Erin Gray

Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situation comedy ''Silver Spoons''.

Early life

Gray was born on January 7, 1950, in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii (now state of Hawaii), the daughter of Diane and Daniel Gray. When Gray was eight, her parents separated. Gray lived with her grandparents in Palm Springs, California for a few years. Eventually she and her mother moved to Larkspur, California.

Gray attended Redwood High School and finished her last semester at Pacific Palisades High School. She briefly attended college at UCLA, majoring in mathematics, but she left school to pursue a career in modeling and moved to New York.

Career

Gray started her career in modelling. She entered her first contest and won a modelling assignment in St. Louis when she was 14 years old. Commercials followed in Los Angeles. She also appeared on television in 1967 as a dancer in ''Malibu U''. However, she decided to move to New York City to further her modeling career. "By 1975, Gray was one of the nation's top TV models, earning $100,000 a year." Having developed an interest in acting, she auditioned for parts during her frequent trips to Los Angeles.

In 1978, she landed her first starring role, on the miniseries ''Evening in Byzantium''. Following good notices, Gray was put on a seven-year contract at Universal Studios, which led directly to her taking the role of Colonel Wilma Deering in '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', at first for a theatrically released movie, then for a weekly TV series. Gray's trim, shapely figure, augmented by a tight, one-piece Spandex jumpsuit uniform, was popular with the show's predominantly young male audience.

Gray was aware of the sexiness of her uniform, which was so tight that she had to be sewn into it. Her character, the female lead, also had a high profile in the show, second only to Gil Gerard in the starring role and representing an early example of a strong female character in a science fiction setting. Gray was thus seen as an important role model for female viewers, as she explained to an interviewer:

Shortly after ''Buck Rogers'', Gray appeared in the first season ''Magnum, P.I.'' episode, "J. 'Digger' Doyle", in which she played security expert Joy 'Digger' Doyle. The role was intended to become recurring, and even possibly spun off into a separate series, but neither happened, and it remained the character's only appearance in the series. In 1982, Gray played the role of Lilah in the summer feature film '' Six Pack'' as Kenny Rogers' love interest. Gray's role as Kate Summers in the TV sitcom ''Silver Spoons'' lasted for several years in the 1980s. When that show ended, she took regular film and TV work; she appeared in an episode of ''Superboy'' and ''Murder, She Wrote''. In 1993, Gray had a featured role in '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'', the ninth entry in the '' Friday the 13th'' series. She also appeared in the 2005 film ''Siren''.

In 2010, Gray and Gil Gerard returned to ''Buck Rogers'' by playing the characters' parents in the pilot episode of the ''Buck Rogers'' web series. Among her work in commercials was a 2010 spot for Pup-Peroni dog treats.

Gray is now a casting agent whose agency, Heroes for Hire, specializes in booking sci-fi and fantasy stars for personal appearances, speaking engagements, and charity events. Gray also teaches T'ai chi.

In 1998, Gray wrote a book, ''Act Right'', with Mara Purl which contains advice for novice television and movie actors. A revised edition was published in 2002.Gray, Erin; Purl, Mara. ''Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor'', 2002 expanded edition,

Gray starred in the 2011 film ''Dreams Awake'' (with ''Alien Nation'' co-star Gary Graham). She also played the role of Madeline Twain on the web series '' The Guild''.

Gray guest-starred in the 2014 webisode "Lolani" from the web series ''Star Trek Continues'' as Commodore Gray, an episode that also starred Lou Ferrigno. Commodore Gray reappears in 2016, with the seventh episode " Embracing the Winds."

Personal life

Gray has been married twice. She met Ken Schwartz in high schoolCalio, Jim
"Buck Rogers Wouldn't Dare Tell Erin Gray What She's Heard for 14 Years from Ken Schwartz: Go Fly a Kite"
. ''People''. 7 July 1980, Vol. 14, No. 1. and their marriage lasted from 1968 to 1990, during which they had one son, Kevan Ray Schwartz, born in 1976. Ken Schwartz, a successful real estate executive, remained in New York with their young son when Gray first started working on ''Buck Rogers'', and eventually moved to Los Angeles to work as her manager when her acting career flourished.

Gray married Richard Hissong in 1991, and their daughter Samantha was born the same year. Samantha plays Buck Rogers' girlfriend, Maddy, in the pilot episode of James Cawley's ''Buck Rogers'' Internet video series.McKinstry, Lohr
"Buck Rogers returns"
, ''Press Republican'', November 9, 2009.

Filmography

Movies

Television

Video game

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Erin
1950 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Honolulu
American film actresses
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
Female models from Hawaii
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Redwood High School (Larkspur, California) alumni