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Meredith Ann Baxter, born June 21, 1947[1], is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles in Family, Family Ties, Dan Vs., and she guest starred as Liz Stevens on Glee in 2013.

Personal life[]

Baxter was born in Pasadena, California to Whitney Blake and Tom Baxter.[1] She has two brothers, Richard and Brian. Blake remarried twice, Jack Fields (divorced)[1] and Allan Manings (until Blake's death). Baxter attended Hollywood High School and Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy.[1]

She was married to Robert Lewis for three years before they divorced in 1969 and have two children, Ted and Eva.[2] Her second marriage was to David Birney for fifteen years (they divorced in 1989)[1][2] and had three children, Kate, Mollie and Peter (twins).[2] Baxter was credited as Meredith Baxter-Birney during her marriage to David and became an alcoholic to escape the abuse (Birney denied the allegations). She became sober in 1990.[3][4][5]

Her third marriage was to Michael Blodgett and ended in divorce after five years in 2000.[2] On December 2, 2009, she came out as a lesbian during an interview with Matt Lauer on Today, and on the Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius-XM OutQ 102. Baxter has been in a relationship with Nancy Locke since 2005.[2] She married Locke, after being together for seven years, in December 2013.[6]

Baxter was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and beat it.[7] Her memoir, Untied, was published in 2011.[8]

Career[]

She got her first big break on television in 1972 as one of the stars of Bridget Loves Bernie, it was cancelled after one season. She then went on to star in Family, under the name Meredith Baxter-Birnley, for four years. Her next televison series was Family Ties and latest for seven years. She guest starred on Cold Case as Detective Lilly Rush mother in the 2000s.

She guest starred as Liz Stevens on Glee in the the episode "All or Nothing" in 2013.

Baxter has appeared in two episodes, as of now, on MTV's Finding Carter as Grandma Joan in 2014.

Baxter was announced to have joined the cast of the soap opera, The Young and the Restless, in August 2014. She portrayed Maureen and debuted on September 8th[9] and has been in twenty episodes, as of December 9th.

