Rebecca Balding (September 21, 1948 – July 18, 2022) was an American actress best known for her appearances on ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' and ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...

''.

Life and career

Balding was born in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

. She attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. She had the role of Carol David, mother of

Jodie Dallas Jodie is a unisex given name. It is related to names Cody, Jodi, Jody, Codey, and Jodey. It is also a rare surname. It can be used as a nickname for Joseph, Jude, Judith, Joan and Jonathan, and a variant for Jo. People Female Given name * ...

' child, on ''

'', appearing in 19 episodes from 1978 through 1980. Balding played Corky Crandall in 1979 in the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Makin' It'', as well as the original female reporter Carla Mardigian during the first three episodes of the inaugural 1977 season of the drama series ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character was ...

'', starring

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' an ...

, before that character was written out for a different female reporter. That same year she again appeared with Asner, playing his daughter Julie, in the classic Christmas TV film, '' The Gathering''. Also in 1977, Balding played Amy Franklin in ''Deadly Game'', a movie that starred

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 characte ...

and

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor and activist. Some of his best-known films include ''Babe'' (1995), '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996), ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997), '' The Green Mile'' (1999), ''The Queen'' ...

. In 1980 she starred in the pilot of the sitcom ''Mr. and Mrs. and Mr.'', that was never progressed as a series. In 1996, she made a guest appearance on '' 7th Heaven'' as Ellen, the mother of Matt's new girlfriend Tia. In 1998, Balding guest starred as Aunt Jackie in the season one episode " The Fourth Sister" of ''

''. She later returned to the show during its fourth season in 2002 under a different role. Balding played the recurring character Elise Rothman, a newspaper editor-in-chief and the boss of

Phoebe Halliwell Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series ''Charmed'', played by Alyssa Milano from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The character was originally played by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot episode. However, Rom ...

(played by

Alyssa Milano Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'', Jennifer Mancini in ''Melrose Place'', Phoebe Halliwell in ''Charmed'', Billie Cunningham in ''My Name Is Earl'', Savan ...

). She played the role until the show's eighth and final season in 2006. Balding was married to television producer

James L. Conway James L. Conway (born October 27, 1950 in New York City, U.S.) is an American film and television director, producer, and writer, studio executive, and novelist. Movies Conway directed include ''The Boogens'' and '' Hangar 18''. Television ser ...

, whom she met while auditioning for a part in the 1981 horror movie ''

The Boogens ''The Boogens'' is a 1981 American monster film directed by James L. Conway and starring Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford, Med Flory, Jon Lormer, and Scott Wilkinson. The title refers to scaly turtle- ...

'', which Conway directed and in which Balding ultimately starred. Balding died on July 18, 2022, at the age of 73, after having suffered from

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balding, Rebecca 1948 births 2022 deaths 21st-century American women Actresses from Little Rock, Arkansas American television actresses University of Kansas alumni Deaths from ovarian cancer Deaths from cancer in Utah