Linda Kelsey
Encyclopedia
Linda Kelsey is an American
television
actress.
Kelsey's professional career began with stage appearances in her home of Minneapolis, Minnesota
, with her good looks and striking mane of red hair winning her success that ultimately landed her in Los Angeles
in 1972, with appearances in small roles on television
shows like Emergency!
and The Rookies
, and the television
movie The Picture of Dorian Gray
(1973). Her first recognition came with an appearance on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
as a rival to the "Happy Homemaker" character Sue Ann Nivens (played by Betty White
). That led to prominent guest appearance on shows like M*A*S*H, The Streets of San Francisco
, Barnaby Jones
, Spencer's Pilots
, Quincy M.E., The Rockford Files
, the television
movies The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1976) Something for Joey (1977), and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), and the miniseries Captains and the Kings (1976).
Her big break came when producers of the television series Lou Grant decided that the actress playing the female reporter on the show was too young and perky, and recast the part after three episodes with Kelsey in the role of Billie Newman, the crusading reporter for the fictional Los Angeles Tribune. Kelsey won five consecutive Emmy Award
nominations (1978 through 1982) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, losing four times to her Lou Grant costar Nancy Marchand
and once to Kristy McNichol
in Family
.
After Lou Grant went off the air in 1982, Kelsey was primed for stardom by NBC
as the lead in the sitcom Day by Day
(1988) as a woman who runs a daycare center out of her home. The show ran 25 episodes.
Kelsey continued to make guest appearances in television series and TV movies through the late 1990s, notably in the TV movie The Babysitter's Seduction and on several episodes of Murder, She Wrote
.
After television
work stopped trickling in, Kelsey returned to her native Twin Cities' area where she has continued her career in regional theater productions, memorably in the title role of Mary Stuart
at the Park Square Theater, a performance that Talkin' Broadway described as "beautiful, feminine, determined and regal throughout, even when she's giggling with her lady-in-waiting. She affects every man who comes to see her." In 2009, she revisited her television past, playing Sue Ann Nivens for a week in a Minneapolis theatre company's restaging of The Mary Tyler Moore Show scripts, including the episode in which she originally appeared.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress.
Kelsey's professional career began with stage appearances in her home of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, with her good looks and striking mane of red hair winning her success that ultimately landed her in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1972, with appearances in small roles on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows like Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
and The Rookies
The Rookies
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
, and the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
movie The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine...
(1973). Her first recognition came with an appearance on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
as a rival to the "Happy Homemaker" character Sue Ann Nivens (played by Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
). That led to prominent guest appearance on shows like M*A*S*H, The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
, Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, Spencer's Pilots
Spencer's Pilots
Spencer's Pilots is an American adventure series that aired on CBS from September 17 to November 19, 1976. Created by Larry Rosen, the series stars Gene Evans.-Synopsis:Evans stars as Spencer Parish, the owner of Spencer Aviation...
, Quincy M.E., The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
movies The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1976) Something for Joey (1977), and Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), and the miniseries Captains and the Kings (1976).
Her big break came when producers of the television series Lou Grant decided that the actress playing the female reporter on the show was too young and perky, and recast the part after three episodes with Kelsey in the role of Billie Newman, the crusading reporter for the fictional Los Angeles Tribune. Kelsey won five consecutive 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...
nominations (1978 through 1982) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, losing four times to her Lou Grant costar Nancy Marchand
Nancy Marchand
Nancy Marchand was an American actress, whose career encompassed both stage and screen. She appeared in various theatre productions throughout the early 1950s, before being offered roles on film and television....
and once to Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol
Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...
in Family
Family (TV series)
Family is an American television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols...
.
After Lou Grant went off the air in 1982, Kelsey was primed for stardom by 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...
as the lead in the sitcom Day by Day
Day by Day (TV series)
Day by Day is an American sitcom starring Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Courtney Thorne-Smith , and Thora Birch...
(1988) as a woman who runs a daycare center out of her home. The show ran 25 episodes.
Kelsey continued to make guest appearances in television series and TV movies through the late 1990s, notably in the TV movie The Babysitter's Seduction and on several episodes of 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,...
.
After television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
work stopped trickling in, Kelsey returned to her native Twin Cities' area where she has continued her career in regional theater productions, memorably in the title role of Mary Stuart
Maria Stuart (play)
Mary Stuart , a play by Friedrich Schiller, depicts the last days of Mary, Queen of Scots. The play consists of five acts, each divided into several scenes. The play had its première in Weimar, Germany on 14 June 1800...
at the Park Square Theater, a performance that Talkin' Broadway described as "beautiful, feminine, determined and regal throughout, even when she's giggling with her lady-in-waiting. She affects every man who comes to see her." In 2009, she revisited her television past, playing Sue Ann Nivens for a week in a Minneapolis theatre company's restaging of The Mary Tyler Moore Show scripts, including the episode in which she originally appeared.