Maryedith Burrell

Last updated
Maryedith Burrell
Born
Maryedith Ann Theresa Smith
Alma mater University of California, Los Angeles
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
  • producer
  • documentarian
Years active1979–present

Maryedith Burrell (born Maryedith Ann Theresa Smith [1] )is an American actress, comedian, film and television producer, writer and documentarian best known for starring roles on the television series Fridays , Throb , Ron Howard's Parenthood , and The Jackie Thomas Show as well as recurring roles in the television series Seinfeld and Home Improvement .

Contents

Early life

Burrell is a native of Gilroy, California, [1] the daughter of Gilroy's city historian, Howard Smith, and his wife, Pat. [2] After attending Santa Catalina School [3] on scholarship, Burrell headed to UC Santa Cruz, working and studying simultaneously with American Conservatory Theater and The San Francisco Mime Troupe. While attending college, Burrell workshopped with The Royal Shakespeare Company and director Peter Brook, as well as Teatro Campensino with Louis Valdez. [4] After two terms at UCSC, she transferred to UCLA [ citation needed ] and as a student in its Theatre Arts Program received the Hugh O'Brian acting award. [1] The acting award judges included Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon, who became an early mentor.[ citation needed ] She graduated from UCLA in 1972. [1]

Roles on television shows such as Days of Our Lives , M*A*S*H and Remington Steele soon followed.

Early acting and writing

After attending college, Burrell worked as a publicist for the new Westwood Playhouse. [1] While there she met actors Jason Robards, Shelley Winters, and Lee Grant who encouraged her to pursue an acting career. She soon began performing with the Los Angeles-based improv troupe The Groundlings. She went on to work with The Second City, The Comedy Store Players, Sills And Company, Off The Wall, and The War Babies. [4] At The War Babies, Ann Marcus, producer of Norman Lear's Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman , invited Burrell to write for The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts . This kicked off a number of writing jobs.

Fridays

In 1979, the producers of Fridays saw Burrell in an HBO presentation of The War Babies at The Roxy Theatre and tapped her for the new American Broadcasting Company late-night comedy show. She became a member of the ensemble, which included Larry David, Michael Richards, and Melanie Chartoff. Her characterizations of the deadly serious Friday Focus Reporter and Battle Boy's chain-smoking mother were standouts.

Post Fridays

Shelley Duvall hired Burrell to write at least three episodes for her new series, Faerie Tale Theatre . [5] The award-winning show was unique at the time for its cross-pollination of star talent from stage, television, and film. Burrell worked with directors Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Peter Medak, and Tim Burton as well as actors Susan Sarandon, Lee Remick, Carrie Fisher, Klaus Kinski, and Burgess Meredith.

Burrell wrote an adaptation of The Little Match Girl for broadcast on NBC in December 1987, [5] starring William Daniels. This launched a career writing films and mini-series for every major television network in America as well as several in Europe. Credits include: Mr. St. Nick , The Great Mom Swap , UFO Cafe, Mabel and the Bootleg King, The Last Vampire, Janus Highway, and Dominion for TNT.

Burrell pursued dual careers as a performer and screenwriter. After Fridays, Burrell went on to star in the television series Throb, Ron Howard's Parenthood, The Jackie Thomas Show, and appeared in recurring roles on Seinfeld and Home Improvement. She guest-starred on television shows including Murder, She Wrote , Chicago Hope and The Tonight Show . Burrell acted in several television films, including White Hot: The Mysterious Death of Thelma Todd with Loni Anderson and Those She Left Behind with Gary Cole. She also acted in feature films including Samantha with Martha Plimpton, Ready To Rumble with Oliver Platt, and Kiss Me Goodbye with Sally Field and Jeff Bridges.

As a documentarian, she has produced for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and TLC, among other networks. In 2018, Burrell worked as creative consultant on an independent film, Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, [6] about author and activist Molly Ivins.

An overall deal with Disney led Burrell to work as a script doctor for both feature films and television, which she continues to do. Her feature work includes Dominion for Paramount, The Dating Project for Universal, and Emily Post for Sony.

