Patricia Richardson
| Patricia Richardson | |
|---|---|
 Richardson after the 1994 Emmy Awards | |
| Born |
Patricia Castle Richardson February 23, 1951 Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ray Baker (1982–1995; divorced) |
| Children |
Henry (b. 1985) twins Roxanne and Joseph (b. 1991) |
Patricia Castle Richardson (born February 23, 1951) is an American television and film actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[1] and two times for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical.[2] Richardson also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Ulee's Gold (1997).
Early life
Richardson was born in Bethesda, Maryland as the third daughter of Mary Elizabeth (née Howard) and Laurence Baxter Richardson. Her sisters' names are Marianna 'Ann' Bales (née Richardson), Lynn Richardson and Catherine 'Cathy' Moseley (née Richardson). Her father was a corporate executive and retired naval officer. Richardson attended the Holton-Arms School in Maryland and then The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas.[3] She is a 1973 graduate of Southern Methodist University,[4] where she was friends with classmates Beth Henley and Stephen Tobolowsky, who was slated to be a cast member of Home Improvement but had other contractual commitments when the series began filming. Tobolowsky initially suggested to producers of Home Improvement that Richardson be considered for the role of Jill Taylor after Frances Fisher was deemed too serious for the role.
Career
Richardson began as an understudy in Angela Lansbury's Broadway production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable, eventually playing several parts.[4] Early on, she played roles in programs such as Double Trouble, The Equalizer, Quantum Leap, and Kate & Allie. She appeared in one episode of The Cosby Show in the third season. Richardson also appeared in the films C.H.U.D. and You Better Watch Out.
In 1991, Richardson landed her breakout role in ABC comedy series Home Improvement after Frances Fisher tested poorly in the role of Jill Taylor. Richardson received four Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations in this role.[4] After Home Improvement fame, she appeared in several made-for-TV films and won an Independent Spirit nomination in 1997 for her first major theatrical film role in Ulee's Gold.
In 2002, Richardson was cast as new lead in the Lifetime medical drama series Strong Medicine, as Dr. Andy Campbell (née March).[5] She replaced Janine Turner, who left the show. The series ended in 2005. She later was cast in a recurring role as Sheila Brooks, campaign director for Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) in the final two seasons of NBC political drama The West Wing.
Richardson appeared in the first season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2008, Ms. Richardson was the executive producer of the video documentary Long Story Short, which tells the story of Larry and Trudie Long, a popular Asian American nightclub act of the '40s and '50s, told through the eyes of their daughter, actress Jodi Long. In 2010, she appeared in an NBC made-for-TV film, The Jensen Project, and in 2011, she appeared in the Lifetime TV film Bringing Ashley Home, also starring AJ Cook and Jennifer Morrison. In 2011, she starred in the coming-of-age film Beautiful Wave and in the following year appeared as Lola in the Hallmark Channel TV film Smart Cookies. In 2012 Richardson filmed the film Avarice, which was released on 8 August 2013. In 2013, Richardson taped two movies for the Hallmark channel. The first one was Friend Request which was released on October 5, 2013, the second one being Snow Bride which was released on 9 November 2013.[6]
On the Season 4 Episode 12 episode of Last Man Standing entitled 'Helen Potts', Richardson guest-starred as the titular character and reunited with her former Home Improvement co-star, Tim Allen. At the end of the episode 'Helen Potts', it was revealed that one of her son's name is Randy, who was portrayed by her other Home Improvement co-star; Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
In 2015 she ran for the position of national president of the SAG-AFTRA after having served on the board for many years. She lost the election to Ken Howard.
Personal life
Richardson married fellow actor Ray Baker in 1982. They had three children together: Henry Richardson Baker (born on February 22, 1985), and twins Roxanne Elizabeth Baker and Joseph Castle Baker (born on January 3, 1991), before they got divorced in August 1995. Richardson is the godmother of actress Betty Gilpin, the daughter of actor Jack Gilpin.
