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JennyO'Hara (born February 24, 1942)^[1] is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie inMy Sister Sam (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan inThe King of Queens (2001–2007), and Nita inBig Love (2006–2009).

O'Hara was born inSonora, California.^[1] Her father, John B. O'Hara, was a salesman, and her mother, Edith (Hopkins) O'Hara, was a journalist and drama teacher, who founded and continued to run the 13th Street Repertory Company in New York City for many years before her death at age 103 in 2020.^[2] Jenny, her singer/actress younger sisterJill O'Hara, and her singer/guitarist brother Jack O'Hara, grew up amid their mother's pursuit of a theatrical career. John and Edith O'Hara eventually divorced.^[3] Jenny O'Hara debuted on stage at age 5 at the Bushkill Playhouse in the Poconos.^[4]

In 1964 O'Hara appeared onBroadway in the dramatic playDylan.^[1] In 1969 she appeared in the musicalThe Fig Leaves Are Falling.^[1] Her other Broadway credits includePromises, Promises,The Iceman Cometh, andThe Odd Couple.^[1]

In 1970, O'Hara succeeded her younger sister, Jill (who had been nominated for aTony Award) in the musicalPromises, Promises. She graduated to television, both in series and made-for-TV features, including starring roles in:Brinks: The Great Robbery,The Return of the World's Greatest Detective,Blind Ambition andBlinded by the Light withKristy McNichol.

She later worked in movies such asCareer Opportunities,A Mother's Prayer,Mystic River,Matchstick Men,Extract andDevil; was part of the ensemble cast for the first season ofThe Facts of Life and the entire run ofMy Sister Sam; and had guest roles on television series such asKojak,Charlie's Angels,Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (also known in theUnited Kingdom asTwist in the Tale),Barnaby Jones,Barney Miller,Law & Order,The X-Files,Beverly Hills, 90210,NYPD Blue,ER,CHiPs,House M.D.,Boston Legal,Reba,Six Feet Under, andBig Love. She has also made appearances over the years on various TV game shows.

On TV, O'Hara portrayed Ruth Manly onBlack Beauty,^[5] Lottie Murphy inCostello,^[5]: 211 Rebecca inHighcliffe Manor,^[5]: 460 Janet Heffernan inThe King of Queens,^{[5]: 565-566} Muriel Spiegleman inLive In,^[5]: 614 Dixie Randazzo inMy Sister Sam,^[5]: 735 and Lucy Dexter onSecrets of Midland Heights.^{[5]: 944–945} She also had roles in the 2009 film,Extract, and the 2010 horror film,Devil.^[6]

O'Hara directed the off-Broadway playThe Women Are No Different, which was about abuse of wives.^[7] In 1973, she owned and operated Jacob O'Hara Inc., a plant business in New York. She auctioned off plants and provided advice to people about caring for their plants.^[8]

O'Hara was married to August Dorr Watkins, an interior designer and former actor, from 1968 until their 1974 divorce.^[3] Since 1986,^{[citation needed]} she has been married to British-born American actorNick Ullett. Together they have two daughters.^[9]

• Jenny O'Hara atIMDb
• Jenny O'Hara at theTCM Movie Database

• 1942 births
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• American video game actresses
• American voice actresses
• Actresses from California
• Actresses from Pennsylvania
• Living people
• People from Warren County, Pennsylvania
• People from Sonora, California
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Carnegie Mellon University alumni

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