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Audra Lindley | |
|---|---|
 Lindley inFay (1975) | |
| Born | Audra Marie Lindley (1918-09-24)September 24, 1918 Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 1997(1997-10-16) (aged 79)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1941–1997 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
Audra Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcomThree's Company and its spin-offThe Ropers.[2]
Audra Lindley was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 24, 1918.[3]
Lindley began acting on Broadway in 1942, portraying Judy Garrett inComes the Revelation.[3]
After a break from acting to raise five children, she began to make steady appearances on television in the early 1960s, including the role of Sue Knowles on the soap operaSearch for Tomorrow, and a five-year stint as manipulative Aunt Liz Matthews on the soap operaAnother World. She had regular roles asMeredith Baxter's mother in the sitcomBridget Loves Bernie as well asLee Grant’s best friend inFay. Both series were short-lived.[4]
In 1971, she starred inTaking Off, the first American film ofMiloš Forman.[4] She had guest roles onThe Love Boat in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981 (pilot movie 3, season 1 episode 4, season 2 episodes 1 & 2, season 3 episodes 1 & 2, season 4 episode 18, and season 5 episode 10).[citation needed]
Her greatest fame came when she began playing the wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled and sexually frustrated Helen Roper on the hit sitcomThree's Company (1977–79), in which she wore a wig to maintain her character's exaggerated hairstyle.[4] The character and her husband Stanley, portrayed byNorman Fell, also starred in the spin-off seriesThe Ropers (1979–80), which ran for two seasons.[5]
She was nominated twice for aGolden Globe Award, in 1973 for her role inBridget Loves Bernie and in 1979 for her role inThree's Company.[6]
Lindley continued to appear steadily on television and in films, such asRevenge of the Stepford Wives in 1980 and as Fauna, the owner of a brothel in the 1982 filmCannery Row. In 1982, she appeared in the filmBest Friends, starringGoldie Hawn andBurt Reynolds.
She played a supporting role in the lesbian-themed filmDesert Hearts (1985).[7] In 1987, she had another supporting role asJudith Light's mother in the TV movieDangerous Affection. She also appeared in 1989'sTroop Beverly Hills as outspoken director of the Wilderness Girls. Also in 1989, she was the main character of an episode of the horror anthology seriesTales from the Crypt.
In 1991, she starred in an episode of the horror anthology seriesThe Hidden Room.
In 1995, she playedPhoebe Buffay's grandmother, Frances, onFriends and appeared in the movieSudden Death.
In 1997, some of her last roles include an episode ofNothing Sacred, the TV movieSisters and Other Strangers, and the theatrical movieThe Relic.
Her final role was as Virginia Sheridan, a recurring part asCybill Shepherd's character's mother on the sitcomCybill (having previously also played Shepherd's on-screen mother in the 1972 filmThe Heartbreak Kid).[8] A later episode ofCybill was dedicated to her.
She was married to Hardy Ulm, with whom she had five children, from 1943 until his death in 1970.[4][9] She was then married to actorJames Whitmore from 1972 to 1979.[10]
Lindley died of complications fromleukemia on October 16, 1997, atCedars Sinai Medical Center. She was 79.[1] She was cremated and her ashes buried in a grave near her parents atWoodlawn Memorial Cemetery inSanta Monica, California.[11]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Manpower | Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1941 | One Foot in Heaven | Mother | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Dangerously They Live | Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Male Animal | Student | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Taking Off | Ann Lockston | |
| 1972 | The Heartbreak Kid | Mrs. Corcoran | |
| 1977 | The Love Boat | Anita Wolfe | Season 1, Episode 4 |
| 1977–1981 | Three's Company | Helen Roper | Season 1, 2, 3 & 5 |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Mrs. Worth | Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2 |
| 1979 | When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? | Ceil Ryder | |
| 1979 | The Love Boat | Portia Fairchild | Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2 |
| 1979–1980 | The Ropers | Helen Roper | Season 1 & 2 |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Vanessa Norris | Season 4, Episode 16 |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Agnes Larrabee | Season 5, Episode 8 |
| 1982 | Cannery Row | Fauna Flood | |
| 1982 | Best Friends | Ann Babson | |
| 1985 | Desert Hearts | Frances Parker | |
| 1985 | Zoo Ship | Voice | |
| 1988 | Spellbinder | Mrs. White | |
| 1988 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake | ||
| 1989 | Troop Beverly Hills | Frances Temple | |
| 1994 | The New Age | Sandi Rego | |
| 1995 | Sudden Death | Mrs. Ferrara | |
| 1995 | Friends | Phoebe's Grandmother | |
| 1996 | Shoot the Moon | Blanche Gaskins | |
| 1997 | The Relic | Dr. Matilda Zwiezic |
