Linda Purl (born September 2, 1955) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Ashley Pfister (

Fonzie Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom '' Happy Days'' (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lea ...

's girlfriend) on ''

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 su ...

'' (she originally played Gloria as Richie’s date in season 2 episode 6), Sheila Munroe in the 1982 horror film '' Visiting Hours'', Pam Beesly's mother Helene in ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series o ...

'', and Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock for the first season of the television series '' Matlock.''

Early life

Purl was born on September 2, 1955 in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...

, to chemical-industry executive Raymond Charles Arthur Purl and Marshelline "Marshie" Purl. She has a sister, Mara. The girls' grandmother, Beatrice Saville, was a founder of the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

."Introducing Linda Purl (Doreen Post on ''The Secret Storm'')", ''Daytime TV'', November 1973 At age five, Purl moved with her family to Japan, where her father worked for Nippon Unicar. She spent her childhood there, and trained in acting at the Toho Geino Academy. While at the Imperial Theatre in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Purl performed in several plays, gaining the role of Louis in ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'', Bet in '' Oliver!'', and Helen Keller in ''

The Miracle Worker ''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography ''The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and sta ...

''. Furthermore, she was discovered by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

and appeared in several films. At age 15, Purl returned to the United States. She attended high school at Wykeham Rise School, a private boarding school for girls, specializing in creative and performing arts, in Washington, Connecticut. While still in high school, she had a role on the soap opera ''

The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...

''. After attending

Finch College Finch College was an undergraduate women's college in Manhattan, New York City. The Finch School opened as a private secondary school for girls in 1900 and became a liberal arts college in 1952. It closed in 1976. Founding Finch was founded in ...

, Purl went to England to study under Marguerite Beale before returning to the United States to study at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, ...

and later with Robert Lewis.

Acting career

Film

After playing a small role in '' Jory'' (1973), Purl's first major movie role was in Jonathan Demme's 1975 comedy, ''Crazy Mama''. Subsequent movie appearances have included '' W.C. Fields and Me'' (1976), ''

Young Pioneers' Christmas ''Young Pioneers' Christmas'' is a 1976 American made-for-television Western drama film which was broadcast by ABC in December 1976 as a Christmas special starring Linda Purl and Roger Kern. It was a sequel to the made-for-television movie '' Youn ...

'' (1976), ''

Leo and Loree ''Leo and Loree'' is a 1980 American romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Paris, starring Donny Most and Linda Purl. It was the first theatrical film from Ron Howard's production company. Plot Leo and Loree are a young couple and aspiring actors ...

'' (1980), '' Visiting Hours'' (1982), ''

The High Country ''The High Country'' is a 1981 Canadian adventure film directed by Harvey Hart and starring Timothy Bottoms and Linda Purl. Plot A city man on the run from the law is guided through mountainous country by a rural woman with a learning disability ...

'' (1984), ''Viper'' (1988), ''Natural Causes'' (1994), '' Mighty Joe Young'' (1998), ''The Perfect Tenant'' (2000), and ''Fear of the Dark'' (2003).

Television

Linda Purl has played several roles in television series, starting with ''

'' – a daytime "

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

" drama (1973–1974). In 1978, she appeared as newlywed Molly Beaton in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

drama series '' The Young Pioneers'', set in the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

of the 1870s and based on the novels of

Rose Wilder Lane Rose Wilder Lane (December 5, 1886 – October 30, 1968) was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, political theorist and daughter of American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. Along with two other female writers, Ayn Rand and Isabel Pa ...

. She also acted alongside

Shaun Cassidy Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including ''American Gothic'', '' Roar'' and ''Invasion''. Cassidy currently serves as ...

in the 1979 TV movie ''Like Normal People''. Also in 1979, she starred in "Women at West Point." On ''

'' she played two different roles: Richie's occasional girlfriend Gloria in season two of the show (1974) and Fonzie's steady girlfriend Ashley eight seasons later (1982–1983). She also played secret agent Kate Del'Amico in the short-lived series ''

Under Cover ''Under Cover'' is the ninth solo studio album by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. The album consists entirely of cover songs, with an emphasis on rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. This is Osbourne's first and only album to fe ...

