Kim Lankford (born June 14, 1954) is an American businesswoman and retired actress, best known for her role as Ginger Ward on ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'' from 1979 to 1983.

Life and career

Lankford was born in

Montebello, California Montebello (Italian for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located just east of East Los Angeles and southwest of San Gabriel Valley. It is an independent city. east of downtown Los Angeles. It is ...

. She made her screen debut in the 1976 movie ''

Harry and Walter Go to New York ''Harry and Walter Go to New York'' is a 1976 American historical drama, period comedy film written by John Byrum and Robert Kaufman, directed by Mark Rydell, and starring James Caan, Elliott Gould, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Charles Durning an ...

'', and later began her television career appearing in episodes of sitcoms such as ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

''. In 1978, she was cast as the female lead opposite

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

in the short-lived NBC sitcom '' The Waverly Wonders''. Later that year, she played the leading role in the teen comedy film ''Malibu Beach''. In 1979, Lankford was cast as Ginger Ward, one of the original lead characters, in the CBS prime time soap opera ''

''. She starred on the show during the first four seasons, before leaving in 1983. In 1980, she also had a role opposite

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

in the action film ''

The Octagon The Octagon may refer to: *The Octagon, Christchurch, a former church in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand *The Octagon, Dunedin, the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand *The Octagon (Egypt), the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of ...

'', and in the following years co-starred with

Don Meredith Joseph "Dandy" Don Meredith (April 10, 1938 – December 5, 2010) was an American football quarterback, sports commentator, and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career (1960–1968) with the Dallas Cowboys of the Na ...

in the thriller '' Terror Among Us''. After leaving ''Knots Landing'', she guest-starred on ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

'', and ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

''. In 1988, she had a supporting role in the horror film ''

Cameron's Closet ''Cameron's Closet'', also known as ''Cameron's Terror'', is a 1989 American supernatural horror film. The film was directed by Armand Mastroianni and stars Scott Curtis, Cotter Smith, Mel Harris, Tab Hunter, Kim Lankford, Gary Hudson and Wil ...

'', and was a regular cast member in the ABC detective drama '' Murphy's Law''. Lankford spent the 1990s playing guest starring roles on television series such as '' In the Heat of the Night'', ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'' and '' Diagnosis: Murder'', as well as appearing in the films '' Missing Pieces'' (1992) and ''

Night of the Running Man ''Night of the Running Man'' is a 1995 American crime thriller film directed by Mark L. Lester and written by Lee Wells, who adapted it from his novel of the same name. It stars Andrew McCarthy and Scott Glenn. The film debuted on HBO before bei ...

'' (1995). In 1996, Lankford was a co-presenter on a cult public-access television cable TV series, "The Count Smokula Show". She reprised her ''Knots Landing'' character in '' Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac'' in 1997. After retiring from acting in 2000, Lankford created her own horse business in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

called Kim Lankford's Living Horsemanship. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lankford lived with, and was romantically involved with,

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...

. Lankford was close friends with Susan Berman. Lankford dated Robert Durst, who allegedly murdered Berman in 2000. In 2015, Lankford appeared in the HBO documentary series '' The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Kim Lankford's Living Horsemanship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankford, Kim American television actresses American film actresses Actresses from California 1954 births Living people People from Montebello, California American soap opera actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women