# Loni Anderson

Loni Anderson (born August 5, 1945) is an American actress. She played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Award nominations.

## Early life

Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl "Andy" Anderson, an environmental chemist, and Maxine Hazel (née Kallin), a model. She grew up in suburban Roseville, Minnesota. As a senior at Alexander Ramsey Senior High School, she was voted Queen of the Valentine's Day Winter Formal of 1963. As she states in her autobiography My Life in High Heels, her father was going to name her Leilani, but realized that when she got to her teen years, it was likely to be twisted (into "Lay" Lani) so it was changed to simply Loni.

## Career

Her acting debut came with a bit part in the film Nevada Smith (1966), starring Steve McQueen. After that, she was mostly unemployed as an actress for nearly a decade, then she received guest roles on television series in the mid-1970s. She appeared in two episodes of S.W.A.T., then on the sitcom Phyllis, and the detective series Police Woman and Harry O.
She auditioned for the role of Chrissy on the sitcom Three's Company. She did not win the role, but in 1978 guest-starred as Susan Walters on a season two episode, an appearance that brought her to the attention of the ABC network.
Anderson's most famous acting role came as the sultry receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982). She was offered the role when producers saw a poster of her in a red swimsuit—a pose similar to Farrah Fawcett's famous 1976 poster. Hugh Wilson, the sitcom's creator, later said Anderson got the role because her body resembled Jayne Mansfield's and because she possessed the innocent sexuality of Marilyn Monroe.
Although the series suffered in the Nielsen ratings throughout most of its four-year run, it had a strong following among teens, young adults, and disc jockeys. Owing to her rising popularity as the series' so-called "main attraction", Anderson walked out on the sitcom during the 1980 summer hiatus, requesting a substantial salary increase. While she was renegotiating her contract, she starred in the television film The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980). When the network agreed to her requests, she returned to the series and remained until its cancellation in 1982.
Aside from her acting career, Anderson has become known for her colorful personal life, particularly her relationship with and marriage to actor Burt Reynolds. They starred in the comedy film Stroker Ace (1983), which was a critical and box-office failure. She later appeared as herself in the romantic comedy The Lonely Guy (1984), starring Steve Martin. She voiced Flo, a collie in the animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989).
In the mid-to-late 1980s, Anderson was teamed with Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter in the television series Partners in Crime in 1984. She appeared in television adaptations of classic Hollywood films, such as A Letter to Three Wives (1985) with Michele Lee, and Sorry, Wrong Number (1989), both of which received little attention. After starring in Coins in the Fountain (1990), Anderson received considerable praise for her portrayal of comedian actress Thelma Todd in the television movie White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd (1991). In the early 1990s, she attempted to co-star with her husband Burt Reynolds on his sitcom Evening Shade, but the network was not fond of the idea, thus replacing Anderson with Marilu Henner. After Delta Burke was fired from the sitcom Designing Women in 1991, producers offered Anderson a role as Burke's replacement, which never came to pass because the network refused to pay Anderson the salary she had requested. She agreed to return as Jennifer Marlowe on two episodes of The New WKRP in Cincinnati, a sequel to the original series. In 1993, Anderson was added to the third season of the sitcom Nurses, playing hospital administrator Casey MacAffee. Although her entering the series was an attempt to boost the series' ratings, the series was canceled shortly thereafter.
In April 2018, Anderson was seen promoting WKRP in Cincinnati and other television series on the MeTV television network.
Though less frequent since the start of the 21st century, Anderson continues to act in television series, and played a lead role in the 2016–2020 web series My Sister is So Gay.
On October 3, 2023, it was announced that Anderson would feature in the Lifetime film, Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas. According to the official synopsis, the movie follows five soap opera divas readying for a reunion show who take on playing cupid during Christmas to bring together their director and producer as they all learn the meaning of the true Christmas spirit. The ensemble cast is made up of Anderson, Linda Gray, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.

## Personal life

Anderson has been married four times. Her first three husbands were real estate developer Bruce Hasselberg (1964–1966), actor Ross Bickell (1974–1981), and actor Burt Reynolds (1988–1994). On May 17, 2008, she married musician Bob Flick, one of the founding members of the folk band The Brothers Four. They had originally met at a movie premiere in Minneapolis in 1963.
Anderson has two children: a daughter, Deidra (fathered by Hasselberg), and a son, Quinton, whom she and Reynolds adopted. She also has a sister, Andrea. Anderson's autobiography My Life in High Heels was published in 1995.
Growing up with parents who both smoked, Anderson witnessed the effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease often caused by smoking. In 1999, she became a spokesperson for a COPD support organization named COPD Together.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Brunette Saloon Girl | uncredited |
| 1976 | Vigilante Force | Peaches | uncredited |
| 1983 | Stroker Ace | Pembrook Feeny | nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star |
| 1984 | The Lonely Guy | Herself | uncredited |
| 1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven | Flo | voice |
| 1992 | Munchie | Cathy | |
| 1998 | 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain | Medusa | |
| 1998 | A Night at the Roxbury | Barbara Butabi | |

