A Dangerous Affair" | |
| Dallas | Jenna Wade | Episode: "Old Acquaintance" | |
| Escapade | Suzy | TV pilot | |
| 1978–1979 | Mork & Mindy | Susan Taylor | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Concrete Cowboys | Carla / Kate | Episode: "Concrete Cowboys" |
| A Man Called Sloane | Melissa Nelson | Episode: "The Venus Microbe" | |
| 1980 | The Dream Merchants | Dulcie Warren | TV Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Young Maverick | Selene | Episode: "Makin' Tracks" | |
| 1981 | Women Who Rate a "10" | Herself | Guest host with Erik Estrada and Howard Hessemen |
| The Love Boat | Jenny Boyer | 2 episodes | |
| 1980-82 | Flamingo Road | Constance Weldon Carlyle | 38 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1982) |
| 1982 | Magnum, P.I. | Alex Houston / Catherine Hailey | Episode: "Ki'is Don't Lie" |
| Simon & Simon | Alex Houston / Catherine Hailey | Episode: "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend" | |
| The Shape of Things | Herself (1 episode) | Guest host with Sarah Purcell, Lynn Redgrave and Betty White Show was cancelled after 3 episodes | |
| 1983 | Hotel | Carol | Episode: "Hotel" |
| 1984 | Paper Dolls | Racine | 13 episodes |
| Blondes vs. Brunettes | Herself | ABC TV Special | |
| 1985 | North and South | Burdetta Halloran | TV miniseries |
| 1986 | North and South, Book II | Burdetta Halloran | TV miniseries |
| 1985–86 | Falcon Crest | Jordan Roberts | 29 episodes Nominated—Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial (1986) |
| 1989 | My Two Dads | Diana Thackery | Episode: "Macho, Stupid Guy Time" |
| Murphy Brown | Julia St. Martin | Episode: "TV or not TV" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (1990) | |
| 1992 | Roseanne | Marla | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Miranda | Episode: "Pheromone, My Lovely" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Iris Novaro | Episode: "Murder at a Discount" | |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | June Ward | Episode: "Who Killed Romeo?" |
| Empty Nest | Zoe | Episode: "Best Friends" | |
| Diagnosis: Murder | Pamela Dorn | Episode: "My Four Husbands" | |
| 1995-96 | The City | Sydney Chase | |
| 1996 | General Hospital | Sydney Chase[26] | |
| 1995–97 | Cybill | Andrea Thorpe | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Head over Heels | Mona DuBois | Episode: "Gigolo Guy" |
| Touched by an Angel | Jackie Sykes | Episode: "My Dinner with Andrew" | |
| The Naked Truth | Herself | Episode: "Bridesface Revisited" | |
| 1998 | Home Improvement | Herself | Episode: "Mr. Likeable" |
| V.I.P. | Herself | Episode: "Three Days to a Kill" | |
| The Angry Beavers | Muffy Snootwell | Episode: "Open Wide for Zombies/Dumbwaiters" (voice) | |
| 1999 | The New Addams Family | Lady Pretensia | Episode: "Thing's Romance" |
| 1995–2001 | Friends | Nora Tyler Bing | 5 episodes |
| 2001 | Dharma & Greg | Jackie | Episode: "Dharma Does Dallas" |
| 7th Heaven | Merle 'Bird' | Episode:Teased | |
| 2002 | Roswell | Meris Wheeler | 2 episodes |
| Providence | Gwendolynne Gold | Episode: "Limbo" | |
| Maybe It's Me | Kimberly 'Big Kimberly' | Episode: "The Quahog Festival Episode" | |
| That '80s Show | Cossima Blair | Episode: "Beach Party" | |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Lily Barton | Episode: "Pictures of Lily" |
| 2004 | That '70s Show | Carolyn | Episode: "Going Mobile" |
| He's a Lady | Herself | Panel judge | |
| 2006 | Fashion House | Sophia Blakely | 35 episodes |
| 2007 | Two and a Half Men | Donna | Episode: "Young People Have Phlegm Too" |
| 2008 | Men in Trees | Herself | Episode: "Get a Life" |
| 2009 | Nip/Tuck | Herself | Episode: "Manny Skerritt" |
| My Name Is Earl | Carol | Episode: "Friends with Benefits" | |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | Dorothy "Dotty" Bright | 4 episodes | |
| Celebrity Ghost Stories | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Claire Lockton | Episode: "Bedtime" |
| 2008–10 | Chuck | Dr. Honey Woodcomb | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Bones | Bianca Chiverton | Episode: "The Prince in the Plastic" |
| 2011 | Chemistry | Michael's Mother | Episode: "In or Out, Part 2" |
| 2012 | Happily Divorced | Jill | Episode: "The Reunion" |
| 2014 | Revenge | Teresa (cameo) | Episode: "Addiction" |
| Hot in Cleveland | Claudia / Fake Elka | Episode: "Playmates" | |
| 2017 | Days of Our Lives | Anjelica Deveraux | 17 episodes Nominated —Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series |
| 2019 | Worst Cooks in America | Herself | |
| 2019 | Too Old to Die Young | Mrs. Watson | Episode: "Volume 6: The High Priestess" |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Vivienne St. Charmaine | Episode: "Podcast News" (voice) |
| 2022–24 | General Hospital | Haven de Havilland | Guest role over three stints |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Multimedia Celebrity Poker | Herself | [27] |
