Roberta Carol "Bobbi" Jordan (née Bartlett; July 11, 1937 – November 9, 2012) was an American actress whose television and film credits included the soap opera '' General Hospital'' and the 1974 musical film ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

''. Her name is sometimes seen as Bobbie Jordan.

Early years

Jordan was born and raised in

Hardinsburg, Kentucky Hardinsburg is a home rule-class city in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 2,343 at the 2010 census. Hardinsburg was named after Captain William Hardin. History In August ...

. She moved from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

to Chicago, and then to Los Angeles, originally to study and pursue opera. Jordan had to take jobs as a

waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

in California. A club manager overheard her singing in the kitchen and offered her a role in the club's musical. She was given the lead in the club's ''Cinderella'' production, which soon led to a contract with the

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

talent agency Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

Acting

Jordan debuted as a series regular in a 1966 ABC television series, '' The Rounders'', in the role of Ada. She also co-starred in the role of Tootsie Woodley in the CBS series '' Blondie'', beginning in 1968. She later co-starred as Terri Webber Arnett, a singer and former

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

, on '' General Hospital'' during the mid-1970s. She remained as a series regular on ''General Hospital'' from March 1976 until September 1977. Jordan was also a series regular in the role of Estelle on the short-lived

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

series ''

Joe and Sons ''Joe and Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 9, 1975, to January 13, 1976. It ran for a total of 14 episodes. Premise The show focused on an Italian-American widower, Joe Vitale, who lived in Hoboken, New Jers ...

'', and she played Judy Overmeyer in the 1978–1979

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom, '' Turnabout'', written by Steven Bochco. She appeared in guest roles on '' The Odd Couple'', '' Charlie's Angels'', Adam-12,''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackso ...

'', '' One Day at a Time'', '' Quincy M.E.'', ''

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West ...

'', ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Victo ...

'', ''

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

'', '' The Wild Wild West'', '' Love, American Style'', and '' Ironside''. Jordan pursued film roles as well. She was cast as a waitress in the 1967 film ''

A Guide for the Married Man ''A Guide for the Married Man'' is a 1967 American bedroom-farce comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Robert Morse, and Inger Stevens. It was directed by Gene Kelly. It features many cameos, including Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Terry-Thomas ...

'', starring Walter Matthau. She also was featured in ''

'', a 1974 musical starring

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

and

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

, as an Irish maid who ends up marrying Mame's ward. She remained a stage actress throughout her career, including a leading role in the first national tour of the musical comedy '' Company'', by Stephen Sondheim. Her additional credits included '' South Pacific'', ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', and ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

''.

Death

Jordan died of a heart attack at her home in

Encinitas, California Encinitas ( Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south ...

on November 9, 2012, at the age of 75. She was predeceased by her late husband of 43 years, television writer William "Bill" Jacobson (September 22, 1919 – July 19, 2011), whom she married on October 23, 1968. Jacobson had been the lead writer for ''

The Kate Smith Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' in 1960. She was survived by her son, screenwriter Jordan Roberts (born Bruce Robert Jordan on June 19, 1957), two grandchildren, Brandon and Cameron, and her stepdaughter, Jessie Jacobson.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Bobbi 1937 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Kentucky American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses People from Encinitas, California People from Hardinsburg, Kentucky 21st-century American women