Morgan Fairchild Bio

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Morgan Fairchild (born February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies. She is a board member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Morgan Fairchild: Life and career

Morgan Fairchild - Early life

Fairchild was born Patsy Ann McClenny in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Martha Jane (née Hartt), a high school English teacher, and Edward Milton McClenny. As a child, she suffered a bout of scarlet fever, which left her partially deaf.

Morgan Fairchild - Career

Fairchild's first acting job was as a double 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. Fairchild then moved to New York City, where she secured her first credited on-screen role as the maniacal Jennifer Pace in the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1973 until 1977. From the mid-1970s, she began to make various appearances on episodic primetime television shows such as Kojak, Happy Days, Police Woman, and was cast as Jenna Wade in the television series Dallas in 1978. Her appearance in Dallas was intended for only one episode, though the character was later brought back and was played briefly by Francine Tacker in 1980, and then by Priscilla Presley from 1983-88. In 1978, Fairchild made the TV movie The Initiation Of Sarah and also had a recurring role on the sitcom Mork & Mindy. In 1980, she scored her first regular primetime role as Constance Weldon Carlyle on the soap opera Flamingo Road. Though the series had an impressive beginning, the ratings soon dropped and it was canceled after two seasons, though Fairchild was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role.

After the cancellation of Flamingo Road, Fairchild continued to make guest appearances in a variety of episodic television shows such as Hotel, Simon and Simon, Magnum P.I., and The Love Boat. She also starred in the 1982 theatrical film, The Seduction. In 1984, she co-starred in another primetime soap opera, Paper Dolls, playing modelling agency owner Racine. The series was cancelled halfway through its first season, but by this time, Fairchild was established as a television actress and in 1985 she joined the hit series Falcon Crest, playing the glamorous lawyer Jordan Roberts for a season. She also appeared in the mini-series North and South in 1985, and its sequel in 1986.

Fairchild continued to make appearances in films and television shows throughout the 1980s, and garnered an Emmy Award nomination for her guest appearance in a 1989 episode of Murphy Brown. In the early 1990s, she was cast in a recurring role in Roseanne, as Sandra Bernhard's bisexual girlfriend Marla.

In 1995, Fairchild returned to daytime soap operas as the catty Sydney Chase on The City. She played the role for a year, after which she went on to appear in General Hospital. She also made guest appearances on the hit sitcom Friends (as Chandler Bing's mother, Nora) and was a recurring guest star on the sitcom Cybill as Andrea, the rival of Cybill Shepherd's character.

Through the years, Fairchild has also appeared in various theater productions. More recently, she starred in the role of Mrs. Robinson in the stage adaptation of the film The Graduate.

In 2005, Fairchild appeared in the competition reality show, But Can They Sing? on the VH1 network.

In 2006, she was cast in yet another of her "rich bitch" roles in the My Network TV series Fashion House, playing Sophia Blakely, a rival to Bo Derek's character, Maria Gianni. She has also appeared on the television series Chuck as Dr. Honey Woodcomb, the mother of Captain Awesome.

In addition to her work as an actress, Fairchild has long maintained a strong role within the Screen Actors Guild. Currently, Fairchild is a three year board member of the Guild and has served on several diverse committees, including co-chair Legislative Committee, National Executive Committee, SAG-AFTRA Relations Committee, Commercials Contracts Committee, Honors and Tributes Committee (HATS), and Guild Governance and Rules Committee.

Morgan Fairchild - Personal life

Fairchild was married to Jack Calmes (1967-1973) and dated US Senator and Presidential candidate John Kerry in the early '90s. In an interview for the September 25, 2006, edition of People magazine, Fairchild said she has been in a relationship with film company executive Mark Seiler for 20 years, although they have no plans to marry. Fairchild is active in raising awareness of AIDS-related issues and environmental protection.

Morgan Fairchild: Television work

• Search for Tomorrow (cast member from 1973-1977)
• Dallas (1978)
• Mork and Mindy (1978)
• 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 (1981-1982)
• The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite (1981)
• Magnum P.I. (episode 3.3 - "Ki's Don't Lie")
• Honeyboy (1982)
• Hotel (1983) (pilot for series)
• Time Bomb (1984)
• The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984)
• Paper Dolls (1984)
• North and South (1985) (miniseries)
• Falcon Crest (castmember for 1985-86 season)
• 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 (castmember from 1995-1996)
• Dead Man's Island (1996)
• Star Command (1996)
• 7th Heaven (1996)
• General Hospital (cast member in 1996)
• Into the Arms of Danger (1997)
• Home Improvement (1999)
• Just Deserts (1999)
• Friends (1995 - 2001) as Nora Bing
• I Was a Teenage Faust (2002)
• He's a Lady (2004-2005)
• But Can They Sing? (2005) (miniseries)
• Celebrity Food Fight (2006)
• The Initiation of Sarah (2006)
• Fashion House (2006) (telenovela)