Richardson had a long-term relationship with retired psychologist Dr. Mark Cline, whom she had met when they were both students at the Southern Methodist University. When she joined the cast of Strong Medicine, Richardson mentioned in an interview they lived together in her LA home. Details about when or why they broke up were never revealed.
She has also served as a spokeswoman for "Cure PSP", a website that tries to raise awareness of progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and multiple system atrophy, as her father died from the disease in 2005.[7][8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | You Better Watch Out | Moss' mother | |
| 1984 | C.H.U.D. | Ad Woman | |
| 1986 | Yuri Nosenko, KGB | Joan Black | Television movie |
| 1987 | Hands of a Stranger | Helen | Television movie |
| 1989 | The Parent Trap III | Cassie McGuire | Television movie |
| 1989 | Lost Angels | Cheryl's Mother | |
| 1989 | In Country | Cindy | |
| 1996 | Sophie & the Moonhanger | Bonnie Edgerton | Television movie |
| 1996 | Undue Influence | Laurel Vega | Television movie |
| 1997 | Ulee's Gold | Connie Hope | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female |
| 2001 | Blonde | Gladys Baker | |
| 2001 | Viva Las Nowhere | Helen/Wanda | |
| 2005 | Candy Paint | Linda Miller | Short film |
| 2007 | California Dreaming | Aunt Bonnie | |
| 2009 | Lost Dream | Patricia | |
| 2010 | The Jensen Project | Ingrid | Television movie |
| 2011 | Beautiful Wave | Sue | |
| 2011 | Bringing Ashley Home | Michelle McGee | Television movie |
| 2012 | Smart Cookies | Lola | Television movie |
| 2013 | Avarice | Claire | |
| 2013 | Snow Bride | Maggie Tannenhill | Television movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Love, Sidney | N/A | Episode: "A Piece of the Rock" |
| 1984 | Double Trouble | Beth McConnell | 8 episodes |
| 1985 | ABC Weekend Special | Pamela Sawyer | Episode: "The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn" |
| 1985 | Kate & Allie | Pamela | Episode: "The Reunion" |
| 1986 | Spenser: For Hire | Sarah Cabot | Episode: "Shadowsight" |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | Mrs. Schrader | Episode: "Calling Doctor Huxtable" |
| 1987 | The Equalizer | Sandy | Episode: "In the Money" |
| 1988 | Eisenhower and Lutz | Kay 'K.K.' Dunne | 13 episodes |
| 1989 | Quantum Leap | Rachel Porter | Episode: "Good Morning, Peoria - September 9, 1959" |
| 1989–1990 | FM | Lee-Ann Plunkett | 13 episodes |
| 1991–1999 | Home Improvement | Jill Taylor | 202 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1994–95) Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Performer Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1994, 1996–98) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Annabel Hayes | Episode: "Wanderlust" |
| 2002–2005 | Strong Medicine | Dr. Andy Campbell | 59 episodes Nominated—Prism Award for Best Performance in a Drama Series |
| 2005–2006 | The West Wing | Sheila Brooks | 9 episodes |
| 2015-2016 | Last Man Standing | Helen Potts | 2 Episodes "Helen Potts", "Tanks For The Memories" |
References
- ↑ "Patricia Richardson | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- ↑ "Patricia Richardson | Hollywood Foreign Press Association". Goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ NNDB. "Patricia Richardson". Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- 1 2 3 "Patricia Richardson Biography". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- ↑ Kelleher, Terry (2002-09-23). "Picks and Pans Review: Talking With...Patricia Richardson". People.com. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- ↑ Valby, Karen (2013-10-23). "Hallmark Channel Christmas movies: The five you'll be watching | PopWatch | EW.com". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- ↑ Patricia Richardson, Cure PSP
- ↑ Elavsky, Cindy (March 9, 2014). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
External links
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