Born on September 18, 1958 in Hollywood, California, Sperber made an impression from the beginning when, at just 19 years of age, she was cast as Rosie Petrofsky, the hyperactive, dreamy-eyed Beatle fan who will stop at nothing to see them on their Ed Sullivan debut in the charming Robert Zemeckis' period comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). The film was a surprise smash in the Spring of '78, and she proved that her comic chops were no fluke when Stephen Spielberg cast her as a lovestruck teenager in his overblown spectacle 1941 (1979); and as a naive car buyer in Zemeckis' funny Kurt Russell outing Used Cars (1980).
As hilarious as she was in those films, Sperber earned her pop culture stripes when she played Amy Cassidy in the cult comedy series Bosom Buddies (1980-82). This strange sitcom, about two pals (Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari), who dressed in drag so they could live in an all-girls residential hotel might have had a flimsy premise - but the actors played it to the hilt. Hanks and Scolari were fine, but Sperber stole the series with her incredible physical display of pratfalls, comic sprints, splits and facial mugging. Indeed, here was one comedic performer who was not afraid to go all out for a laugh. Even after the cancellation of the show, Sperber continued to work in comedies throughout the decade: Bachelor Party (1984), Moving Violations, and in Back to the Future (both 1985).
Tragically, Sperber's career was halted in 1997 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a brief remission, she played a cancer survivor in a final season episode of Murphy Brown (1997-98). The warm reception she received from her appearance influenced her decision to become an active campaigner for cancer awareness and fundraising. The culmination of her humanitarian efforts resulted in 2001, when she founded weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks, a nonprofit center that provides free emotional support, research information and social activities for cancer victims and their families. Despite her altruistic causes, Sperber still found time in recent years to make guest appearances on such hit television shows like Will & Grace and 8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter. She is survived by a son, Preston; a daughter, Pearl; parents, Charlene and Burt; sisters, Ellice and Michelle; and a brother, Richard.
by Michael T. Toole
