Andrea Anders | |
---|---|
Born | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | May 10, 1975
Education | University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (BFA) Rutgers University, New Brunswick (MFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1998–present |
Partner(s) | Matt LeBlanc (2006–2014) Jason Keller (2015–present) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Sean Anders (brother) |
Andrea Anders (born May 10, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work on television, notably through her main roles on five anticipated but short-lived sitcoms, Joey , The Class , Better Off Ted , Mr. Sunshine and Mr. Mom , as well as recurring and guest roles on numerous TV series including Cruel Summer , Oz , Young Sheldon , Modern Family, Necessary Roughness , Ted Lasso , and That '90s Show . Additionally, she has been cast in nearly ten produced but unsold pilots.
In addition, she regularly appears as supporting characters in films directed or produced by her older brother Sean Anders, [1] namely Never Been Thawed , Sex Drive , Daddy's Home 2 , Instant Family , Countdown and Spirited , and has also had roles in a handful of other films such as The Stepford Wives , Return to Zero , Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase .
Andrea Anders was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 10, 1975, the third child of Terrance and Sally Anders. [2] [3] [4] She was raised in DeForest, Wisconsin with her sister Torri and her brother Sean, [5] where she attended the DeForest Area High School, graduating in 1993. [6] [7] She went on to study acting at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, [8] receiving her bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1997. [5] She then moved to New Jersey to study at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, [9] earning a Master of Fine Arts in 2001. [5] In addition, she trained in the Meisner technique under Maggie Flanigan [10] and credits the teacher with her continued work as an actress. [11]
In 2001, Anders began her career in theatre. She was an understudy for Mary-Louise Parker in the Broadway production of Proof and later played the part of Elaine Robinson in The Graduate . She also appeared in On the Jump at the Arena Stage, New Doors at the Guthrie Theater, Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical and two New York Stage & Film productions: Cold/Tender and New World Rhapsody. [12] [13]
In May 2007, Anders started in the Geffen Playhouse performance of Fat Pig . She played the part of Jeannie, an accountant. Fat Pig closed on July 1, 2007. [14]
One of Anders' first appearances on television was a commercial for Danone that ran in the 1990s and then again around 2006. [15]
Her first acting credits came between 1998 and 2001 when she appeared on the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light , respectively as Elaine, one of Starr Manning's nannies, and Ellie, an assistant to Olivia Spencer.
In 2001, she appeared in the Law & Order episode "The Fire This Time", as teenager Emily Hoyt. In 2003, she played the recurring role of Donna Degenhart for five episodes of the HBO drama series Oz . That same year, Anders was cast opposite Richard Ruccolo as the original female lead in the failed television pilot for the proposed series Spellbound, [16] about a warlock who falls in love with a mortal woman. [17] After the pilot was not picked up by NBC, Anders was replaced for the equally unsuccessful second pilot. [18]
In 2004, Anders made her film debut with a minor role in The Stepford Wives , playing a secretary to Nicole Kidman's main character. That same year, she was cast as Emma Leeds, the female lead in News To Me, a proposed workplace sitcom inspired by Joel Stein's experiences as the youngest-ever columnist at Time magazine; the pilot was not picked up. [19] That same year, Anders guest starred in one episode of the series Tru Calling .
In July 2004, Anders was cast in what would be her breakthrough role as Alex Garrett, Joey Tribbiani's neighbor, landlady, friend and eventual love interest on the Friends spin-off, Joey . [20] [21] NBC cancelled the series during its second season. [22]
In between seasons of Joey, Anders appeared as a "Christian Band Slut" in her older brother Sean's directorial debut film Never Been Thawed , marking the first of many collaborations between the pair.
In February 2006, prior to Joey's cancellation, Anders signed as a series regular of the sitcom The Class as Nicole, the unfulfilled wife of a former pro-football player who reconnects with her high school boyfriend after a class reunion. [23] Despite steady ratings and winning the Favorite New TV Comedy Award at the 33rd People's Choice Awards, CBS did not renew the show for a second season.
In 2008, following The Class' cancelation, Anders guest starred on the episode "Power" of the crime drama Numb3rs , and had a small role her brother's film, Sex Drive .
