Melody Anderson(born December 3, 1955) is a Canadian retired actress, social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact ofaddictionon families. As an actress, her most high-profile role was playingDale Ardenin the1980 adaptationofFlash Gordon.She later starred in the 1986 filmFirewalker,withChuck Norris.While singing, she also trained as an actress, leading to roles in films and television during the late 1970s and 1980s.
Melody Anderson | |
|---|---|
 Anderson in 2020 | |
| Born | December 3, 1955 Edmonton, Alberta,Canada |
| Education | Carleton University(BA) New York University(MSW) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1977–1995 |
| Known for | All My Children Flash Gordon Firewalker |
Early life
editAfter high school, Anderson completed a bachelor's degree in Journalism fromCarleton UniversityinOttawa, Ontario.She served a brief stint as an on-air reporter for theCanadian Broadcasting Corporationbefore travelling to Southeast Asia and Australia where she worked as one of the first non-Australian female reporters working for aSydneynewspaper.[1]
Career
editActing
editReturning to North America, Anderson's first national exposure was as a guest star in the 1977 seriesLogan's Runand as a "Sweathog"in a 1977 episode ofWelcome Back, Kotter.She made numerous guest appearances on television, includingArchie Bunker's Place,Battlestar Galactica,Dallas,T. J. Hooker,CHiPs,thepilot episodeofThe A-TeamandThe Fall Guy.She had recurring roles onSt. ElsewhereandJake and the Fatman.[2]She was the female lead of theNBC1983 seriesManimal.[3]She was a guest star in theMurder, She Wroteepisode "Prediction: Murder" in 1989.[4]
Anderson played the female leadDale ArdeninFlash Gordon(1980) and Janet Gillis inDead and Buried(1981).[5][6]In 1983, she played the title role in a made-for-television film calledPolicewoman Centerfold,in which her character, a divorced police officer, is fired after posing nude for a men's magazine (based loosely on the true story ofSpringfield, OhiopatrolwomanBarbara Schantz,who was subsequently fired from her job after posing nude inPlayboymagazine in the early 1980s).[7]
In 1986, she appeared withNicolas CageinThe Boy in Blueand with Chuck Norris inFirewalker.[8]She starred in the made-for-television movieBeverly Hills Madam(1986), which starredFaye Dunaway.[9]From 1992–93, Anderson portrayedNatalie Marlowe,and briefly her twin sisterJanet Dillon,on thesoap operaAll My Children.[10]She starred asEdie Adamsin the television filmErnie Kovacs: Between the Laughter,[11]oppositeJeff GoldblumasErnie Kovacsand played the coveted role ofMarilyn Monroein the television movieMarilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair(1993).[12]Her last television appearance was in 1995 as a guest star in the short-livedCBSrevival ofBurke's Law.[13]
Anderson has made appearances at genre conventions, such as the October 2009Big Apple ConventioninManhattan.[14]
Social work
editAnderson is licensed in California as a CertifiedEMDR Clinician/Therapist[15]and aLicensed Clinical Social Worker(LCSW) in New York and California. She facilitates therapy groups at several treatment centers in the Los Angeles area.[16]An international lecturer and media spokesperson on addictions and the family, she has made presentations on substance abuse and other mental health-related areas of study.[17]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Flash Gordon | Dale Arden | |
| 1981 | Dead & Buried | Janet Gillis | |
| 1986 | The Boy in Blue | Dulcie | |
| 1986 | Firewalker | Patricia Goodwin | |
| 1989 | Speed Zone | Lea Roberts | |
| 1991 | Under Surveillance | Cathy Meadows | |
| 1992 | Landslide | Clair Trinavant |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Welcome Back, Kotter | Blonde Sweathog | Episode: "Sweathog Back-to-School Special" |
| 1978 | Logan's Run | Shelia | Episode: "Carousel" |
| 1979 | Pleasure Cove | Julie | Television film |
| 1979 | Elvis | Bonnie | Television film |
| 1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Brenda Maxwell | Episode: "Experiment in Terra" |
| 1979 | B. J. and the Bear | Toni | Episode: "Wheels of Fortune" |
| 1982 | Archie Bunker's Place | Cheryl | Episode: "Gary's Ex" |
