Gail Strickland
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
This warm, intelligent character actress has appeared regularly in supporting roles in film and TV since her acting debut in the mid-1970s. While she never achieved stardom, she also never seemed to be out of work.
Strickland, raised in a strict Southern Baptist family, went into an acting career straight out of college. While still in her 20s, she made it to Broadway in "Status Quo Vadis" (1973), and went on to appear in other stage productions on and off-Broadway, but films and TV have been her bread and butter.
Strickland made her debut in both media in 1975. She has played strong supporting roles in several high profile films, including "The Drowning Pool" (1975), "Bound for Glory" (1976), "Norma Rae" (1978), as one of Sally Fields' pals, "Three of Hearts" (1993), "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994) and "The American President" (1995).
Strickland has appeared in numerous TV-movies, from respected dramas like "My Father's House" (ABC, 1975), the Emmy-winning "The Gathering" (ABC, 1977) and "Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice" opposite Carol Burnett (CBS, 1982) to trashy disaster flicks like "Ski Lift to Death" (CBS, 1978). Strickland co-starred in the miniseries "Burden of Proof" (ABC, 1992) and "Barbara Taylor Bradford's 'Remember'" (NBC, 1993). She has also played recurring roles in a handful of series, notably as a lesbian nurse in "Heartbeat" (ABC, 1988), and as one of the townspeople in the first season of CBS' "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (1993). Strickland has stayed busy in television with numerous guest roles including turns on "Murphy Brown," "Chicago Hope" (both CBS), "Providence," "ER" (both NBC) and "Melrose Place" (Fox).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1973
Broadway debut, "Status Quo Vadis"
1975
Feature film debut, "The Drowning Pool"
1975
TV debut in ABC movie, "My Father's House"
1978
First major supporting role, "Norma Rae"
1982
Series debut in sitcom "Nine to Five" (ABC)
1988
Played openly gay character on ABC medical series "Heartbeat"
1993
Played recurring role on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (CBS)
2002
Returned to series work co-starring as a US Supreme Court Justice in the CBS midseason series "First Monday"
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
