A child star from the 1970s was spotted this week walking her dog in Los Angeles this week, a quarter of a century after she withdrew from the spotlight.
She shot to fame on a popular Aaron Spelling show in the same decade when her brother achieved nationwide fame as a teen idol.
During the run of her hit series, she won two Emmys and embarked on a film career that included a dark comedy directed by its star Burt Reynolds.
As she continued appearing on the big screen, she acted with such boldface names of the era as Sally Field, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill and Tatum O’Neal.
She continued working in television as well, including on The Golden Girls and one of its spin-offs as well as such programs as Murder, She Wrote.
In 2001 she announced her retirement from acting for the sake of ‘my personal happiness and well-being’ – and 11 years later she came of the closet as a lesbian.
Can you guess who she is?
A child star from the 1970s was spotted this week walking her dog in Los Angeles this week, a quarter of a century after she withdrew from the spotlight
She shot to fame on a popular Aaron Spelling show in the same decade when her brother achieved nationwide fame as a teen idol
She is none other than Kristy McNichol, who featured on the 1970s drama Family about a suburban household in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena.
When she was glimpsed this week, she cut a casual figure in a white crop-top t-shirt and black shorts, her curly hair trimmed into a pixie cut.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she started acting in commercials with her brother Jimmy McNichol, who later became a ubiquitous teen idol as a singer and actor.
McNichol was 13 years old when she landed her star-making turn as Letitia, aka Buddy, the teenage daughter on Family, which ran from 1976 to 1980.
Her brother achieved his stratospheric fame around the same time, so Jimmy and Kristy cut an album together in 1978 – including the successful disco single He’s So Fine – and co-hosted a variety show on ABC.
During the late 1970s and 1970s, she also forged a glittering film career, starring with Tatum O’Neal in the 1980 comedy Little Darlings about two teenagers at summer camp competing over who could lose her virginity first.
Her movies included the 1978 dark comedy The End, directed by Burt Reynolds and led by him amid a cast that featured Sally Field, Joanne Woodward and Carl Reiner.
McNichol herself led the cast of the 1980 country musical The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, also starring Dennis Quaid and Mark Hamill.
She is none other than Kristy McNichol, who featured on the 1970s drama Family about a suburban household in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena
When she was glimpsed this week, she cut a casual figure in a white crop-top t-shirt and black shorts, her curly hair trimmed into a pixie cut
McNichol (bottom left) is pictured on Family with Gary Frank, Meredith Baxter-Birney, James Broderick and Sada Thompson; the show ran from 1976 to 1980
McNichol was 13 years old when she landed her star-making turn on Family as Letitia, aka Buddy, a role for which she was awarded two Emmys
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she started acting in commercials with her brother Jimmy McNichol, who later became a ubiquitous teen idol; the siblings pictured in 1978
However her high-octane showbiz career masked a period of personal turmoil, culminating in a breakdown in 1984 while she was filming the movie Just the Way You Are in France – a development the studio publicly attributed to a ‘chemical imbalance.’
She herself told People of the shoot: ‘I hardly slept…I was crying all the time…It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done to try and get through that film,’ via Biography.
McNichol later reflected on the strain of her child star career: ‘From the time I was very young, I was a professional, making money and assuming responsibilities. I didn’t live the life of a child. I was living the life of a 30-year-old.’
By the late 1980s, she was able to revitalize her career with the Golden Girls spin-off Empty Nest, which ran an impressive seven seasons from 1988 until 1995.
McNichol, however, left the show three years before its conclusion, a decision she said years later was driven by the fact she had been diagnosed with ‘manic depression’ aka bipolar disorder, according to Woman’s World.
Her movies included the 1978 dark comedy The End, directed by Burt Reynolds and led by him amid a cast that featured Sally Field; Reynolds and McNichol are pictured in the film
McNichol (left) with Tatum O’Neal (right) in the 1980 comedy Little Darlings about two teenagers at summer camp competing over who could lose her virginity first
By the late 1980s, she was able to revitalize her career with the Golden Girls spin-off Empty Nest, on which she is pictured with Richard Mulligan
She returned briefly to Empty Nest for the 1995 finale but gradually retreated from the public eye before announcing her retirement altogether in 2001.
‘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,’ she said in a statement.
‘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,’ McNichol added.
Safely out of the public eye, McNichol reportedly worked at a friend’s Beverly Hills hair salon and taught acting at a Los Angeles private school.
Then in 2012 she reentered the spotlight to come out of the closet as a lesbian, announcing she and he girlfriend Martie Allen had lived together since the 1990s.
Her publicist Jeff Ballard explained she was ‘very sad about kids being bullied’ and ‘hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different,’ according to People magazine.
Read the full article here