In May 2008, Anders was cast in the satirical workplace comedy Better Off Ted , after creator Victor Fresco was impressed with her work on The Class. [24] [25] She played Linda Zwordling, the love interest for main character Ted Crisp, played by Jay Harrington, and a co-worker of his at an evil megacorporation. The series was a mid-season replacement, premiering to low rating in March 2009, [26] but critical acclaim kept the show going and even renewed for a second season, though it would be cancelled and pulled from the air with the last two episodes of that season unaired. [27] The show enjoyed a mini-reunion in 2011 through the music video for Revenge of the Nerds, a rap song recorded by co-star Malcolm Barrett under the stage name "Verbal", which features all the main actors from the series in cameos either as their characters or, in the case of Anders, new characters. [28]
In April 2009, shortly after Better Off Ted premiered, Anders joined the cast of The Big D, a sitcom project centered on a New York City couple –played by Anders and Ben Koldyke –who move to Dallas, where the husband is from, and where the wife consistently clashes with her southern belle mother-in-law. Despite her character being central to the premise, Anders was billed as a guest star in case she'd have to work on The Big D and Better Off Ted at the same time, with the latter having precedence. This issue was moot, as CBS did not pick up the series. [29]
In February 2010, Anders was cast in Mr. Sunshine , marking the return to comedy television for Friends star Matthew Perry. [30] [31] Anders played Alice, the tomboyish co-worker and friend with benefits who's looking for more commitment from Perry's character. [32] It premiered as a midseason replacement the following February, but was cancelled by ABC just three months. [33]
Right after Mr. Sunshine's cancellation, Anders appeared in a four episode story arc in the first season of USA Network's series Necessary Roughness , as a former girlfriend of Marc Blucas' character. [34]
In the years following Mr. Sunshine, Anders starred as a lead in a string of sitcom pilots, none of which were picked up to series. First was Ladyfriends in 2012, for NBC, centered on two best friends leading very different lives, portrayed by Anders and Minnie Driver. [35] In 2013, ABC did not pick up Divorce: A Love Story, an adaptation of the long-running Israeli sitcom Ha-Chaim Ze Lo Hacol , about a happily divorced couple played by Anders and Jason Jones. [36] In 2014, CBS did not pickup the proposed Cuz-Bros, in which Anders was cast as an anchorwoman and co-worker of Geoff Stultss character [37]
In 2015, Anders starred in two more failed pilots. First was How We Live, where Anders played a stay-at-home mom and best friend of the female lead, played by Briga Heelan. [38] Next was The Half of It, where Anders portrayed the ex-wife of Jon Dore's character. [39] In 2016, she starred in the failed pilot for the sitcom Crunch Time, as the creator and producer of a game show hosted by Craig Ferguson's character. [40]
While making pilots for all these failed series attempts, Anders had roles in a number of other projects. In 2012, she filmed a supporting part in the fact-based television film Return to Zero , which premiered on the Lifetime Network in 2014. She had recurring roles in the one season each of comedy series About a Boy and of Modern Family , appearing in the latter as the obnoxious new neighbor of the Dunphy family. In 2016, she was the main character in the comedy film Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? , where women in a small Texas town withhold sex until their partners dispose of their guns. That same year, she also did a guest spot on the first season of Speechless , a sitcom led by Minnie Driver, her co-star from the failed Ladyfriends pilot.
In 2019, she appeared as the aunt of Sophia Lillis' character in the film Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase , and as the mother of Elizabeth Lail's character in the film Countdown , the latter produced by her brother Sean. That same year, Anders played the starring role in the sitcom Mr. Mom , which was cancelled after 11 episodes. [41]
Anders met actor Matt LeBlanc in 2004 while co-starring as his friend and eventual love interest on Joey and the pair eventually embarked on a relationship which was confirmed in 2006 following LeBlanc's split from his wife Melissa McKnight. [42] [43] After over eight years as a couple, LeBlanc announced at the start of 2015 that he and Anders had been broken up for several months. [44]
In late 2016, Anders revealed she was pregnant, talking about the experience at length during a stand-up comedy set on December 15, 2016. She has however never publicly discussed the child's birth, name or father. She did refer to the baby as a "her". [45] [46]
On September 15, 2016, Anders and her older brother Sean were inducted into their high school's hall of fame, at the DeForest Area High School's Performing Arts Center. [47]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | One Life to Live | Elaine | Unknown episodes |
2001 | Guiding Light | Ellie | Unknown episodes |
Law & Order | Emily Hoyt | Episode: "The Fire This Time" | |
2003 | Oz | Donna Degenhart | 5 episodes |
Spellbound | Female lead | Unaired NBC pilot | |
