Gail O'Grady
Encyclopedia
Gail Ann O'Grady is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Donna Abandando on NYPD Blue
and as Helen Pryor on American Dreams
. She was a series regular on the The CW Comedy-drama series Hellcats
, playing the mother of the Marti Perkins, called Wanda Perkins, before Hellcats was subsequently cancelled in May 2011.
, Michigan
, the daughter of Jan and Jim O'Grady, a financial planner. She was raised in Wheaton
, Illinois
, and graduated from Wheaton North High School
in 1981. She appeared in a few commercials before moving to Los Angeles in 1986. After breaking up with artist Robert Claypool, she sought a restraining order against him in 1995, claiming he was stalking her, but did not obtain one. He responded by suing her for defamation, libel, and slander. Married and divorced six times, O'Grady gave birth to her first child, son Michael Colton O'Grady, in 2004,named after her late brother.
Her first major role was as Donna Abandando on the police drama NYPD Blue
. O'Grady played the big-haired squad secretary from 1993 to 1996, and for each year received an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
. O'Grady left the series in 1996, and made a pilot for her own sitcom, The Gail O'Grady Project, but the show was not picked up by any of the networks. She has made appearances on the hit CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men
as Mandi, Kandi's mom in "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Burro"; and also appeared in the final episode of Designing Women
, playing the trophy wife of a business rival of Judith Ivey
's character, B.J. Poteet.
O'Grady found success starring in numerous television movie
s, including The Three Lives of Karen, Another Woman's Husband, Sex & the Single Mom, Every 9 Seconds, and Lip Service.
From 2002 to 2005, she played the mother, Helen Pryor, in the NBC
television series American Dreams
, which depicted an all-American family living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, during the 1960s. In 2007, she began a recurring role on Boston Legal
as Gloria Weldon, a judge in a personal relationship with attorney Alan Shore.
She also had a supporting role on the short-lived CW
teenage drama series, Hidden Palms. On September 4, 2008 Entertainment Weekly
's Michael Ausiello
reported that she was joining Desperate Housewives
as a guest star who is having an affair with the character Porter Scavo (at that point a teenager). She has made recent appearances on The Mentalist
, CSI: Miami
, and Law and Order: SVU.
She is a regular character on the 2010 CW cheerleader TV series Hellcats
, playing Wanda, the mother of the main character.
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
and as Helen Pryor on American Dreams
American Dreams
American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios...
. She was a series regular on the The CW Comedy-drama series Hellcats
Hellcats
Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011...
, playing the mother of the Marti Perkins, called Wanda Perkins, before Hellcats was subsequently cancelled in May 2011.
Personal life
O'Grady was born in DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, the daughter of Jan and Jim O'Grady, a financial planner. She was raised in Wheaton
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and graduated from Wheaton North High School
Wheaton North High School
Wheaton North High School, or WNHS, and locally referred to as "North," is a public four-year high school. It is located at the corner of Geneva Road and Gary Avenue in the northwest corner of Wheaton, Illinois, a middle-class western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
in 1981. She appeared in a few commercials before moving to Los Angeles in 1986. After breaking up with artist Robert Claypool, she sought a restraining order against him in 1995, claiming he was stalking her, but did not obtain one. He responded by suing her for defamation, libel, and slander. Married and divorced six times, O'Grady gave birth to her first child, son Michael Colton O'Grady, in 2004,named after her late brother.
Career
O'Grady began her career making commercials. In one, she played the sexy neighbor for whom Michael J. Fox's character chased down a diet Pepsi. In time, she began making guest appearances, often as a villain.Her first major role was as Donna Abandando on the police drama NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
. O'Grady played the big-haired squad secretary from 1993 to 1996, and for each year received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series-Superlatives:-1960s:*1960: no award*1961: no award*1962: Pamela Brown – Victoria Regina*1963: Glenda Farrell – Ben Casey...
. O'Grady left the series in 1996, and made a pilot for her own sitcom, The Gail O'Grady Project, but the show was not picked up by any of the networks. She has made appearances on the hit CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
as Mandi, Kandi's mom in "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Burro"; and also appeared in the final episode of Designing Women
Designing Women
Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer...
, playing the trophy wife of a business rival of Judith Ivey
Judith Ivey
Judith Lee Ivey is an American actress and director.-Personal life:Ivey was born in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Lee , a teacher, and Nathan Aldean Ivey, a college instructor and dean. She spent 1965-1968 in Dowagiac, Michigan, where she attended Union High School through tenth grade...
