Nancy Becker-Kennedy (often credited without hyphen as Nancy Becker Kennedy) is a

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

activist, writer, and actress best known for her television roles, including in ''

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3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

The Louie Show ''The Louie Show'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from January 31 until March 6, 1996 co-created by and starring comedian Louie Anderson. Premise A psychotherapist in Duluth, Minnesota deals with his friends and family ...

,'' and ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

,'' where she played Martha McKee. She is the first person in a wheelchair to star as a series regular on both daytime and primetime television in the USA.

Career

Activism

She is a member of the Southern California chapter of

ADAPT ADAPT (formerly American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today) is a United States grassroots disability rights organization with chapters in 30 states and Washington, D.C. They use nonviolent direct action in order to bring about disability just ...

, a group based in Denver known for forcefully pressing for the rights of the disabled and a contributing editor to

New Mobility ''New Mobility'', launched in 1989, is a United States-based magazine for active wheelchair users. This monthly publication covers health, disability rights, adaptive technology and lifestyle topics such as recreation, travel, the arts, relationsh ...

magazine.

Acting

After college, she became a news producer for public television and later a published playwright, award-winning writer and composer. She is the first person in a wheelchair to star as a series regular in both daytime and primetime television in the United States - for ''

'' (playing the character Martha McKee) on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and ''

'' on

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 ...

. She also made guest appearances in TV shows like ''

'' and ''

''. She has also appeared in the television movie '' Suddenly.'' Other roles include ''

The Norm Show ''The Norm Show'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from March 24, 1999, to April 6, 2001. Starting in September 1999, the show's title was shortened to ''Norm''. The series starred Norm Macdonald, who created the series with Bruc ...

'', ''MDs'', and ''

Equal Justice Equal justice under law is a phrase engraved on the West Pediment, above the front entrance of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. It is also a societal ideal that has influenced the American legal system. The phrase was ...

''. Her televised musical, ''Tell Them I'm a Mermaid'', at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California, was awarded the 1984 Media Award of the California Governor Committee for Employment of the Handicapped, Outstanding Corporate Contributions. ''I Had To Break My Neck To Get Here'' is another autobiographical play she has toured.

Personal life

She was born in Skokie,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and attended Knox College before transferring to State University of New York at Binghamton. She was injured in a diving accident at the age of 20 and became a quadriplegic. She holds a Masters's degree in communications.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker-Kennedy, Nancy 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Illinois American actors with disabilities American television actresses Knox College (Illinois) alumni Binghamton University alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)