Cynthia Stevenson
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Biography
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Biography
This winsome, dark-haired actress has made a pleasant impression on TV since the mid-1980s, playing somewhat nervous and charmingly ditzy or overly optimistic characters. Stevenson began her career as a member of the cast of the short-lived syndicated series "Off the Wall" (1986) and in 1989 made two memorable appearances on "Cheers" as Norm's secretary Nancy. She had a potential big break as the star of the syndicated, six-day-a-week spoof "My Talk Show" (1990), in which she entertained less than stellar celebrities in her Midwestern living room. The show, however, failed to find an audience and was canceled after just three months.
Exhausted by the grind of daily TV, Stevenson was preparing to return to her adopted home of Vancouver when director Robert Altman called with a part in his searing black comedy "The Player" (1992). She played Bonnie Sherow, the soft-hearted studio executive who is exploited by industry boss Tim Robbins. That same year, Stevenson was cast in "Bob," the third sitcom vehicle for veteran Bob Newhart, in which she essayed his mildly flaky daughter, Trish. While the series flopped, Stevenson won attention from critics and was noticed by networks and casting directors.
After an unbilled cameo in "The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag" (1992), Stevenson appeared in the mild ensemble comedy "Watch It" (1993) with Peter Gallagher and John C McGinley. 1995 proved to be a banner year for the actress. On the big screen, she was Joe Mantegna's fiancee who is eager to hear about the love story of Billy Crystal and Debra Winger in "Forget Paris," Marcy, dealing with a jealous lover who is stalking her in the female buddy movie "Live Nude Girls," and Holly Hunter's humorless and resentful sister in Jodie Foster's "Home for the Holidays." Stevenson seemingly found her TV series niche as the upbeat TV producer Hope Davidson on NBC's "Hope & Gloria" (1995-96), but the show stumbled in the ratings and was canceled after a season and a half. She returned to series TV in 1998 as star of the Lifetime original sitcom "Oh Baby" playing a single thirtysomething woman who chooses to have a baby via artificial insemination.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1986
Cast as a regular on "Off the Wall", a short-lived syndicated satirical series
1989
Appeared as the 26th secretary on "Murphy Brown"
1989
Hired to play Norm's secretary Doris in two episodes of "Cheers"
1990
Starred on "My Talk Show", a short-lived syndicated talk show spoof that ran six nights a week
1992
Feature debut with a major supporting role in Robert Altman's "The Player"
1992
Cast as Bob Newhart's first TV offspring on CBS-TV's "Bob"
1992
Uncredited cameo appearance in "The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag"
1995
Starred as Hope on NBC sitcom "Hope & Gloria"
1998
Returned to series TV as star of the Lifetime sitcom "Oh Baby"
1998
Acted in the ensemble of "Happiness", directed by Todd Solondz
2003
Played the mother of Frankie Muniz's character in "Agent Cody Banks"
2004
Revised role in "Agent Cody Banks 2"
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