Priscilla Barnes

Priscilla Anne Barnes (born December 7, 1952) is an American actress."Priscilla Barnes"
AllMovie.com; retrieved August 12, 2013. She is best known for her role as Terri Alden in the ABC sitcom'' Three's Company'', between 1981 and 1984. Barnes also has appeared in films, including ''A Vacation in Hell'' (1979), ''Licence to Kill'' (1989), ''Stepfather III'' (1992), ''The Crossing Guard'' (1995), ''Mallrats'' (1995), ''The Devil's Rejects'' (2005), and '' The Visitation'' (2006). From 2014 to 2019, Barnes played Magda Andel in the CW comedy-drama series, ''Jane the Virgin''.

Early life

Barnes was born December 7, 1952 (some sources list 1954 or 1955), in Fort Dix, New Jersey, the third of four children of a father who was a major in the United States Air Force and her mother a homemaker. Her childhood was marked by a series of moves across various military bases in the United States before her family settled in Lancaster, California. After graduating from Antelope Valley High School at age 17, she relocated to San Diego, working as a waitress and a dancer.

Career

Early career

Barnes's first break came when Bob Hope saw her in a local fashion show and invited her to join his troupe for a 1973 performance at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to attempt a career in show business in earnest. She appeared as an Amazon in '' The New Original Wonder Woman'' alongside Lynda Carter as the title character. Her second break came at 19 when she met Peter Falk at Pips. Six months later he gave her a one-line part in an episode of ''Columbo'', which led to a series of bit parts in films like ''The Seniors'' (1978) and ''Delta Fox'' (1979).

While working as a hostess at a Hollywood nightclub, Barnes posed nude for the "Pet of the Month" photo layout in the March 1976 issue of ''Penthouse'' magazine under the pseudonym Joann Witty. ''Penthouse'' later wanted to republish the photos under Barnes's real name in 1982 after she had become famous in ''Three's Company''. The dispute ended up in court, as Penthouse wanted a judge to rule on the legality of publishing the pictures using her real name. At issue was a handwritten addendum to the standard model release contract that all models sign. When Penthouse lost the initial case, they appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal court mostly sided with Barnes and ruled that the handwritten addendum was legally binding and that Penthouse could not republish the photos using her real name.

In 1976, she began studying acting with coach Sal Dano, whose students included Tom Selleck, Robert Hays and Catherine Bach. In 1978, she played a leading role in the CBS action series, '' The American Girls'', which was canceled after seven weeks. Subsequent parts include the horror film ''Tintorera'', and such television series as ''Starsky & Hutch'', ''Vega$'', ''Kojak'', ''The Rockford Files'', ''The Love Boat'', the 1978 TV version of ''The Time Machine'' and the 1979 television film ''A Vacation in Hell''. In 1980, Barnes landed a supporting role in the romantic comedy film ''Sunday Lovers''.

''Three's Company''

In 1981, Barnes was cast as Terri Alden on the ABC sitcom ''Three's Company'' after Jenilee Harrison served as interim replacement to Suzanne Somers, who had left the series as a result of contractual dispute with producers. The part, which is Barnes's most notable role, brought her instant public recognition. Barnes initially auditioned for the role of Chrissy Snow in 1976, but lost the part to Somers. She stayed in the show to the series finale in 1984, appearing in a total of 70 episodes.

In the 1998 TV program ''E! True Hollywood Story'', Barnes called ''Three's Company'' the "three worst years" of her life. Barnes revealed that after shooting a couple of episodes of the show, she felt "uncomfortable" on the set - mostly due to tension between the cast - and asked (unsuccessfully) to be released from her contract. She remained friends with co-stars Joyce DeWitt and Richard Kline, with whom she made public appearances. Barnes was portrayed by actress Anne Ross in the 2003 television movie '' Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company''.

Later career

In 1982, Barnes starred in Aaron Spelling made-for-television film ''The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch''. After ''Three's Company'' was cancelled by ABC in 1984, Barnes began appearing in guest-starring roles on television shows, including ''Hotel'', ''Murder, She Wrote'' and ''Highway to Heaven''. In 1987, she starred in the pilot for the sitcom ''She's the Sheriff'', playing the title role. Barnes later left the project and was replaced by Suzanne Somers. The following year, Barnes returned to film with the starring role in the action comedy ''Traxx'' opposite Shadoe Stevens.

In 1989, Barnes appeared in the James Bond film ''Licence to Kill'' as Della Churchill, and the underwater sci-fi/action thriller '' Lords of the Deep''. In 1992, she starred in the NBC television movie '' Perry Mason and the Case of the Reckless Romeo'', with Raymond Burr, and in the horror film ''Stepfather III''. In 1995, she appeared in the cult comedy film ''Mallrats'', and Sean Penn-directed drama ''The Crossing Guard'' opposite Jack Nicholson. She made cameo appearance in the 1999 comedy-drama film '' Mumford'', and appeared in many other smaller independent and made-for-television movies during 1990s and 2000s. Her most notable role was in the 2005 horror film ''The Devil's Rejects'' directed by Rob Zombie. Her other credits include ''Thr3e'' (2006), '' The Visitation'' (2006), and ''American Cowslip'' (2009). In 2012, she co-starred as "Vicey Hatfield" in ''Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood''. In 2013, she appeared in ''Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs Tsunami''. In 2007 Barnes appeared at the annual New York International Fringe Festival as Hillary Clinton in Nick Salamone's play ''Hillary Agonistes''.

In 2014, Barnes was cast in an recurring role as Magda Andel, Petra's (played by Yael Grobglas) mother, in the CW comedy-drama series ''Jane the Virgin''. The series ended in 2019 after five seasons. Barnes appeared in a total of 41 episodes. In 2019 Barnes appeared in the Bloomington Playwrights Project's production of Christy Hall's ''To Quiet the Quiet''.Dorfman, Peter (April 30, 2019)
"Priscilla Barnes: Star of TV and Film Performing in B-town"
''Bloom Magazine''. Retrieved June 11, 2019.

Personal life

Barnes married actor Ted Monte.Beale, Lauren (April 5, 2012)
"Actress Priscilla Barnes buys Glendale home in gated compound for $689,000"
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved June 11, 2019. In 2012, they purchased a home in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Priscilla
1954 births
Actresses from California
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Living people
People from Lancaster, California
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Antelope Valley High School alumni