2004 | The Stepford Wives | Heather | |
News To Me | Emma Leeds | Unaired ABC pilot | |
Tru Calling | Fake Chris Berensen/Kathy | Episode: "Rear Window" | |
2004–2006 | Joey | Alexis "Alex" Garrett | Starring role in 46 episodes |
2005 | Never Been Thawed [48] | Christian Band Slut | |
2006–2007 | The Class | Nicole Allen (née Campbell) | Starring role in 19 episodes |
2008 | Numb3rs | Rena Vining | Episode: "Power" |
Sex Drive | Brandy | ||
2009 | The Big D | Jane Dupree | Unaired CBS pilot |
2009–2010 | Better Off Ted | Linda Zwordling | Starring role in 26 episodes |
2011 | Mr. Sunshine | Alice | Starring role in 13 episodes |
Necessary Roughness | Laura Radcliffe | 4 episodes | |
2012 | Ladyfriends | Nicole Lambert | Unaired NBC pilot |
2013 | Divorce: A Love Story | Robin | Unaired ABC pilot |
2014 | Return to Zero | Trish | Lifetime TV movie |
Cuz-Bros | Stacey | Unaired CBS pilot | |
2014–2015 | About a Boy | Joanne | 3 episodes |
Modern Family | Amber LaFontaine | 4 episodes | |
2015 | How We Live | Natalie Harris | Unaired NBC pilot |
The Half of It | Megan | Unaired CBS pilot | |
2016 | Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? | Jenna Keely | |
Speechless | Audrey | Episode: "T-H-A-- THANKSGIVING" | |
Crunch Time | Emily | Unaired NBC pilot | |
2017 | Daddy's Home 2 | Principal Hayes | |
2018 | 9JKL | Lauren | Episode: "Heavy Meddling" |
Instant Family | Jessie | ||
2018–2021 | Young Sheldon | Linda | 5 episodes |
2019 | Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase | Hannah | |
The Good Fight | Cheryl Lamore | 2 episodes | |
Mr. Mom | Megan Anderson | Starring role of 11 episodes | |
Countdown | Jamie Harris | ||
2020–2023 | Ted Lasso | Michelle Lasso | 6 episodes |
2021 | Big Shot | Arielle | Episode: "Beth Macbeth" |
Cruel Summer | Joy Wallis | 8 episodes | |
2022 | The Conners | Helen | 2 episodes |
Spirited | Carrie | ||
2023 | Bookie | Sandra | Starring role of 8 episodes |
2023–2024 | That '90s Show | Sherri Runck | 8 episodes |
2024 | Extended Family | Kristin | Episode: "The Consequences of Writing Things Down" |
Matthew Steven LeBlanc is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends and in its spin-off series, Joey. For his work on Friends, LeBlanc received three nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes (2011–2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received four additional Emmy Award nominations. He co-hosted Top Gear from 2016 to 2019. From 2016 to 2020, he played patriarch Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan.
Marilu Henner is an American actress. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical Grease in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film Between the Lines. In 1978, Henner was cast in her breakthrough role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo in the ABC/NBC sitcom Taxi, a role she played until 1983 and for which she received five Golden Globe Award nominations.
Blossom is an American sitcom that aired for five seasons on NBC. Debuting as a pilot preview on July 5, 1990, it premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995. Don Reo created the series, which starred Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenager who lived with her father and two elder brothers. It was produced by Reo's Impact Zone Productions and Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touchstone Television.
Joey is an American sitcom created by Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan. It is a spin-off of Friends, with Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani. It premiered on NBC on September 9, 2004. Midway through the second season, the show was placed on hiatus but returned on March 7, 2006. Only one more episode aired before the show was pulled. NBC canceled the series due to low ratings in May 2006.
Jennifer Christina Finnigan is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Bridget Forrester in the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 2000 to 2004, for which she won three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. She also appeared on the CBS legal drama Close to Home (2005–2007) and the ABC sitcom Better with You (2010–2011). Finnigan also starred on the FX series Tyrant (2014–2016). She later starred in the CBS sci-fi drama Salvation (2017–2018).
"The Pilot" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American television sitcom Friends. The episode premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. It was written by the show's creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and directed by James Burrows. The pilot introduces six twenty-something friends who live and work in New York City: Monica Geller, a single sous chef in her mid 20s who is illegally subletting her grandmother's apartment; Ross Geller, Monica's older brother, a paleontologist whose marriage recently ended after he learned his wife, Carol, is a lesbian; Rachel Green, Monica's spoiled, self-centered, high-school best friend who has just left her fiancé at the altar and is financially cut off by her father; Chandler Bing, Ross's college roommate and best friend who lives across the hall from Monica; Joey Tribbiani, a struggling Italian-American actor and Chandler's roommate; and Phoebe Buffay, a laid-back, hippie-ish masseuse, singer and guitar player.
