Priscilla Barnes

**Priscilla Barnes** (born December 7, 1955) is an American actress who is best known for her role as nurse Terri Alden on the long-running ABC-TV sitcom series *Three's Company*, as she became made the permanent replacement for Suzanne Somers (who played the role of Chrissy Snow in Seasons 1-4 and several episodes in Season 5) in Season 6 of the series, this after former L.A. Rams cheerleader and actress Jenilee Harrison had been brought in to assume the role of Cindy Snow, Chrissy's kind but clumsy cousin. Priscilla subsequently made appearances in films such as *A Vacation in Hell*, the James Bond thriller *Licence to Kill*, *Mallrats*, the Kevin Smith comedy *Mallrats* and the horror film *The Devil's Rejects*.

## Early Life

Barnes was born **JoAnn Witty** in Fort Dix, New Jersey, the third of four children of a father who was a major in the U.S. Air Force. Her mother was a housewife. Barnes's childhood was marked by a series of moves across various military bases in the United States before her family settled in Lancaster, California. After graduating from Antelope Valley High School at age seventeen, she relocated to San Diego, working as a waitress and a dancer.

## Career

### Early Career

Barnes' first break came when Bob Hope saw her in a local fashion show and invited her to join his troupe for a 1973 performance at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to attempt a career in show business in earnest. Her second break came at nineteen, when she met Peter Falk at Pips. Six months later he gave her a one-line part in an episode of *Columbo*, which led to a series of bit parts in films like *The Seniors* (1978) and *Delta Fox* (1979).

While working as a hostess at a Hollywood nightclub, Barnes posed nude for the "Pet of the Month" photo layout in the March 1976 issue of *Penthouse* magazine under the pseudonym Joann Witty. *Penthouse* later republished the photos under Barnes' real name in 1982 after she gained fame upon joining the cast of *Three's Company*. Barnes filed suit, which was appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 1976, she began studying acting with coach Sal Dano, whose students included Tom Selleck, Robert Hays and Catherine Bach. In 1978, she starred in a TV series, *The American Girls*, which was canceled after seven weeks. Subsequent parts include the horror film *Tintorera*, and TV shows such as *Starsky and Hutch*, *Kojak*, *The Rockford Files*, *The Love Boat*, the 1978 TV version of *The Time Machine* and the 1979 television film *A Vacation in Hell*, which has gained a cult following over the years. In 1980, Barnes landed a supporting role in *Sunday Lovers*, a romantic comedy ensemble featuring Gene Wilder, Roger Moore and Kathleen Quinlan.

### Three's Company

In 1981, Barnes was cast as Terri Alden on *Three's Company* after Suzanne Somers left the series after a contractual dispute with producers, and after Jenilee Harrison served as interim replacement Cindy Snow. The part, which is Barnes' most notable role, brought her instant public recognition. In the 1998 TV program *E! True Hollywood Story*, Barnes called *Three's Company* the "three worst years" of her life. Barnes revealed that after shooting a couple of episodes of the show, she felt "uncomfortable" on the set and asked, unsuccessfully, to be released from her contract. She remained friends with her co-stars, particularly Joyce DeWitt. The two, along with fellow castmate Richard Kline, made public appearances together. Barnes was portrayed by actress Anne Ross in the 2003 television movie *Behind the Camera:The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company*.

### Later Career

In 1982, Barnes starred in the Aaron Spelling-produced ABC Movie of the Week *The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch* with Joan Collins and Donny Osmond.

After *Three's Company* was cancelled by ABC in 1984, Barnes appeared in the 1989 James Bond film *Licence to Kill* as Della Churchill, the underwater sci-fi/action thriller *Lords of the Deep* (1989), *Traxx* with Shadoe Stevens, and in NBC's *Perry Mason and the Case of the Reckless Romeo* (1993).

Her 1990s feature film appearances include the heroine in *Stepfather III* (1992), the Kevin Smith comedy *Mallrats* (1995), the Sean Penn drama *The Crossing Guard* (1995) opposite Jack Nicholson, and the 1999 comedy *Mumford*. Her 2000s work includes a memorable performance in the Rob Zombie horror film *The Devil's Rejects* (2005), the supernatural thrillers *Thr3e* and *The Visitation* in (2006) and *American Cowslip* (2009), starring Val Kilmer and Diane Ladd.

## Personal Life

Barnes is married to actor Ted Monte. The couple, who wed in 2003, resides in Southern California.

## References

1. ↑ PENTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL, LTD. v. Priscilla BARNES. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit/bulk.resource.org (1986). Retrieved on February 23, 2010.
2. ↑ *E! True Hollywood Story: Three's Company*, *E!*, 1998
3. ↑ "World Premiere for *Shrink Rap*" MSN, 2003, accessed September 22, 2010

## External Links

* Priscilla Barnes Biography
* Bailey Stewart Wikipedia
* Priscilla Barnes at TriviaTribute.com
* Priscilla Barnes's Wix site
* Priscilla Barnes links at FreeOnes
* Priscilla Barnes at Babepedia
* Priscilla Barnes article at *Wikipedia*