Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films The Four Seasons (1981), High Road to China (1983), Jaws 3-D (1983), and Nothing in Common (1986). Armstrong also starred in the ABC drama series My So-Called Life and had lead roles in a number of made-for-television films.
Bess Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 Armstrong in On Our Own publicity photo, 1977 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Key Armstrong December 11, 1953 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brown University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Known for | |
| Spouses | Chris Carreras
(m. 1983; div. 1984)John Fiedler
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Alexander Armstrong (grandfather) |
Early life
editElizabeth Key Armstrong was born on December 11, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Louise Allen (née Parlange), who taught at Bryn Mawr, and Alexander Armstrong, an English teacher at the Gilman School. Her grandfather was Alexander Armstrong, Attorney General of Maryland.[1][2][3] She graduated from Brown University with a BA degree in 1975.[1]
Career
editArmstrong's professional acting career began in 1975 with the Off-Off Broadway debut, Harmony House. Then, in 1977, Armstrong made her television debut as Julia Peters on the CBS sitcom, On Our Own. In 1978 Armstrong starred opposite Richard Thomas in her first TV-movie, Getting Married. Also in 1978, she starred in the TV movie "How to Pick Up Girls!" with Desi Arnaz Jr. She co-starred again with Richard Thomas in a 1981 stage production in Seattle of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, from which a video was made for HBO broadcast that year.
Armstrong continued to make several films for both the big and small screens in the 1980s, among them High Road to China opposite Tom Selleck; Jaws 3-D with Dennis Quaid; Alan Alda's The Four Seasons; the TV miniseries Lace; and Nothing in Common, starring Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason.
The 1990s brought Armstrong to her best-known role, playing Patty Chase on the series My So-Called Life. She later starred in several television films. In 2000, she appeared on the NBC sitcom Frasier, in the episode "Mary Christmas." In 2008, Armstrong played Penelope Kendall on ABC's Boston Legal. Armstrong remains active in films, television, and the stage.[4] She had a recurring role in the Showtime series House of Lies as Julianne Hotschragar. She also appeared in Castle, Mad Men, NCIS, S.W.A.T., and Grey's Anatomy.
Personal life
editArmstrong married John Fiedler, an executive at Columbia Pictures, on April 12, 1986.[5]
In July 1986, Armstrong gave birth to a daughter with an underdeveloped brain. Her daughter lived for five and a half months. In 1991, Armstrong shared the experience in The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Four Seasons | Ginny Newley | Alan Alda | Romantic comedy-drama film |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Mary Carew | Jerry Belson | Sex comedy film Based on Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson[7] |
| 1983 | High Road to China | Eve | Brian G. Hutton | Adventure-romantic film Loosely based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Jon Cleary[8] Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress |
| Jaws 3-D | Dr. Kathryn 'Kay' Morgan | Joe Alves | Horror film | |
| 1984 | The House of God | Cissy Anderson | Donald Wrye | Comedy-drama film Never released theatrically |
| 1986 | Nothing in Common | Donna Mildred Martin | Garry Marshall | Comedy-drama film |
| 1989 | Mother, Mother | Kate Watson | Micki Dickoff | Short film |
| Second Sight | Kate / Sister Elizabeth | Joel Zwick | Science fiction black comedy film | |
| 1993 | Dream Lover | Elaine | Nicholas Kazan | Erotic thriller film |
| The Skateboard Kid | Maggie | Larry Swerdlove | Family comedy film | |
| 1994 | Serial Mom | Eugene Sutphin's Nurse | John Waters | Satirical black comedy crime film Cameo |
| 1997 | That Darn Cat! | Judy Randall | Bob Spiers | Mystery crime film Based on Undercover Cat by Gordon Gordon & Mildred Gordon[9] Remake of the original film |
| 1998 | Pecker | Dr. Klompus | John Waters | Satirical comedy film |
| When It Clicks | Betsy Cummings | Joanna Cappuccilli Lovetti | Short film | |
| 2000 | Diamond Men | Katie Harnish | Dan Cohen | Crime drama film |
| 2008 | Corporate Affairs | Emily Parker | Dan Cohen | Comedy film |
| Next of Kin | Susan | Martha M. Elcan | Drama film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | On Our Own | Julia Peters | Main cast |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Laura Stanton | Episode: "The Man Who Loved Women/A Different Girl/Oh, My Aching Brother" |
| Getting Married | Kristine Lawrence | TV movie | |