| 1982 | Dallas | Linda Farlow | Episode: "The Big Ball" |
| 1982 | T. J. Hooker | Kate Nichols | Episode: "Terror at the Academy" |
| 1982 | The Fall Guy | Mary / Mary Walker | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | CHiPs | Emily | Episode: "Day of the Robot" |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Avon | Episode: "Mexican Slayride" |
| 1983 | St. Elsewhere | Nurse Jill Roberts | 5 episodes |
| 1983 | Manimal | Brooke McKenzie | 8 episodes |
| 1983 | Policewoman Centerfold | Jennifer Oaks | Television film |
| 1984 | Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter | Edie Adams | Television film |
| 1984 | High School U.S.A. | Cindy Franklin | Television film |
| 1986 | Hotel | Lauren Moffat | Episode: "Triangles" |
| 1986 | Beverly Hills Madam | Claudia Winston | Television film |
| 1986 | Philip Marlowe, Private Eye | Rhonda Farr | Episode: "Blackmailers Don't Shoot" |
| 1987 | Deep Dark Secrets | Julianne Wakefield | Television film, AKAIntimate Betrayal[18] |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Katherine Aaron | Episode: "Prediction: Murder" |
| 1989 | The Hitchhiker | Sterling | Episode: "The Cruelest Cut" |
| 1989 | Final Notice | Kate Davis | Television film |
| 1990 | Hitler's Daughter | Sharon Franklin / Mary Lipscomb | Television film |
| 1991–1992 | Jake and the Fatman | Neely Capshaw | 6 episodes |
| 1992–1993 | All My Children | Natalie Marlowe/Janet Dillon | 61 episodes |
| 1993 | Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair | Marilyn Monroe | Television film |
| 1995 | Burke's Law | Alexandra Kohl | Episode: "Who Killed the World's Greatest Chef?" |
References
edit- ^Ackerman, McCarton (January 1, 2012)."Playing a Better Melody".The Fix.RetrievedApril 7,2019.
- ^Romero, Dennis (November 9, 1991)."'Jake' Gives Anderson a New Facet in Her Constantly Evolving Career ".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Scott, Vernon (November 5, 1983)."Scott's World;NEWLN:'Manimal's' Melody Anderson: Beauty and the beasts".United Press International.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Parish, James Robert(1997).The Unofficial Murder, She Wrote Casebook.New York:Kensington Books.p. 180.ISBN1-57566-210-8.
- ^Lopez, Kristen (February 23, 2019)."'Life After Flash' Acts As A Dual Celebration And Redemption Of Flash Gordon's Leading Man ".Forbes.RetrievedFebruary 23,2019.
- ^Dunning, Jennifer(October 10, 1981)."'DEAD AND BURIED'".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Rosenberg, Howard (October 12, 1983)."Networks' orgy of sleaze and tease waxes hot".The Journal Herald.Dayton, Ohio. p. 35.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Canby, Vincent(November 21, 1986)."'FIREWALKER'".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^"DUNAWAY TO PLAY MADAM IN NBC MOVIE".Los Angeles Times.April 3, 1986.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Hart, Marla (June 17, 1993)."THREE'S A CHARM".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Farber, Stephen (February 27, 1984)."TV NOTES; TRIAL FOR ERNIE KOVACS BECOMING A DOCUDRAMA".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^Scott, Vernon (June 28, 1993)."The likeness was startling when actress Melody Anderson walked..."United Press International.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^McKerrow, Steve (March 21, 1995)."He's back, and preserving law and order".The Baltimore Sun.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^""Don't miss Melody Anderson at Big Apple Comic-Con" Accessed January 18, 2010 ".Wizard World.Archived fromthe originalon July 18, 2011.RetrievedAugust 2,2010.
- ^"Melody J. Anderson, LCSW".EMDR Therapy Network.Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2015.RetrievedApril 7,2019.
- ^"Melody Anderson".Psychology Today.RetrievedApril 7,2019.
- ^Melody Anderson,All-American Speakers.Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^"Casting Around" by Craig Modderno,Los Angeles Times(24 May, 1987) [Home Edition] Retrieved fromProQuest292507677
External links
edit
- Official website
- Melody AndersonatIMDb
- Melody AndersonatAllMovie
- "Melody Anderson".All-American Talent & Celebrity Network.
- "Melody Anderson".Dragon Con2016.