Audra Lindley

Sitcom star Audra Lindley was born into a show business family. Despite a frustrating first attempt in Hollywood, and a subsequent hiatus from Los Angeles and from acting, Lindley returned to the city to start her career over, working in several TV shows and TV movies. Lindley's first great success came in 1972, when she appeared on multiple episodes of "Bridget Loves Bernie" as Amy Fitzgerald, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for the part. Following this success, she made recurring appearances on several shows, including "Fay," "Doc," and "Pearl," before landing her most memorable role. The character Helen Roper first appeared on the sitcom "Three's Company" (for which Lindley was once again nominated for a Golden Globe) and was so popular that the spin-off, "The Ropers," was created in 1979. In addition to TV series, Lindley played memorable roles in TV movies such as 1980's "Revenge of the Stepford Wives" and 1982's "Cannery Row." In 1985 Lindley appeared in the independent film "Desert Hearts" which was well received at festivals and nominated for several awards. Her last role was that of Cybill Shepherd's mother, Virginia Sheridan, in the biopic "Cybill." Lindley died of leukemia in Los Angeles in 1997.