Jenny O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''

My Sister Sam ''My Sister Sam'' is an American television sitcom starring Pam Dawber and Rebecca Schaeffer that aired on CBS from October 6, 1986, to April 12, 1988. Synopsis The sitcom follows the lives of a 29-year-old San Francisco freelance photographe ...

'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...

'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''

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'' (2006–2009).

Early life

O'Hara was born in

Sonora, California Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population ...

. Her father, John B. O'Hara, was a salesman, and her mother, Edith (Hopkins) O'Hara, was a journalist and drama teacher, who founded and continued to run the 13th Street Repertory Company in New York City for many years before her death at age 103 in 2020. Jenny, her singer/actress younger sister Jill O'Hara, and her singer/guitarist brother Jack O'Hara, grew up amid their mother's pursuit of a theatrical career. John and Edith O'Hara eventually divorced. Jenny O'Hara debuted on stage at age 5 at the Bushkill Playhouse in the Poconos.

Career

In 1964 O'Hara appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in the dramatic play ''Dylan''. In 1969 she appeared in the musical ''

The Fig Leaves Are Falling ''The Fig Leaves Are Falling'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Allan Sherman and music by Albert Hague. It was inspired by Sherman's 1966 divorce following 21 years of marriage. The original Broadway production featured Barry Nelson, D ...

''. Her other Broadway credits include ''Promises, Promises'', ''The Iceman Cometh'', and ''The Odd Couple''. In 1970, O'Hara succeeded her younger sister, Jill (who had been nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

) in the musical '' Promises, Promises''. She graduated to television, both in series and made-for-TV features, including starring roles in: '' Brinks: The Great Robbery'', '' The Return of the World's Greatest Detective'', '' Blind Ambition'' and ''

Blinded by the Light "Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on his 1973 debut album ''Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the Billb ...

'' with

Kristy McNichol Christina Ann McNichol (born September 11, 1962) is an American former actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, she rose to fame in 1976 with her portrayal of teenaged daughter Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence in the TV drama ''Family'' for which ...

. She later worked in movies such as '' Career Opportunities'', ''

A Mother's Prayer ''A Mother's Prayer'' is a 1995 film made for the USA Network starring Linda Hamilton, in a Golden Globe-nominated performance, as a woman who learns she has contracted the AIDS virus and must make plans for the care of her only son. The film, wh ...

'', ''

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'', ''

Matchstick Men ''Matchstick Men'' is a 2003 black comedy crime film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Eric Garcia's 2002 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman. The film premiered on September 2, 2003 at the 6 ...

'', ''

Extract An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered. The aromatic principles of ma ...

'' and ''

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''; was part of the ensemble cast for the first season of '' The Facts of Life'' and the entire run of ''

''; and had guest roles on television series such as ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', ''

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'', ''

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'' (also known in the

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as ''Twist in the Tale''), ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'', ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', '' ER'', ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

'', '' House M.D.'', ''

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'', '' Reba'', '' Six Feet Under'', and ''

''. She has also made appearances over the years on various TV game shows. On TV, O'Hara portrayed Ruth Manly on ''Black Beauty'', Lottie Murphy in ''Costello'', Rebecca in ''Highcliffe Manor'', Janet Heffernan in ''

'', Muriel Spiegleman in ''Live In'', Dixie Randazzo in ''My Sister Sam'', and Lucy Dexter on ''Secrets of Midland Heights''. She also had roles in the 2009 film, ''

'', and the 2010 horror film, ''

''. O'Hara directed the off-Broadway play ''The Women Are No Different'', which was about abuse of wives. In 1973, she owned and operated Jacob O'Hara Inc., a plant business in New York. She auctioned off plants and provided advice to people about caring for their plants.

Personal life

O'Hara was married to August Dorr Watkins, an interior designer and former actor, from 1968 until their 1974 divorce. Since 1986, she has been married to British-born American actor Nick Ullett. Together they have two daughters.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Jenny 1942 births American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses Actresses from California Actresses from Pennsylvania Living people People from Warren County, Pennsylvania People from Sonora, California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Carnegie Mellon University alumni