Less than Perfect is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television network named GNB, as well as her friends and colleagues.
Melissa Peterman is an American actress, television host and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series Reba, appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the ABC Family/Freeform series Baby Daddy, and was host of ABC Family's Dancing Fools, ABC's Bet on Your Baby, and CMT's The Singing Bee. From 2017 to 2024, she played Brenda Sparks in The Big Bang Theory spinoff series Young Sheldon. Since September 2023, she has been the host of the television game show Person, Place or Thing. It was announced she was cast in the Reba McEntire led sitcom, Happy's Place on NBC which premiered on October 18, 2024.
Kelly Stables is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, such as Melissa on Two and a Half Men (2008–2010), Eden Konkler on The Exes (2011–2015), and Kelly Watson on Superstore (2017–2021), as well as for her voice acting roles as Will Vandom in the animated adaptation of W.I.T.C.H. (2004–2006) and Arrowette in Young Justice. She also had roles in films The Ring Two (2005), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) and Holiday Twist (2023).
Love, Inc. is an American television sitcom created by Andrew Secunda, which originally aired for one season on UPN from September 22, 2005, to May 11, 2006. With an ensemble cast led by Busy Philipps, Vince Vieluf, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Ion Overman and Holly Robinson Peete, the show revolves around five matchmakers working at a dating agency. The series was produced by Chase TV, the Littlefield Company, Burg/Koules Television, and Paramount Television. It was distributed by UPN in its original run and later by LivingTV and Nelonen in the United Kingdom and Finland respectively. The executive producers were Adam Chase, Warren Littlefield, Mark Burg and Oren Koules.
Lindsay Sloane Leikin-Rollins is an American actress. She is known for playing Valerie Birkhead on Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1997–99) and Emily in The Odd Couple (2015–17). She has also starred in films such as Bring It On (2000), Over Her Dead Body (2008), She's Out of My League (2010), The Other Guys (2010), Horrible Bosses (2011), and its sequel Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).
Mr. T and Tina is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Welcome Back, Kotter starring Pat Morita and Susan Blanchard that aired for five episodes on ABC from September 25 to October 30, 1976. It is one of the first television shows to feature a predominantly Asian-American cast. The series was a ratings flop and was cancelled after only five aired episodes.
Blansky's Beauties is an American sitcom television series and ostensible spin-off of Happy Days that aired on ABC from February 12 to June 27, 1977. The main character of the series was introduced on an episode of Happy Days, then set in the early 1960s, but the show is set in the present day of 1977. The series was a rare ratings flop for producer Garry Marshall and was cancelled after only 13 episodes.
Erinn Hayes is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her role as Dr. Lola Spratt on the sitcom Childrens Hospital (2008–2016), which she later reprised in its spin-off series Medical Police (2020). For her role, Hayes received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series in 2016.
Better Off Ted is an American satirical sitcom series, created by Victor Fresco, who also served as the show's executive producer. The series ran on the ABC network from March 18, 2009, to January 26, 2010.
How to Marry a Millionaire is an American sitcom that aired in syndication and on the NTA Film Network from October 7, 1957 to August 20, 1959. The series is based on the 1953 film of the same name starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall.
Mr. Sunshine is an American television sitcom that aired from February 9 to April 6, 2011, as a mid-season replacement. The single-camera comedy was co-created by Matthew Perry, who also starred in the series. ABC cancelled the series on May 13, 2011, due to low ratings.
Running Wilde is an American sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely and Will Arnett for Fox. It stars Arnett as Steve Wilde, a self-centered, idle bachelor and heir to an oil fortune. The series follows Wilde's awkward attempts to regain the affection of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy, an environmentalist who had been living in the South American jungle, but whose young daughter does not want to return there and who secretly enlists Steve's help to keep Emmy at his mansion, leading to farcical situations and misunderstandings.
Man with a Plan is an American television sitcom created by Jackie and Jeff Filgo and starring Matt LeBlanc, who also served as an executive producer. The series ran on CBS from October 24, 2016, to June 11, 2020, airing for 69 episodes over 4 seasons. The series was a staple on CBS' Monday night comedy lineup for its first three seasons, before being moved to Thursday nights for the fourth and final season.
Meg Elizabeth Donnelly is an American actress. She played Taylor Otto in the ABC sitcom American Housewife (2016–2021), Addison in the Disney Channel film series Zombies (2018–present), and Mary Campbell in the CW television series The Winchesters (2022–2023).