Garn Stephens is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

film, television and theatre actress and writer. She is known for her roles in the television series ''

Phyllis Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

'' and the 1982 horror film '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch''.

Career

Stephens began her career on stage as a theatre actress. She performed as Estelle in the original stage play ''Father's Day'' in 1971 and played the original character Jan in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of '' Grease'' the following year. Throughout her 20 year career, Stephens made many television guest appearances, beginning in 1975 with an appearance on the series ''Wide World Mystery'' and a guest role on

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 ...

sitcom ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

''. The following year, Stephens received a leading role on the Golden Globe-winning television sitcom ''Phyllis'' with

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

, the second spin-off from ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...

''. From the late seventies until the early nineties, Stephens appeared in several top rated television series, including '' Charlie's Angels'', ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States ...

'', '' Falcon Crest'' and ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

''. During her career, Stephens starred in three feature films. In 1975, she appeared in ''

The Sunshine Boys ''The Sunshine Boys'' is an original two-act play written by Neil Simon that premiered December 20, 1972 on Broadway starring Jack Albertson as Willie Clark and Sam Levene as Al Lewis and later adapted for film and television. Plot The pla ...

'' with Walter Matthau and

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

, as well as ''Jake's M.O.'' She is best known for her role as Marge Guttman in the 1982 horror film ''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'', which also starred her then-husband Tom Atkins. In 2003, she appeared at the ''Halloween: 25 Years of Terror'' convention, where she discussed how she received the role. Stephens had been friends with

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...

's then-wife

Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress, singer and the author of three books. Barbeau came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical '' Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter o ...

, whom she had worked with on ''Grease''. Stephens met Carpenter when she and Atkins were invited to see a premiere of ''Halloween'' in 1978 with Carpenter and Barbeau. Carpenter later offered her a role in ''Halloween III''. Stephens has also written for television, including a 1983 episode of the medical drama series '' St. Elsewhere'', in which she received an Emmy Award nomination. Her writing credits also include ''

Trapper John, M.D. ''Trapper John, M.D.'' is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, Californ ...

'', ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' and ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significan ...

''.

Personal life

Stephens was formerly married to actor Tom Atkins. She lived with musician Stuart Niemi, with whom she has one child, Stuart Baird Niemi. Stephens is currently writing crime/mystery stories.

Filmography

Writer

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Garn 1936 births Living people Actresses from Tulsa, Oklahoma American film actresses American television actresses American television writers Writers from Tulsa, Oklahoma Screenwriters from Oklahoma American women television writers 21st-century American women