Constance McCashin (born June 18, 1947) is an American psychotherapist and former actress, best known for her role as Laura Avery Sumner in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

prime time soap opera, '' Knots Landing''.

Early life and career

McCashin was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She is best known for her role as Laura Avery Sumner on the prime time drama ''Knots Landing'', which she played from the show's debut in 1979 until 1987 when the character died of a brain tumor and her funeral was the basis of the show's 200th episode. McCashin's character was written-out of the show due to cost-cutting measures along with fellow actress

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

. McCashin explained to ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' in 2009 stating, "I was very hurt the way I was let go for financial reasons. I wish they'd handled my demise better". During her career, McCashin starred in a number of made for television movies. She appeared in several episodes of the

sitcom '' Brooklyn Bridge'' playing the role of Rosemary Monahan. She was a contestant on the

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

-hosted ''

$25,000 Pyramid ''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequ ...

'' and would later appear as a panelist on ''

Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

''. She made her final screen appearance playing supporting role in the 1999 comedy film '' The Out-of-Towners''. McCashin appeared at the TV Land awards in April 2009 for the 30th anniversary celebration of ''Knots Landing''. Other ''Knots Landing'' actors who appeared with her included

Kevin Dobson Kevin Patrick Dobson (March 18, 1943 – September 6, 2020) was an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Detective Bobby Crocker, the trusted protege of Lt. Theo Kojak (played by Telly Savalas) in the CBS crime ...

Lisa Hartman Black Lisa Hartman Black is an American actress and singer. Career After some minor television appearances, Hartman starred on the short-lived ''Bewitched'' spin-off, ''Tabitha'' during 1977–78. She subsequently appeared frequently on television in ...

Michele Lee Michele Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer, and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993), for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Awar ...

Donna Mills Donna Mills (born Donna Jean Miller on December 11, 1940) is an American actress. She began her television career in 1966 with a recurring role on '' The Secret Storm'', and in the same year appeared on Broadway in the Woody Allen comedy '' Do ...

, Don Murray,

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish ...

Ted Shackelford Theodore Tillman Shackelford III (born June 23, 1946) is an American actor. He played Gary Ewing in the CBS television series ''Dallas'' and ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993); since 2006, he has appeared in a recurring role on the CBS soap ''The Yo ...

, and

Joan Van Ark Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera '' Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in ''Barefoot in the ...

New career

After her Hollywood career, McCashin became a social worker and therapist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and body image issues.

Personal life

McCashin lives in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

with her husband, producer

Sam Weisman Sam Weisman is an American film director. He has directed the films '' D2: The Mighty Ducks'', '' Bye Bye Love'', ''George of the Jungle'', '' The Out-of-Towners'', '' What's the Worst That Could Happen?'', and '' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star' ...

. They have two children: Marguerite Weisman, an editorial assistant at

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

; and Daniel Weisman, who as an infant played McCashin's character's baby on ''Knots Landing'', and is now a Vice President in private wealth at

Alliancebernstein AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (AB) is a global asset management firm providing investment management and research services worldwide to institutional, high-net-worth and retail investors. AllianceBernstein's headquarters are located in Nashvill ...

but worked as a music manager for 15 years managing

Capital Cities A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the ...

, Wale,

Mike Posner Michael Robert Henrion Posner ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.For Posner's full name, see He released his debut album, ''31 Minutes to Takeoff'', in 2010. The album includes the US ''Billboar ...

and

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCashin, Constance 1947 births American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses Contestants on American game shows Living people Actresses from Chicago 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women