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1971 The Partridge Family Jenny ("Where Do Mermaids Go?")
The Doris Day Show April ("Young Love")
The Young Lawyers Gloria ("The Victims")
1972 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Ann Glover ("Words of Summer)
Ben Eve Garrison
Stand Up and Be Counted Tracy
Bridget Loves Bernie Bridget Fitzgerald Steinberg 1972 - 1973 (24 episodes)
1973 The Invasion of Carol Enders Carol Enders TV movie
The Cat Creature Rena Carter TV movie
Doc Elliot Jenny ("And All Ye Need to Know")
1974 Young Love April TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
The Stranger Who Looks Like Me Joanne Denver TV movie
Barnaby Jones Jenny Sutherland ("The Deadly Jinx" and as Meredith Baxter Birney)
Medical Center Paula / Priscilla 1974/1975 ("Demi-God"/"The Velvet Knife")
1975 McMillan & Wife Faye Leonard ("Secrets for Sale")
Medical Story Erica Schiff / Sunny ("A Life in the Balance"/"Us Against the World": as Meredith Baxter Birney)
The Night That Panicked America Linda Davis TV movie
The Streets of San Francisco Jodi Dixon ("Deadly Silence" and as Meredith Baxter Birney)
The Impostor Julie Watson TV movie
Target Risk Linda Flayly TV movie
1976 Bittersweet Love Patricia Peterson as Meredith Baxter Birney
Police Woman Liz Robson ("Sarah Who?" and as Meredith Baxter Birney)
The Wide World of Mystery ("Terror in the Night")
Standing Room Only Joanne ("Vanities")
All the President's Men Debbie Sloan
City of Angels Mary Kingston ("The November Plan: Part 1," "The November Plan: Part 2," "The November Plan: Part 3" and as Meredith Baxter-Birney)
Family Nancy Lawrence Maitland 1976 - 1980 (59 episodes)
1977 The November Plan Mary Kingston TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
The Love Boat Sandy Rytell/Francesca Randall 1977 - 1982 ("The Captain and the Lady/One If by Land/Centerfold," "Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci," "Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement: Part 1," "Gopher/The Arrangement: Part 2" and as Meredith Baxter Birney)
1978 Little Women Meg March ("Pilot" and as Meredith Baxter Birney)
What Really Happened to the Class of '65? Gloria ("Class Athlete")
1979 The Family Man Mercedes Cole TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1980 Beulah Land Lauretta Pennington as Meredith Baxter Birney
1981 The Two Lives of Carol Letner Carol Letner TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1982 Take Your Best Shot Carol Marriner TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
Family Ties Elyse Keaton 1982 - 1989 (176 episodes)
1985 Family Ties Vacation Elyse Keaton TV movie
The Rape of Richard Beck Barbara McKee TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1986 Kate's Secret Kate Stark TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1987 The Long Journey Home Maura Wells TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1988 Winnie Winnie TV movie and as Meredith Baxter-Birney
1989 American Playhouse Eve ("The Diaries of Adam and Eve")
She Knows Too Much Samantha White TV movie and as Meredith Baxter Birney
1990 Jezebel's Kiss Virginia De Leo
Burning Bridges Lynn Hollinger TV movie and as Meredith Baxter-Birney
The Kissing Place Florence Tulane TV movie
1991 A Mother's Justice Lila TV movie
Bump in the Night Martha Tierney TV movie
1992 Stolen Love DeeDee TV movie
Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter Betty Broderick TV movie
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story Betty Broderick TV movie
1993 CBS Schoolbreak Special Paula Hensen ("Other Mothers")
Darkness Before Dawn Mary Ann Guard TV movie
1994 My Breast Joyce Wadler TV movie
One More Mountain Margaret Reed TV movie
For the Love of Aaron Margaret Gibson TV movie
1995 Betrayed: A Story of Three Women Amanda Nelson TV movie
The Faculty TV movie
1996 After Jimmy Maggie Stapp TV movie
The Faculty Flynn Sullivan (13 episodes)
1997 Spin City Macy ("Family Affair" and "Family Affair: Part 2")
Miracle in the Woods Sarah Weatherby TV movie
Let Me Call You Sweetheart D.A. Kerry McGrath TV movie
The Inheritance Beatrice Hamilton TV movie
Dog's Best Friend Cow voice and TV movie
1999 Miracle on the 17th Green Susan McKinley TV movie
Down Will Come Baby Leah Garr TV movie
Holy Joe Annie Cass TV movie
Elevator Seeking Ann
2000 The Wednesday Woman Muriel Davidson TV movie
2001 Murder on the Orient Express Mrs. Caroline Hubbard TV movie
A Mother's Fight for Justice Terry Stone TV movie
2002 A Christmas Visitor Carol Boyajian TV movie
2003 7th Heaven Ms. Jones ("Go Ask Alice")
Devil's Pond Kate
Aftermath Carol TV movie
2004 Angel in the Family Lorraine TV movie
Half & Half Joan Tyrell, Nick's Mother ("The Big Rules of Engagement Episode")
2005 The Closer Congresswoman Simmons ("Fantasy Date")
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green Harper Green
Paradise, Texas Liz Cameron
2006 Brothers & Sisters Margaret Packard ("For the Children")
Cold Case Ellen Rush 2006 - 2007'(4 episodes)
2007 What About Brian Frankie ("What About All That Glitters")
2008 The Onion Movie Cooking Show Chef
2009 Brothers TV Mom ("Commercial/Coach DMV")
Bound by a Secret Ida Mae TV movie
Family Guy Meredith Baxter/Elyse Keaton voice ("Family Gay"/"Brothers & Sisters" and "Stew-Roids")
2010 Airline Disaster President Harriet Franklin video
We Have to Stop Now Judy ("The Grass Is Always Greener," "Celesbianism" and "How Sweet It Is")
2012 Switched at Birth Bonnie, Kathryn's Mother 2012 ("Las Dos Fridas"); 2015 ("Fog and Storm and Rain")
Naughty or Nice Carol Kringle TV movie
2013 Reading Writing & Romance Elaine TV movie
Glee Liz Stevens ("All or Nothing")
Shadow on the Mesa Emilie Rawlins TV movie
The Neighbors Mother Joyner ("Supreme Like Me" and "Thanksgiving is No Schmuck Bait")
2014 Instant Mom ("Not Your Mother's Day")
Finding Carter Grandma Joan 2014 - (9 episodes)
The Young and the Restless Maureen Russell (20 episodes)
2015 Undateable John Beatrice post production

Trivia[]

  • Meredith guest starred in an episode of Instant Mom with Glee guest star, Jackée Harry.

Gallery[]

References[]

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