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Morgan Fairchild (born February 3, 1950 in Dallas, Texas) is an
American actress.
Born Patsy Ann McClenny, 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.
She 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).
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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 prime time soap 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 and the New York Times. "Tommy
Flanagan", a popular recurring character on Saturday Night
Live in the mid-1980s played by Jon Lovitz was a pathological
liar (catchphrase: "Yeah, that's the ticket") who claimed
to be married to Fairchild.
Fairchild garnered an Emmy 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'sbisexual
girlfriend.
In 1995, Fairchild returned to soaps as catty Sydney Chase on
The City, but she only stayed 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.
Fairchild's personal life has been more low-key but she was married
to Jack Calmes from 1967-1973 and dated US Senator and future
Presidential candidate John Kerry in the early '90s. She has been
known to have conservative viewpoints (as her guest hosting Bill
O'Reilly's radio show points to), but generally leans more libertarian
in actual practice.
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 glamor 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.
More recently, Fairchild has starred in the role of Mrs. Robinson
in the play adaptation of the film The Graduate. This role drew
unusual amounts of media attention, as it includes a scene in
which the 50-plus Fairchild appeared nude on stage.
In 2005, Fairchild appeared (with other celebrities) in the American
Idol-esque reality show, But Can They Sing? on the VH1 network. |
