Morgan Fairchild

Morgan Fairchild

Morgan Fairchild (born February 3, 1950) is an American actress.

Biography

Early life

Fairchild was born Patsy Anne McClenny in Dallas, Texas to Edward Milton McClenny and Martha Jane Hartt. Her first job was as a stand-in for Faye Dunaway during location filming for the movie Bonnie and Clyde (1967). She took her new first name, Morgan, from the 1966 David Warner film, Morgan: A Suitable Case For Treatment. Moving to New York City, she secured her first on-screen role, appearing as maniacal Jennifer Pace in the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1973 until 1977.

Career

Fairchild moved to Los Angeles and was cast as Jenna Wade in the television series Dallas in 1978, appearing in one episode (the role was later played by Priscilla Presley). Penthouse magazine had an article on Fairchild in the '70s in which her interest and prowess in martial arts was featured; the article stated "Watch out for Morgan Fairchild, she'll rip your face off." In the late '70s, she had a stint on Mork & Mindy and then shot to stardom as the resident vixen, Constance Weldon Carlyle, on the primetime soap opera Flamingo Road. Though the series had an impressive beginning, the ratings soon went down and it was canceled after two seasons. Nevertheless, Fairchild was now a household name and was nominated for a Golden Globe.

In 1982 she played Jamie Douglas, a newscaster, in the sexy thriller The Seduction, where her riveting nude scene cemented her position as one of Hollywood's bad girls. In 1984 she headlined another series, Paper Dolls, where critics considered her the only bright spot, but poor ratings doomed the series. By this time she was established as a leading television actress and appeared in the series Falcon Crest. In the early '80s she appeared in off-Broadway plays such as Geniuses and garnered rave reviews from Time magazine and The New York Times. Tommy Flanagan, Jon Lovitz's popular recurring character on Saturday Night Live in the mid-1980s, was a pathological liar (catchphrase: "Yeah, that's the ticket") who often claimed to be married to Fairchild.

Main title caption for Flamingo Road

Fairchild garnered an Emmy Award nomination for her role in a Murphy Brown episode, and in the early 90s Roseanne producers capitalized on her name value and cast her in a small role as Sandra Bernhard's bisexual girlfriend.

In 1995, Fairchild returned to soaps as catty Sydney Chase on The City, for a year. She also made guest appearances on Friends (as Chandler Bing's mother) and was a recurring guest star on Cybill as Andrea, the rival of Cybill Shepherd's character. Through the years, she also maintained a career in independent films and theater productions.

More recently, Fairchild has starred in the role of Mrs. Robinson in the play adaptation of the film The Graduate. This role drew media attention, as it includes a scene in which Fairchild appeared nude on stage.In 2005, Fairchild appeared in the competition reality show, But Can They Sing? on the VH1 network.

This fall she will be a charter cast member of the My Network TV series Secret Obsessions, playing a rival to Bo Derek's character [1].

Personal life

Fairchild's personal life has been more low-key, but she was married to Jack Calmes (1967â€"1973 and dated US Senator and Presidential candidate-to-be John Kerry in the early '90s.

Fairchild continues to appear regularly on television, and is active in raising awareness of AIDS-related issues and environmental protection. Fairchild is unique in the sense that she has never had a starring role in a successful film or television series. She cultivated an image through her glamour as well as her extremely professional and courteous personality (a contrast from the "divas" she tends to portray). Fairchild scored her biggest recognition in some time by starring in TV ads for the Old Navy clothing store for several years, essentially playing herself.

Television work

Search for Tomorrow (cast member from 1973â€"1977)
Escapade (1978)
The Initiation of Sarah (1978)
Murder in Music City (1979)
The Concrete Cowboys (1979)
The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980)
Flamingo Road (1980) (pilot TV movie for series)
Flamingo Road (1981â€"1982)
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite (1981)
Honeyboy (1982)
Hotel (1983) (pilot for series)
Time Bomb (1984)
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984)
Paper Dolls (1984) (canceled after three months)
North and South (1985) (miniseries)
Falcon Crest (cast member from 1985â€"1986)
North and South, Book II (1986) (miniseries)
Street of Dreams (1988)
The Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989)
How to Murder a Millionaire (1990)
Menu for Murder (1990)
Writer's Block (1991)
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1992)
The Paradise at the End of the Mountain (1993)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal (1993)
Based on an Untrue Story (1993)
The City (cast member from 1995â€"1996)
Dead Man's Island (1996)
Star Command (1996)
General Hospital (cast member in 1996)
Into the Arms of Danger (1997)
Just Deserts (1999)
I Was a Teenage Faust (2002)
He's a Lady (2004â€"2005)
But Can They Sing? (2005) (miniseries)Upcoming:
Celebrity Food Fight (2006)
The Initiation of Sarah (2006)
Secret Obsessions (2006)

Filmography

A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970)
The Seduction (1982)
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) (cameo)
Red Headed Stranger (1986)
Campus Man (1987)
Sleeping Beauty (1987)
Deadly Illusion (1987)
Killing Blue (1988)
Mob Boss (1990)
Freaked (1993)
Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (cameo)
Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000 (1994)
Venus Rising (1995)
Criminal Hearts (1995)
Gospa (1995)
Shattered Illusions (1998)
Holy Man (1998) (cameo)
Unshackled (2000)
Peril (2000)
Held for Ransom (2000)
Jungle Juice (2001)
Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002)
Arizona Summer (2003)
Knuckle Sandwich (2004)

External links

*Official website

*Tribute page
*Morgan Fairchild interview