In 2014 Burrell performed a one-woman show, #OUCH, which was based on her year-long recovery from orthopedic injuries that occurred when she played fetch with her dog in a park. [7]

Filmography (actress)

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Barnaby Jones Nurse1 Episode
1979 Dallas Nurse Barker1 Episode
1980 Taxi Hatcheck Girl1 Episode
1980 Wholly Moses VillagerFilm
1980 Fridays Ensemble Cast Member54 episodes
1982 Filthy Rich Wanda Dean1 Episode
1982 Kiss Me Goodbye Mrs. NewmanFilm
1983 Trapper John, M.D. Mary Lamagra1 Episode
1984Last of the Great SurvivorsVieTV movie
1984 Faerie Tale Theatre Beggar Woman1 Episode
1984 Paper Dolls Polly Loftus1 Episode
1984 Newhart Attorney Arleen1 Episode
1985 Family Ties Young May1 Episode
1983–1986 Simon & Simon Mary Johnson, Mary DeAngelo2 episodes
1984–1986 Remington Steele Frances Piper2 episodes
1986 Big Trouble GailFilm
1986Say YesGladysFilm
1986 River's Edge Film
1987 The Little Match Girl RitaTV movie
1986–1988 Throb Meredith48 episodes
1988 Annie McGuire 1 Episode
1989 Those She Left Behind Ann HobsonTV movie
1991 Eve of Destruction Dawn PerlinFilm
1991 White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd Patsy KellyTV movie
1990–1991 Parenthood Helen Buckman12 episodes
1991 Bad Attitudes KatyanaTV movie
1992 Samantha Charlotte Otto / Mrs. SamanthaFilm
1992–1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Nancy Mincher18 episodes
1992–1993 Seinfeld Maryedith / Mother2 episodes
1994 Camp Nowhere Gwen NowickiFilm
1996 Murder, She Wrote Nattie Holt1 Episode
1996 Duckman 1 Episode
1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Veronica Stewart1 Episode
1996–1997 Home Improvement Tracy2 episodes
1998 Chicago Hope Dr. Louise Ginsberg1 Episode
1998 Mike Hammer, Private Eye Calvin's Neighbor1 Episode
2000 Ready to Rumble Nun #1Film

Filmography (writer)

1985From Here To MaternityTV Short
1986PopplesTV movie (teleplay)
1984–1987 Faerie Tale Theatre TV series (5 episodes)
1987 The Little Match Girl TV movie
1991 In The Nick of Time TV movie
1992Hot ChocolateTV movie
1995 The Great Mom Swap TV movie
2001Second HoneymoonTV movie
2002 Mr. St. Nick TV movie

Publishing and teaching

Burrell moved to Asheville, North Carolina, earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree at the University of North Carolina Asheville, [8] and lectures in schools, seminars, and film festivals around the country. She is an adjunct professor at Western Carolina University.

As an author and journalist, Burrell has contributed to Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Great Smokies Review, [9] and other publications. Her essay, An Affair to Forget, is included in the anthology What Was I Thinking? 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories(St. Martin's Press). [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Stanley, John (December 7, 1980). "'Fridays' Maryedith Burrell — This Gal Has Got the Brains". San Francisco Sunday Examiner. pp.  48, 49 . Retrieved April 16, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Myer, Chuck (January 11, 1985). "Happy birthday to Gilroy's well-cultured historian". Free Lance. California, Hollister. p. 23. Retrieved April 16, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Alumnae in the arts". Santa Catalina School. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Russell-Forsythe, Nancy. "Creative Hyphenate Maryedith Burrell". The Great Smokies Review. Great Smokies Writing Program, The University of North Carolina, Asheville. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Pearson, Mike (December 17, 1987). "Actress reborn in role of writer: Maryedith Burrell says writing shows helps make Hollywood take notice". El Paso Herald-Post. p. D 5. Retrieved April 16, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Raise Hell Documentary". Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins.
  7. Burrell, Maryedith (October 5, 2014). "'Everybody has a medical nightmare'". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. D 5. Retrieved April 16, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Lashea, Tris. ""Raise Hell:" Maryedith Burrell MLAS '13 Screens New Documentary on Molly Ivins in Asheville". University of North Carolina - Asheville. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  9. Nancy, Russell-Forsythe. "Creative Hyphenate Maryedith Burrell". The Great Smokies Review.
  10. ""Beach Reads You'll Blaze Through"". Oprah.com.