's character, B.J. Poteet.
O'Grady found success starring in numerous television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s, including The Three Lives of Karen, Another Woman's Husband, Sex & the Single Mom, Every 9 Seconds, and Lip Service.
From 2002 to 2005, she played the mother, Helen Pryor, in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series American Dreams
American Dreams
American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios...
, which depicted an all-American family living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, during the 1960s. In 2007, she began a recurring role on Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
as Gloria Weldon, a judge in a personal relationship with attorney Alan Shore.
She also had a supporting role on the short-lived CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
teenage drama series, Hidden Palms. On September 4, 2008 Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
reported that she was joining Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
as a guest star who is having an affair with the character Porter Scavo (at that point a teenager). She has made recent appearances on The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
, CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, and Law and Order: SVU.
She is a regular character on the 2010 CW cheerleader TV series Hellcats
Hellcats
Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011...
, playing Wanda, the mother of the main character.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Matlock Matlock (TV series) Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar... |
Julia McCullough | 2 episodes, 1986–1990 |
| 1987 | Werewolf Werewolf (TV series) Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast line-up during its inaugural season of 1987–1988.The show follows the adventures of Eric Cord Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast... |
Victim in VW | TV |
| Billionaire Boys Club | Judy | TV | |
| 1988 | Blackout | Caroline Boyle | aka The Attic |
| She's Having a Baby She's Having a Baby She's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romance film directed by John Hughes.The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with being married and what is expected of them by their parents. Jake must also deal with the... |
Laura | ||
| In the Heat of the Night In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995... |
Pauline Slade | 1 episode | |
| China Beach China Beach China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans... |
Georgia Lee | 2 episodes | |
| 1989 | Nobody's Perfect | Shelly | |
| Superboy | Victoria Letour | 1 episode | |
| 1990 | Cheers Cheers Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles... |
Laura Walton | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Anything But Love Anything but Love Anything But Love was an American television sitcom, which aired on ABC from March 7, 1989 to June 3, 1992, spanning four seasons and 56 episodes. The show starred Richard Lewis as Marty Gold and Jamie Lee Curtis as Hannah Miller, coworkers at a Chicago magazine with a mutual romantic attraction to... |
Unknown | 1 episode |
| People Like Us | Rebecca Bailey | TV | |
| Hardball Hardball (1989 TV series) Hardball is an American crime drama television series that ran on NBC during the 1989-1990 television schedule.-Synopsis:Hardball is a variation of the buddy cop genre that focused on two cops, Charlie "C.B." Battles and Joe "Kaz" Kaczierowski . Battles is a 45-year-old hard-nosed veteran cop who... |
Unknown | 1 episode | |
| Parker Kane | Cindy Ellis | TV | |
| 1991 | The Hit Man | Sara | TV |
| 1992 | Spellcaster | Jackie | |
| Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,... |
Robin Dishman | 1 episode | |
| 1993 | Time Trax Time Trax Time Trax was an American/Australian co-produced science fiction television series that first aired in 1993. A police officer, sent through time into the past, has to track down and return convicted criminals who have escaped prison in the future... |
Kristen | 1 episode |
| Designing Women Designing Women Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer... |
Kiki Kearney | 2 episodes | |
| Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the... |
Betty Whitburn-Marks | 1 episode | |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Patricia Stone | 1 episode |
| 1995 | She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal | Lt. Paula Coughlin | TV |
| Trail By Fire | Paulette Gill | TV | |
| Nothing Lasts Forever | Dr. Page Taylor | TV | |
| 1996 | The Gail O'Grady Project | Herself | TV |
| Celtic Pride Celtic Pride Celtic Pride is a comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It features Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans and Damon Wayans as Lewis Scott, the Utah Jazz's All-Star shooting guard.-Plot:Best... |
Carol O'Hara | Film | |
| Promised Land | Pam Riley | 1 episode | |
| 1997 | That Old Feeling | Rowena | Film |
| The Three Lives of Karen | Karen Winthrop/Emily Riggs/Cindy Last | TV | |
| Two Voices | Kathleen Anneken | aka Two Small Voices; TV | |
