Whatever Happened to TV Gals like Cissy from Family Affair and Jo from Facts of Life?

I'm a big television buff and have been since I was a kid. Every now and then I get to wondering what happened to so-and-so. I get curious about people I used to see on t.v. and often loved to watch, but I either haven't heard about them for awhile or just missed the work they are doing these days. Some of those old shows were better (and are still better in re-runs) that some of the junk we see on television right now.

Remember the show 'Family Affair' with good old Uncle Bill, and of course Buffy and Jodie? Thought they might have arguably been the stars of the show, I also loved the warm sisterly image of "Cissy" played by Kathy Garver. So, what happened to her? Many of us know that most of the cast members of 'Family Affair' passed on and some in tragic circumstances. Not Cissy though, and nor is she now broke and addicted and living in an ex-child-star tenement! Nope, dear Cissy is still going strong. She has gone on to do a little more television work but has also been successful on stage and has done quite a bit of work in voice-overs. Whether or not you recognized her, she's appeared in the popular 'The Princess Diaries' as well as 'Apollo 13', 'Backdraft', and she's currently working with what may be the next Fall 2006 sleeper comedy hit 'Ugly Betty.' She's done voiceover work for 'Dennis the Menace' (as the mother) as well as 'Yogi Bear' and also reads for e-books. The talented Ms. Garver was kind enough to give permission for publication of photos from her site for this article!

So, how about good old Jo from the 'Facts of Life?' Remember her? The one that wasn't saccharine sweet and though she might have been considered the butch one, she was a beautiful young girl and had a definite appeal. Yes, I'm talking about Nancy McKeon, born in April of 1966 (which is considered a very auspicious birth time by this author!) Ms. McKeon has done a few sitcoms and also found long-term success on the cop show 'The Division' on the Lifetime network. (Those of you who watch Lifetime in general have probably seen quite a bit of old 'Jo.') The last time I saw a picture of her she was sporting much darker hair than she had back in the 'Facts' days.

A more dismaying picture of what sometimes happens to former-stars is the case of Dana Plato who played the sweet older sister named Kimberly on the show 'Different Strokes.' We all remember little Arnold (Gary Coleman) but not all of us think of Kimberly although she bought an element to the show that really helped make it what it was. Poor Dana had some from a rough start and things only improved for her in short stints. She was adopted as an infant in June 1965 and her adoptive mother immediately worked on getting her into show business. Obviously it worked, at least for the time being. After 'Different Strokes' ended, Dana Plato had a hard time coping with a hard time finding work and a growing drug addiction. Dana eventually appeared in Playboy hoping to regain some fame, but still she lived a life of turmoil. She 'came out' as a lesbian after doing some work in pornography, but her drug and alcohol problems colored everything. In 1991 or so, she attempted to rob a video store while wearing a bad blonde wig and glasses and then even tried to go back into the store in a short time, supposedly to rent a video. She was arrested and her pellet gun was confiscated. She served 30 days in jail and entered rehab but she still seemed tied to that monkey on her back. Finally, not long after an interview with Howard Stern, she apparently committed suicide from an overdose. If possible, may Dana's soul find some kind of peace.
Remember wonderful Alice from the 'Brady Bunch?' I watched this show as a kid and wished that Alice would come in from the kitchen with some warm cookies! (Okay, I still wish that sometimes, but no dice!) In real life, Alice was played by Ann B. Davis. Did you know that her full name on the Brady show was Alice Nelson Franklin? Ann B. Davis went on to publish 'Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook' in 1994. She has appeared in all the subsequent Brady Bunch television movies and made a cameo as Schultzy, the wise truck driver who counsels would-be runaway Jan Brady in the 'Brady Bunch Movie' of 1995. Ann has spent a great deal of her time in religious work and at last verification, she was living in a residential neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas.

Remember Kristy McNichol? She is usually remembered as the character of Buddy in the ABC series 'Family.' Kristy was born Christina Ann McNichol, so she didn't change it much. Kristy was a regular on the series 'Empty Nest.' Ms. McNichol has had difficulties with an anxiety disorder, which must have made it very difficult to keep up with her acting and do as well as she did. She did finally retire from acting a few years ago. We wish Ms. McNichol the best and hope she always remembers that there are many ways to do some of the coolest things without having to go Hollywood style!

Does the name Lisa Loring ring a bell? Ms. Loring has worked in a variety of areas, but one of her best-known-roles was as the character of Wednesday on the on 'The Addams Family' television show. One thing that is quite interesting about Lisa Loring is that her birthplace is Kwajalein, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. She also was a cast member of a major soap opera from 1981 to 1983. Loring met one of her husbands (Jerry Butler) while working for a short time in the porn industry in production.

While we're on the 'scary ladies' let us talk about Linda Blair! Ms. Blair will forever be associated with the character of Regan, the possessed child in, 'The Exorcist.' As of the date of this research, Linda has never been married but she has had several interesting relationships including one with Rick Springfield. It is rumored that Blair was only 15 years of age at the time! In real life, Linda has a long-time passion for her original love of horseback riding and competition. She returned to riding and showing horses, where she competed under pseudonyms in show-jumping events and won numerous equestrian events. Linda has won awards for a role as an animal rights activist from organizations such as P.E.T.A. and today she works toward many goals in this area. She is a either vegetarian or vegan. In 2005 she personally worked on rescues and reunions of many of the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina. She continues to work in acting roles today and though you might not recognize her from the Exorcist, she hosted Fox Family's series 'Scariest Places On Earth.'