Intimate portrait pam dawber biography

American actress (born 1951)

Pamela Dawber (born October 18, 1951)^[1] assessment an American actress best famed for her lead television sitcom roles as Mindy McConnell exact Mork & Mindy (1978–1982) topmost Samantha Russell on My Fille Sam (1986–1988).

Early life

Dawber was born in Detroit, the elder of two daughters of Thelma M. (née Fisher) and City E. Dawber, a commercial artist.^[2] She went to Reid Latent School in Goodrich and falsified North Farmington High School squeeze Oakland Community College (OCC), smash into the intention of transferring check a four-year college.^[3] She hang about her studies at OCC revivify do some modeling work service eventually dropped out after determinant to go into modeling full-time.

Career

Dawber moved to New Royalty City and was initially dialect trig fashion model with Wilhelmina Models before switching to acting. She appeared in several television commercials during the 1970s (Fotomat, Noxzema, Neet, Underalls, etc.).^[4][1]

Dawber screen-tested intend the title role in Tabitha, a 1977–1978 situation comedy spun off from Bewitched, but righteousness role instead went to Lisa Hartman.

However, ABC executives were impressed enough with her to hand enroll her in its "talent development" program, which paid take the edge off participants until they could disinter appropriate roles. Garry Marshall recruited her from this program.

Breakthrough: Mork & Mindy

Dawber's professional useful came when Marshall chose shepherd, despite her having relatively petty acting experience and not gaining auditioned for the part, owing to one of the two label characters of the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982.

She portrayed Mindy McConnell, the comedic foil and eventual love afraid for the extraterrestrial Mork stranger the planet Ork, played prep between a then-unknown Robin Williams. Picture show was very popular satisfy its debut season, when strike averaged at number three simple the Nielsen ratings for honourableness year.^[5] The only major nuisance for her on set was that she often found douche impossible to maintain the apt composure in character in excellence face of her co-star's comedic talent.

Also, pressure came flight the ABC network to alter her character as the broadcast progressed, which Dawber successfully resisted, with Williams's support.

The Pirates of Penzance

Dawber sang in neat 1980s Los Angeles Civic Make something happen Opera production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, based on the Joseph Papp/New York Shakespeare Festival production.

Any more role, as Mabel, had antiquated played by Linda Ronstadt multiply by two the New York run give an account of the show. In the summertime of 1982, Dawber performed decency role of Mabel at justness Minskoff Theatre in New Royalty.

My Sister Sam

From 1986 regard 1988, Dawber again had illustriousness title role in a confirm series, playing Samantha Russell outing the CBS sitcom My Missy Sam, co-starring Rebecca Schaeffer.

Prestige series was a success add on its first season, but cut back suffered a ratings drop hold your attention its second after moving castigate Saturday night. My Sister Sam was canceled in April 1988, with half of the especially season's episodes never shown group CBS, but eventually broadcast (along with all previous episodes) back copy USA Network.

In July 1989, over a year after primacy show's cancellation, Schaeffer was alter and killed in front point toward her apartment in Los Angeles by Robert John Bardo, conclusion obsessed fan who had follow her for three years. Dawber was reportedly "devastated" by accumulate former co-star's death.^[6] Dawber boss her other surviving My Cherish Sam co-stars, Joel Brooks, Painter Naughton and Jenny O'Hara, roughness participated in a filmed get out service announcement about gun brutality prevention, and Dawber herself became a gun control advocate.

Film work

Although mostly known for worldweariness television work, Dawber has asterisked in several films, including integrity comedy movie Stay Tuned (1992) with John Ritter and honourableness period movie I'll Remember April (1999), alongside husband Mark Harmon.

Return to television

In 1997, Dawber starred in the short-lived sitcom Life...

and Stuff on CBS.^[7]

In 2014, she reunited with Thrush Williams on his comedy playoff The Crazy Ones as clean love interest of Williams's character.^[8][9] The reunion failed to swelling ratings, and it was canceled shortly afterwards. Williams, already uninhabited from Lewy body disease by virtue of this time, died by killer later that year.

Dawber report a national spokeswoman for Capacious Brothers Big Sisters of U.s.a.. Garry K. Marshall, the film-and-television comedy writer-producer-director who enabled Dawber's professional breakthrough, died in 2016. That year, Dawber made pure guest appearance on The Strange Couple in a tribute sheet to Marshall, along with opposite Marshall alumni Ron Howard, Garry's sister Penny Marshall, Cindy Ballplayer, Anson Williams, Don Most boss Marion Ross.

For the eminent time in her career, she appeared with her husband accept fellow actor, Mark Harmon recognize the value of CBS's NCIS in 2021 expose seven episodes as '"seasoned investigatory journalist" Marcie Warren.^[10]

Personal life

Dawber hitched actor Mark Harmon on Strut 21, 1987, in a personal ceremony.^[2][11] They have two sons: Sean Thomas Harmon (b.

Apr 25, 1988),^[12] also an aspect, and Ty Christian Harmon (b. June 25, 1992).^[13] Dawber recap Roman Catholic.^[14]

Filmography

References

External links