'' and played Brett Robin in the 1994–1995 series ''Robin's Hoods''. She has also featured in many movies made for television, including ''Testimony of Two Men'', ''The Night the City Screamed'', ''Little Ladies of the Night'', and ''Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs''. She voiced

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...

in a 1985 direct-to-video episode of '' The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible''. Purl appeared in an all-star cast in the well-regarded historical-biographical TV mini-series '' Eleanor and Franklin'' in 1976, broadcast on the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

(ABC) television network. Here she portrayed

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – February 20, 1980) was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. L ...

, daughter of President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. As a guest star, Purl appeared in a 1975 episode of the long-running Hawaiian-locale ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' called "The Hostage", as teenage babysitter "Ruth" held captive by a deranged veteran. She played two different roles on ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

''; early in its run, in 1974 when she played sophisticate Alicia in the season three episode "The Spoilers", and in the season five episode "The Heartbreaker" (1977), when she played Mary Ellen's sister-in-law (and Jason's love interest) Vanessa and sang a couple songs in the episode. In 1981, she starred in '' Manions of America''. In 1984, she played Nydia, the blind flower girl in the miniseries "The Last Days of Pompeii". In 1985, she appeared in a '' Murder, She Wrote'' episode entitled "Murder at the Oasis". In 1988, she again made an appearance on '' Murder, She Wrote'' in the episode "Mourning Among The Wisterias" and in 1993, appeared for a third time on the series in "Dead Eye". In the first season of '' Matlock'' (1986–1987), (starring long-time comedy actor

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

, now in a usually dramatic role), Purl played Charlene, Ben Matlock's lawyer daughter. She was cast in the series ''

First Monday ''First Monday'' is an American legal drama television series which aired on CBS during the midseason replacement from January 15 to May 3, 2002. The series centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, '' The Court'', it was i ...

'' (2002) as Sarah Novelli, a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

agent and Justice Joseph Novelli's wife. Purl appeared in the role of Pam Beesly's mother on

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 ...

's ''

'' TV series, starting with the season six episode "Niagara" in 2009–2010. Purl appeared in several more episodes throughout the series and was a romantic interest for

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...

's character. In May 2010, she made a guest appearance on '' Desperate Housewives''. In 2011, Purl made guest appearances on Showtime's ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

'', playing Elizabeth Gaines. She played Barbara Pelt, mother of Debbie Pelt, in two episodes of HBO's ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

'' in 2012. In 2017, Purl appeared in one episode of ''

Designated Survivor In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and pre ...

'', playing an old college supervisor of President Kirkman who assists in appointing nominees to the Supreme Court in the episode "The Ninth Seat".

Theatre

Purl has been a regular performer (and was in the original cast) of international touring play '' Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners''. In November 2007, she appeared at the Théâtre Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo, directed by

Marc Sinden Marcus Andrew Sinden (born 9 May 1954) is an English actor and film & theatre director and producer. Sinden has worked in film and theatre (mainly in London's West End) as both actor and producer and directed the documentary series ''Great We ...

, as part of Sinden's British Theatre Season,

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. In 2008, Purl opened at the

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square whe ...

in Cleveland, Ohio in a production of ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

, playing Amanda.

Music

Purl launched a jazz music career after leaving ''Matlock'' and has released several albums of music, including ''Out of This World – Live''.

Personal life

Purl has been married and divorced four times. Her first marriage was in 1979 to Desi Arnaz Jr., son of

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

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

. On January 3, 1980, Purl filed for divorce, which was finalized later that year. On November 5, 1988, she married screenwriter

William Broyles Jr. William Dodson Broyles Jr.
Filmreference.com. Accessed November 28, 2022. (born October 8, 1944) is an A ...

, whom she later divorced. On July 23, 1993, Purl married British screenwriter and producer Alexander Cary, Master of Falkland, with whom she has a son, Lucius, born February 6, 1995. They later divorced. On July 15, 2006, she married James Vinson Adams. Since 2020, she has been in a relationship with

Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pla ...

.Laudadio, Marisa (January 30, 2022)

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Linda Purl
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Purl, Linda 1955 births Living people Actresses from Greenwich, Connecticut American soap opera actresses American television actresses American expatriates in Japan Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Musicians from Greenwich, Connecticut Finch College alumni American School in Japan alumni 21st-century American women

Early life

Acting career

Film

Television

Theatre

Music

Personal life

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

References

External links