| How to Pick Up Girls! | Sally Claybrook | TV movie | |
| 1979 | Walking Through the Fire | Laurel Lee | TV movie |
| 11th Victim | Jill Kelso | TV movie | |
| 1983 | This Girl for Hire | B.T. Brady | TV movie |
| 1984 | Lace | Judy Hale | Miniseries |
| 1986 | All Is Forgiven | Paula Winters Russell | Main cast |
| 1990–91 | Married People | Elizabeth Meyers | Main cast |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Erma | Episode: "What's Cookin" |
| 1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Clio (voice) | Episode: "Fire from Olympus" |
| 1994–95 | My So-Called Life | Patty Chase | Main cast |
| 1994 | Take Me Home Again | Connie | TV movie |
| 1995 | She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal | Barbara Pope | TV movie |
| Stolen Innocence | Becky Sapp | TV movie | |
| Mixed Blessings | Pilar Graham Coleman | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Forgotten Sins | Roberta 'Bobbie' Bradshaw | TV movie |
| The Perfect Daughter | Jill Michaelson | TV movie | |
| She Cried No | Denise Connell | TV movie | |
| Christmas Every Day | Molly Jackson | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | Mary Gibson | Episode: "How Do You Spell Faith?" |
| Forever Love | Gail | TV movie | |
| 1994, 1998 | The Nanny | Sarah Sheffield | Episodes: "I Don't Remember Mama" and "The Wedding" |
| 2000, 2004 | Frasier | Kelly Kirkland | Episodes: "Mary Christmas" and "Frasier-Lite" |
| 2002 | That Was Then | Mickey Glass | Main cast |
| Her Best Friend's Husband | Mandy Roberts | TV movie | |
| Good Morning, Miami | Louise Messinger | Episode: "If It's Not One Thing, It's a Mother" | |
| 2004, 2010 | One Tree Hill | Lydia James | Recurring role (season 2, season 7) |
| 2008 | Boston Legal | Penelope Kimball | Episodes: "Mad About You" and "Made in China" |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Sheila Hawkes | Episode: "Zoe's Reprise" |
| 2010 | Castle | Paula Casillas | Episode: "He's Dead, She's Dead" |
| 2012 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Patricia Lydecker | Episode: "CSI Unplugged" |
| I Married Who? | Elaine | TV movie | |
| Mad Men | Catherine Orcutt | Episode: "Far Away Places" | |
| 2013 | Reckless | Catherine Harrison | 1 episode (TV pilot) |
| 2013–14 | House of Lies | Julianne Hotschragar | Recurring role (season 2) |
| 2014 | True Blood | Nancy Mills | Episode: "Lost Cause" |
| Drop Dead Diva | Rita Kaswell | Episode: "Hope and Glory" | |
| NCIS | Senator Denise O'Hara | Episode: "Dressed to Kill" | |
| Reckless | Melinda Rayder | Recurring role | |
| 2015–16 | Zoo | Dr. Elizabeth Oz | Episodes: "Fight or Flight" and "Jamie's Got a Gun" |
| 2015–17 | Switched at Birth | Professor Beth Marillo | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Diagnosis Delicious | Lynn Cosworth | TV movie |
| Damien | Damien's Mother | Episode: "Temptress" | |
| Longmire | Nancy Crandall | Episode: "From This Day Forward" | |
| Conviction | Harper Morrison | Episode: The pilot, "Bridge And Tunnel Vision" | |
| 2017 | Scandal | Senator Greenwald | Episode: “Watch Me” |
| 2018 | The Arrangement | Iris Holloway | Episodes: "The Break Up" and "Suite Revenge" |
| 2018–19 | S.W.A.T. | Mayor Barrett | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Love and Sunshine | Margo Terry | TV movie |
| 2019–25 | Grey's Anatomy | Maureen Lincoln | 4 episodes |
| 2019–21 | Bosch | Judge Sobel | Recurring role (seasons 5–7) |
| 2022 | I Love That for You | Marcy Gold | Recurring role |
| 2024 | The Good Doctor | Eileen Lim | Recurring role |
| 2025 | The Irrational | Renee Franklin | Episode "Straight from the Heart" |
References
edit- 1 2 "Armstrong, Bess 1953-". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ↑ "AFRO Talks with Bess Armstrong". The Washington Afro-American. March 26, 1983. p. 13. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ↑ Rasmussen, Frederick N. (2003-12-11). "Alexander Armstrong, 89, Gilman teacher". The Baltimore Sun. p. B12. Retrieved 2023-01-19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Bess Armstrong". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008.
- ↑ Bricker, Rebecca (May 5, 1986). "Take One". People.
- ↑ Bonavoglia, Angela (December 31, 2017). "1. About Abortion". The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion. Harvard University Press. pp. 1–23. doi:10.4159/9780674977297-002. ISBN 978-0674977297.
- ↑ Stevenson, Robert Louis (2020) [1886]. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Harlow, Essex, England: Longman. ISBN 978-0-553-21277-8.
- ↑ Cleary, Jon (1977). High Road to China. New York City: William Morrow and Company. ISBN 978-0688031435.
- ↑ Gordon, Gordon; Gordon, Mildred (1991) [1963]. Undercover Cat. New York City: The Crime Club. ISBN 978-9997411846.