Courtney Thorne-Smith | |
|---|---|
 Thorne-Smith in 2013 | |
| Born | 1966 or 1967 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Known for | Melrose Place Ally McBeal According to Jim |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Courtney Thorne-Smith (born 1966 or 1967) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles asAlison Parker onMelrose Place, Georgia Thomas onAlly McBeal, and Cheryl onAccording to Jim, as well as her recurring role onTwo and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.[1]
Thorne-Smith grew up inMenlo Park, California, a suburb south ofSan Francisco. Her father, Walter Smith, was a computer market researcher, and her mother, Lora Thorne, was a therapist. They divorced when Courtney was seven years old, and she lived with both parents at different stages. She has an older sister, Jennifer, who is an advertising executive.
Thorne-Smith attendedMenlo-Atherton High School, inAtherton, California, but she graduated fromTamalpais High School, inMill Valley, California, in 1985. She performed with the Ensemble Theater Company in Mill Valley while attending high school.[2]
Thorne-Smith made her first film appearance in the 1986 feature film dramaLucas, alongsideWinona Ryder,Corey Haim, andCharlie Sheen. She was also involved in a number of movies in the late 1980s, such asWelcome to 18 (1986),Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987),Summer School (1987), andSide Out (1990). In 1998, she starred in the box office flopChairman of the Board withCarrot Top. In 2009, she appeared inSorority Wars.
She appeared on a few mid-1980s television series such asGrowing Pains and the short-livedFast Times, as well asmade-for-television movies includingThe Thanksgiving Promise andInfidelity before landing a regular role in the 1988–1989 sitcomDay by Day withDouglas Sheehan,Linda Kelsey andJulia Louis-Dreyfus. In 1990, she was featured in six episodes ofL.A. Law asLaker Girl Kimberly Dugan.
Her first notable starring television role was as Alison Parker onMelrose Place from 1992 to 1997.[3] During this time, in 1995, she starred in a made-for-television movieBeauty's Revenge which was also marketed in CD and DVD form as "Midwest Obsession". Following this, she went on to play Georgia Thomas onAlly McBeal from 1997 to 2000. Thorne-Smith originally auditioned for the title role in the show, which ultimately went toCalista Flockhart. Her character was written out ofAlly McBeal at the beginning of season four in 2000, though she returned for occasional guest appearances afterwards. She later said that she left the show in part because of the pressure to stay thin. "I started undereating, overexercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system," she toldUS Weekly. "The amount of time I spent thinking about food and being upset about my body was insane."[4]
From 2001 to 2009, she starred as Cheryl onAccording to Jim. In 2007, her real-life pregnancy was hidden on the show at first, but was then written into the plot.[5] On February 18, 2010, she signed on to playAlan Harper's (Jon Cryer) girlfriend, Lyndsey McElroy, inseason seven ofTwo and a Half Men.[6] She appeared in 52 episodes from season seven through twelve.
From 2017 to 2019, Thorne-Smith starred in a series of three television films, theEmma Fielding Mysteries on theHallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, based on the novels byDana Cameron.[7]
On September 18, 2007, Thorne-Smith's novel,Outside In, was published byBroadway Books in New York.[8][9]
In 1997, she became aspokesperson for cosmetics brandAlmay, being the face of their new "Skin Stays Clean" line of make-up.[10] She appeared for Almay's print ads and television commercials until 2001. In 2003, Thorne-Smith appeared onKellogg'sSpecial K cereal boxes as part of a breast cancer awareness campaign with Kelloggs and theSusan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.[11]
During her career, she has appeared on the cover of magazines such asShape,Parade,Self,InStyle Weddings,Entertainment Weekly,TV Guide,Vogue Knitting andFit Pregnancy.[citation needed]
On June 2, 2000, Thorne-Smith married genetic scientistAndrew Conrad. The couple separated in January 2001.[12]
On January 1, 2007, she marriedtalent agent Roger Fishman.[13] On January 11, 2008, she gave birth to their son.[14][15] The couple separated in September 2021, and Thorne-Smith filed for divorce in June 2025.[16]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Welcome to 18 | Lindsey | |
| Lucas | Alise | ||
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Sunny Carstairs | |
| Summer School | Pam House | ||
| 1990 | Side Out | Samantha | |
| 1997 | The Lovemaster | Deb | |
| 1998 | Chairman of the Board | Natalie Stockwell | |
| 2005 | Batman: New Times | Catwoman/Ms. Kitka Karenska | Voice, short film |
| 2006 | Whisper of the Heart | Shiho Tsukishima | English dub |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Fast Times | Stacey Hamilton | 7 episodes |
| The Thanksgiving Promise | Sheryl | Television film | |
| 1987 | Growing Pains | Photography class student | Episode: "Nude Photos" |
| 1988–1989 | Day by Day | Kristin Carlson | 33 episodes |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | Kimberly Dugan | 6 episodes |
| Anything but Love | Allison Andrews | Episode: "All About Allison" | |
| 1992 | Jack's Place | Kim Logan | Episode: "Everything Old Is New Again" |
| Grapevine | Lisa | Episode: "The Lisa and Bill Story" | |
| 1992–1997 | Melrose Place | Alison Parker | Main Role (seasons 1–5); 165 episodes |
| 1994 | Breach of Conduct | Helen Lutz | Television film |
| 1995 | Midwest Obsession | Cheryl Ann Davis | |
| 1996 | Partners | Danielle | Episode: "The Year of Bob?" |
| 1997 | Duckman | Herself | Episode: "Bonfire of the Panties" |
| Spin City | Danielle Brinkman | Episode: "Starting Over" | |
| 1997–2002 | Ally McBeal | Georgia Thomas | Main Role (seasons 1–3), Guest star (seasons 4–5); 69 episodes |
| 1999 | Partners | Gina Darrin | Episode: "Always..." |
| Ally | Georgia Thomas | 12 episodes | |
| 2000 | Norm | Rebecca | Episode: "Norm and the Hopeless Cause" |
| 2001–2009 | According to Jim | Cheryl | 182 episodes |
| 2009 | Sorority Wars | Lutie Parker | Television film |
| 2010–2015 | Two and a Half Men | Lyndsey McElroy | 52 episodes |
| 2016 | Robot Chicken | Medical Examiner | Voice, episode: "Blackout Window Heatstroke" |
| 2016–2017 | Fresh Off the Boat | Anne | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery | Emma Fielding | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) |
| 2018 | Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery | ||
| 2019 | More Bitter than Death: An Emma Fielding Mystery | ||
| 2020 | Mom | Sam | Episode: "Beef Baloney Dan and a Sarcastic No" |
| 2024 | He Slid Into Her DMs[17] | Leah | Television movie |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with rest of cast) | Ally McBeal | Nominated |
| 1999 | Won | |||
| 2000 | Nominated |