| Every 9 Seconds | Janet | TV | |
| Medusa's Child | Vivan Henry | TV | |
| 1999 | Two of Hearts | Molly Saunders | TV |
| NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan... |
Donna Abanando | 58 episodes; 1993–1999 | |
| Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo is a 1999 comedy film starring Rob Schneider. Other cast members include Eddie Griffin, Amy Poehler, Oded Fehr, Arija Bareikis, and William Forsythe.... |
Claire | Film | |
| Walking Across Egypt | Elaine Rigsbee | aka Leading with Her Heart (USA: TV title) | |
| 2000 | Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes | Olivia Wise | |
| Another Woman's Husband | Susan Miller | TV | |
| Out of Sync | Maggie Stanley | TV; aka Lip Service | |
| 2001 | Hostage Negotiator | Thersea Foley | |
| Ally McBeal Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia... |
Helena Fisher | 1 episode | |
| 2002 | Hope Ranch | June Anderson | TV Movie |
| 2003 | Lucky 7 Lucky 7 (film) Lucky 7 is a 2003 made-for-TV film starring Patrick Dempsey and Kimberly Williams.-Plot:Amy Myer is a woman whose dying mother made out a timeline for Amy's life and predicted she would marry her seventh boyfriend... |
Rachel Myer | |
| Sex & the Single Mom | Jess Gradwell | TV Movie | |
| 2004 | The Sure Hand of God | Molly Bowser | |
| Tricks | Jane | ||
| 2005 | More Sex & the Single Mom | Jess Gradwell | TV Movie |
| American Dreams American Dreams American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios... |
Helen Pryor | 61 episodes; 2002–2005 | |
| Mayday Mayday (novel) Mayday is a 1979 thriller novel by American author Thomas Block. The novel was updated in 1998 by author Nelson DeMille and re-released as a paperback.-Plot summary:... |
Anne Metz | ||
| Hot Properties Hot Properties Hot Properties is an ensemble ABC comedy featuring four women working together in a Manhattan real estate office. It was first aired on October 7, 2005. Often compared to Sex and the City and the CBS situation comedy Designing Women, this show features four single women professionals, each with... |
Ava Summerlin | 13 episodes | |
| 2006 | Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake... |
Mandi | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Hidden Palms | Karen Hardy | 8 episodes |
| Monk Monk (TV series) Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July... |
Miranda St.Claire/Lovely Rita | 3 episodes; 2002–2007 | |
| While the Children Sleep While the Children Sleep While the Children Sleep is a 2007 made-for-television film released on the Lifetime Movie Network. The film is about a couple who hires a live-in nanny who inserts herself increasingly into the family routine... |
Meghan Eastman | TV Movie | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer... |
Mrs.Rowe | 1 episode | |
| Las Vegas Las Vegas (TV series) Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and... |
Erin Hudson | 1 episode | |
| Boston Legal Boston Legal Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC... |
Judge Gloria Weldon | 7 episodes | |
| Cane | Senator Finch | 1 episode | |
| All I Want for Christmas | Sarah Armstrong | TV Movie | |
| 2008 | The Mentalist The Mentalist The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer... |
Juniper Tolliver | 1 episode |
| An American Carol An American Carol An American Carol is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Zucker and starring Kevin Farley. In some other countries the film is known as Big Fat Important Movie... |
Jane Wagstaffe | ||
| CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.... |
Dr. Rachel Marsh | 1 episode | |
| Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W... |
Anne Schilling | 4 episodes | |
| Empire State | Laurel Cochrane | TV Movie | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Ruth Walker | 1 episode |
| The House That Jack Built | Hannah | ||
| Living Out Loud | Emily | TV Movie | |
| Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts... |
Karen Westen | 1 episode | |
| True Jackson, VP True Jackson, VP True Jackson, VP is an American television sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon from November 8, 2008 to August 20, 2011. The series starred Keke Palmer, Ashley Argota, Matt Shively, Danielle Bisutti, Greg Proops, Robbie Amell and Ron Butler. The theme song was written by Toby Gad and Keke Palmer and... |
Sophie Girard | 2 episodes | |
| Circle | Dr. Green | completed | |
| The Deep End The Deep End (TV series) The Deep End is an American television series created by David Hemingson and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC television network... |
Susan Oppenheim | 1 episode | |
| CSI: NY CSI: NY CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes... |
Millie Taylor | 1 episode | |
| 2010 - 2011 | Hellcats Hellcats Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011... |
Wanda Perkins | Main role |
| Celebrity Ghost Stories Celebrity Ghost Stories Celebrity Ghost Stories is a television show on BIO & A&E Network. It is a reality show that interviews various celebrities who have witnessed paranormal events at certain points in their lives.-Season 1 - ::... |
Herself | 1 episode |