Amy Yasbeck
Yasbeck in 2019
Born	1962 or 1963 (age 62–63) Blue Ash, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	John Ritter ​ ​ (m. 1999; died 2003)​
Children	1

Amy Yasbeck (born 1962 or 1963)^[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcomWings from 1994 to 1997 and for having played the mermaid Madison in the television filmSplash, Too in 1988 (the role originated byDaryl Hannah in the filmSplash). Yasbeck has guest-starred in several television shows and appeared in the filmsHouse II: The Second Story,Pretty Woman,Problem Child,Problem Child 2,The Mask,Robin Hood: Men in Tights, andDracula: Dead and Loving It.She is the widow ofJohn Ritter.^[2]

Yasbeck was born on September 12, 1962 inBlue Ash, Ohio, the daughter of Dorothy Louise Mary (née Murphy), a homemaker, and John Anthony Yasbeck (Arabic:جون أنتوني يَزبك),^[3] a butcher and grocery store owner.^[4][5] Her father was of Lebanese descent, while her mother was of Irish ancestry.^[6] As a child, Yasbeck was featured on the package art for theBetty CrockerEasy-Bake Oven. Years later, in 2000, she was presented with a new Easy-Bake Oven on the showI've Got a Secret, for which she was a regular panel member.

Yasbeck spent her primary and secondary years at two different Catholic schools:Summit Country Day School andUrsuline Academy. She then enrolled in the theater program at theUniversity of Detroit but did not graduate, leaving to pursue her acting career inNew York City in 1983.^[7] In 1983, after the deaths of both of her parents, her father from a heart attack and her mother from emphysema, Yasbeck moved toNew York City.^{[citation needed]}

Early in her acting career, she appeared inRockhopper, an unsold television pilot from 1985. Yasbeck has had guest-starring roles in many television shows, includingDallas,Spies,Werewolf,J.J. Starbuck,Magnum, P.I.,China Beach, andMurphy Brown. She auditioned for the role ofElaine Benes onSeinfeld.^[8] She played Olivia Reed for four months between 1986 and 1987 on the long-running daytime dramaDays of Our Lives. She also played the starring role of the mermaid Madison in theDisney television filmSplash, Too in 1988 (the role of Madison was originated byDaryl Hannah in the 1984 filmSplash). Yasbeck also had starring roles in the sitcomsWings,Alright Already, andLife on a Stick and in movies such asHouse II: The Second Story,Pretty Woman,Problem Child,Problem Child 2, andThe Mask. She has twice worked withMel Brooks: in 1993'sRobin Hood: Men in Tights and 1995'sDracula: Dead and Loving It.

Yasbeck also appeared once on the hitDCOSThat's So Raven as the mother of the character Chelsea. The episode originally aired on September 22, 2006.

In late 2007, plans surfaced of a potentialThat's So Raven spin-off featuring Yasbeck andAnneliese van der Pol, who portrayed her daughter, with occasional appearances byRaven-Symoné. The show was scrapped due to van der Pol signing onto a Broadway play, and Yasbeck wanting to take a break from acting to focus on her family.^{[citation needed]}

Yasbeck was a contestant on the syndicated version ofAre You Smarter than a 5th Grader? in 2010.

In 2016, Yasbeck was on a hiatus from acting to focus on her family, but expressed interest in returning later on.^[9][2] In 2025, she was cast inJonathan Hammond's short filmFireflies in the Dusk.^[10]

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Yasbeck is the widow of actorJohn Ritter, with whom she had worked in several projects. She first met him at directorDennis Dugan's house during a read-through of their filmProblem Child.

Yasbeck and Ritter also starred together inProblem Child 2 (1991) and guest-starred together in an episode ofThe Cosby Show that aired in 1991. Ritter also guest-starred onWings as Yasbeck's estranged husband in the season-seven episode "Love Overboard". The couple welcomed a daughter on September 11, 1998^[11] named Stella, who transitioned at the age of 18 and changed his name to Noah.^[12] They married the following year on September 18, 1999, at theMurphy Theatre inWilmington, Ohio.^[13]

On September 11, 2003, Ritter experienced chest pain and extreme nausea while rehearsing for8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics. Initially, Ritter was thought to be suffering a heart attack. At 10:48 that night, Ritter died. The cause of death was later determined to be anaortic dissection stemming from a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.^[14]

Yasbeck gave her blessing to the continuation of the sitcom, as8 Simple Rules, where it was ultimately decided thatKatey Sagal's character would assume the lead role as a widow.^[14]

Yasbeck appeared onLarry King Live on June 16, 2008, to discuss heart disease.^[15]

On the September 5, 1990, episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, she said that her "great-great-great uncle"Charles Webb Murphy was the owner of theChicago Cubs during their1907 and1908 championships.

After John Ritter's death, Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death lawsuit against Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and several doctors who treated him, alleging they misdiagnosed his condition and contributed to his death.^[16] Several of the defendants settled out of court for a total of $14 million, including Providence St. Joseph, which settled for $9.4 million. On March 14, 2008, a jury split 9–3 in favor of the doctors, clearing the physicians of any wrongdoing.^[17]

• Yasbeck, Amy (September 7, 2010).With Love and Laughter, John Ritter. New York: Gallery Books.ISBN 978-1-4165-9841-1.

• Amy Yasbeck atIMDb
• Amy Yasbeck at theTCM Movie Database

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