Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol (born September 11, 1962) is a former American actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, she rose to fame in 1976 with her role as the teenage daughter Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence in the TV drama Family for which she won two Emmy Awards. Subsequent roles included Angel in the film Little Darlings, Polly in Only When I Laugh, and Barbara Weston in the TV sitcom Empty Nest.[1] McNichol retired from acting in 2001.
McNichol was born on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California,[2] the daughter of James and Carolyn McNichol. Her father was a carpenter and her mother worked as a registered nurse to support her family. McNichol has Scottish/Irish ancestry on her father's side and her mother is of Lebanese descent.[3]
In 1976, McNichol was cast as Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence in the television drama series Family (1976–80). She was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series three years in a row (1977–79), winning in 1977 and 1979.[4][5][6] In 1980, she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Family.
In 1977, McNichol appeared in the TV special The Carpenters at Christmas, performing several musical numbers with the duo. In 1978, she and Jimmy made their foray into music, recording the album Kristy and Jimmy McNichol for RCA Records (AFL1-2875). Produced by Phil Margo and Mitch Margo, it included the singles "He's So Fine" (a cover of The Chiffons' 1963 hit), which peaked at number 70 on the Billboard chart and "Page by Page". The McNichols promoted the album at New York's Studio 54 discothèque with other celebrities. In 1978, McNichol performed with Jimmy in a second Carpenters' holiday special, titled The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait.[7]
Publicity photo of child actress Kristy McNichol (age 13) promoting the September 28, 1976, premiere of the second season of the ABC television series Family.
McNichol was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the 1982 film The Pirate Movie.[12] The same year, she suffered an emotional breakdown while playing the lead role in the comedy-drama Just the Way You Are that was being filmed in France. She later told People magazine that she could not sleep and she cried the entire time she was in France. She had nightmares when she did sleep and she cried on set. She did not return to the production after Christmas to finish the movie; filming had to be interrupted for a year while McNichol recovered. She later said that the breakdown had been caused by the pressures of her career,[13] as well as the pressure to hide her sexuality from the public.[citation needed]
In the same year, McNichol began the role of Barbara Weston on the television sitcom Empty Nest, a spin-off of The Golden Girls. The show ran for seven seasons but McNichol left the series in 1992, midway through season five, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She returned for the show's final episode in 1995. It was her last on-screen performance. However, she later voiced characters in the animated TV series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997) and Invasion America (1998).[citation needed]
Later life
McNichol (2009; age 56).
In June 2001, McNichol announced that she had retired from acting. Her publicist released this statement:
A lot of people have wondered what I've been up to. I retired from my career after 24 years. My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part – myself! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So many fans are disappointed that I'm not currently acting; however, some may not realize that the process I'm in at this time is necessary and vital for my personal happiness and well-being.[14]
On September 7, 1997, a few days before McNichol's 35th birthday, her former lover and lifelong friend Elizabeth Brooks died of cancer.[citation needed]
After her retirement, McNichol taught acting at a private school in Los Angeles and devoted much of her time to charity work.[15]
In 2012, McNichol ended years of speculation when she revealed that she is a lesbian and has lived with her partner Martie Allen since the early 1990s. She made the statement in hopes that her openness would help young people who are bullied because of their sexual orientation. In the same statement, McNichol made it clear that she had no plans to return to acting.[16]
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