Alley Mills
Mills at the 1989Emmy Awards
Born	(1951-05-09)May 9, 1951 (age 74)[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Alley Bean
Alma mater	Yale University (BA) London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (MA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–present
Spouse	Orson Bean ​ ​ (m. 1993; died 2020)​

Allison Mills (born May 9, 1951), also known asAlley Bean, is an American actress, known for her roles on television. She starred as Norma Arnold, in thecoming-of-age ABC comedy series,The Wonder Years (1988–1993). In 2006 she began playing the role ofPamela Douglas, the sister of the lateForrester matriarchStephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery), on the CBS soap opera,The Bold and the Beautiful.From 2022 to 2024, Mills also portrayed antagonisticHeather Webber on the ABC soap opera,General Hospital, for which she received theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series twice.

Mills was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was television executive Ted Mills,^[2] and her mother, Joan (née Paterson) Mills Kerr, was an author and editor forAmerican Heritage magazine.^[3] Her stepmother was actressGenevieve (Ginette Marguerite Auger), and her stepfather was Chester B. Kerr, a director ofYale University Press. She has one sister, Hilary Mills Loomis, and one brother, Tony Mills. Mills made her television debut as a child performer appearing inThe Patti Page Show and later performed inWilliamstown Theatre Festival.^[3]

Mills received a B.A.magna cum laude in drama and art history fromYale University in 1973 (becoming one of the first female undergraduates)^[3] and an M.A. fromLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.^[4]

Mills began her career appearing in episodes of television seriesMr. Novak andThe Leslie Uggams Show, before making her big screen debut playing minor role in the 1970 comedy-drama film,Diary of a Mad Housewife.^[5] During the 1970s, Mills performed in a number of stage productions, such as Off-Broadway'sA Colliers Friday Night,The Little Foxes,Voices,The Idol Makers andSays I, Says He. In 1979 she was cast oppositeMartin Short in the short-lived sitcomThe Associates, where she played an attorney. In 1983 she starred oppositeJohn Candy in the comedy filmGoing Berserk and the following year appeared in the comedy filmYoung Lust. During the 1980s also made guest appearances in television seriesLou Grant,Newhart,Moonlighting andPunky Brewster. In 1982 she had four-episode arc in the NBC police drama,Hill Street Blues as Tracy Renko.

In 1988, Mills was cast as Norma Arnold, the mother ofFred Savage's character in the ABC comedy series,The Wonder Years, from 1988 to 1993. The show received positive reviews and won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 1989, Mills also began co-hosting the ABC daytime talk-show,Home.^[3]The Wonder Years ended in 1993 after six seasons and 114 episodes. During the 1990s, Mills acted in a number of made-for-television movies, such asJonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted (1992),Tainted Blood (1993) oppositeRaquel Welch,^[6]Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire (1994),^[7]Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare (1995), andDeadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan (1995) starringElizabeth Montgomery in her last screen appearance. From 1993 to 1997, Mills had a recurring role in the CBS Western series,Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as Marjorie Quinn, Dr.Michaela Quinn's sister. She had previously appeared in the series as a saloon girl. In 2000, Mills co-starred in the ABC miniseries,The Beach Boys: An American Family.^[8] She also appeared inRoseanne,Touched by an Angel,NYPD Blue,Popular,Girlfriends,Sabrina the Teenage Witch,Strong Medicine andYes, Dear.

In December 2006, Mills joined the cast of CBS daytime soap opera,The Bold and the Beautiful under contract asPamela Douglas, the estranged sister ofStephanie Douglas Forrester. But in March 2007, after making only a handful of appearances, her character went insane, was confined to a mental hospital, and then disappeared from the show. Mills reprised the role on recurring status in 2007 and 2008, and by December 2008, was added to the opening credits as a contract player. In November 2019, it was reported that Mills was off contract with the show. Mills made a return appearance toThe Bold and the Beautiful in August 2021.^[9][10] During her time on soap, Mills also acted in a number ofHallmark Channel movies, such asReluctant Nanny andAppetite for Love.^[11]

In October, 2022, Mills replacedRobin Mattson as legacy characterHeather Webber on the ABC soap opera,General Hospital.^[12] She later made recurring returns to soap. In 2023, Mills received aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series forGeneral Hospital.^[13][14] Also in 2023, Mills guest-starred alongside herThe Wonder Years co-star,Dan Lauria, in an episode of Fox seriesFantasy Island.^[15]

Mills was married to author, film, television and stage actorOrson Bean from 1993 until his death in 2020.^[16][17]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAlley Mills.

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• 1951 births
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• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from Chicago
• American child actresses
• American film actresses
• American soap opera actresses
• American television actresses
• Daytime Emmy Award winners
• Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series winners

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