### Television films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa | Mrs. Daroon | |
| 1978 | Three on a Date | Angela Ross | |
| 1980 | The Jayne Mansfield Story | Jayne Mansfield | |
| 1980 | The Fantastic Funnies | self (host) | |
| 1981 | Sizzle | Julie Davis | |
| 1982 | Country Gold | Mollie Dean Purcell | |
| 1984 | My Mother's Secret Life | Ellen Blake | |
| 1985 | A Letter to Three Wives | Lora Mae Holloway | |
| 1986 | Stranded | Stacy Tweed | |
| 1987 | Blondie & Dagwood | Blondie Bumstead | voice |
| 1988 | Necessity | Lauren LaSalle | |
| 1988 | Whisper Kill | Liz Bartlett | |
| 1988 | Too Good to Be True | Ellen Berent | |
| 1989 | Sorry, Wrong Number | Madeleine Stevenson | |
| 1989 | Blondie & Dagwood: Second Wedding Workout | Blondie Bumstead | voice |
| 1990 | Coins in the Fountain | Leah | |
| 1990 | Blown Away | Lauren | |
| 1991 | White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd | Thelma Todd | |
| 1992 | The Price She Paid | Lacey | |
| 1994 | Gambler V: Playing for Keeps | Fanny Porter | |
| 1994 | Without Warning | Actress in the opening movie segment | uncredited |
| 1995 | Deadly Family Secrets | Martha | |
| 2023 | Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas | Lily Marlowe | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Miss Texas | episode: "The Steel Security Blanket" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Art Teacher | episode: "Deadly Tide: Part 1" |
| 1975 | The Invisible Man | Andrea Hanover | episode: "Man of Influence" |
| 1975 | Harry O | Linzy | episode: "Lester Two" |
| 1975 | Phyllis | Rita | episode: "The First Date" |
| 1975 | Police Woman | Waitress | episode: "Farewell, Mary Jane" |
| 1976 | Police Story | Waitress | episode: "Odyssey of Death: Part 2" |
| 1976 | Barnaby Jones | Dee Dee Danvers | episode: "Deadly Reunion" |
| 1976 | Barnaby Jones | Joanna Morgan | episode: "Sins of Thy Father" |
| 1976 | The McLean Stevenson Show | Mrs. Swenson | episode: "Going His Way" |
| 1977 | The Bob Newhart Show | Leslie Greely | episode: "Carlin's New Suit" |
| 1977 | The Love Boat | Barbie | episode: "Lost and Found/The Understudy/Married Singles" |
| 1978–82 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Jennifer Marlowe | 89 episodes nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1980–81) nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1980–81) |
| 1978 | The Incredible Hulk | Sheila Cantrell | episode: "Of Guilt, Models and Murder" |
| 1978 | Three's Company | Susan Walters | episode: "Coffee, Tea, or Jack" |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | Kitty Scofield | episode: "The Kinfolk / Sis and the Slicker / Moonlight and Moonshine / Affair" |
| 1980 | Fantasy Island | Kim Holland | episode: "The Love Doctor / Pleasure Palace / Possessed" |
| 1984 | Partners in Crime aka Fifty-Fifty | Sydney Kovak | 13 episodes |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | Love | episode: "The Guilt Trip" |
| 1986–87 | Easy Street | L.K. McGuire | 22 episodes |
| 1990 | B.L. Stryker | Dawn St. Claire | episode: "Grand Theft Hotel" |
| 1991–92 | The New WKRP in Cincinnati | Jennifer Marlowe | 2 episodes: "Where Are We Going?", "Jennifer and the Prince" |
| 1993 | Empty Nest | Casey MacAfee | 3 episodes |
| 1993–94 | Nurses | Casey MacAfee | 22 episodes |
| 1995 | Burke's Law | Claudia Loring | episode: "Who Killed the Highest Bidder?" |
| 1995 | Women of the House | Loni Anderson | episode: "Women in Film" |
| 1996 | Melrose Place | Teri Carson | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Racine | episode: "Witch Trash" |
| 1998 | Clueless | Barbara Collier | episode: "Labor of Love" |
| 1999 | Movie Stars | Audrey Wyatt | episode: "Mothers & Brothers" |
| 1999 | V.I.P. | Carol Irons | episode: "Stop or Val's Mom Will Shoot" |
| 2001 | Three Sisters | Janet | episode: "Mother's Day" |
| 2003–04 | The Mullets | Mandi Mullet-Heidecker | 11 episodes |
| 2006 | So Notorious | Kiki Spelling | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Baby Daddy | Nana Lyle | episode: "Not So Great Grandma" |
| 2016–18 | My Sister Is So Gay | Frances | 12 episodes |
| 2017 | Love You More | Jean Carlyle-Dixon | TV pilot |