Latest news with #StepByStep
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
She was the 90s babe who dated two real-life brothers in different teen sitcoms... can you guess who she is?
This 90s babe made headlines and history by romantically linking with two real-life brothers while starring in several beloved sitcoms. Think you know who it is? Born in California and raised on a ranch in Arizona, this actress got her start as a barrel racer before returning to the Golden State, where her path to fame began after being crowned Miss California American Pre-Teen in 1987. Before breaking into Hollywood, she made an early TV appearance during Young People's Week on CBS's Card Sharks in 1986 - walking away with $3,200 in winnings. At just 14 years old, she made her first major on-screen appearance as a guest star on the '90s sitcom Step By Step - often dubbed a modern-day Brady Bunch - marking the start of her ascent in the entertainment world. She began to gain recognition through appearances in a variety of television specials and celebrated '90s series, including Blossom, Living Dolls and the coming-of-age classic The Wonder Years. However, it wasn't until her sun-kissed blonde hair, approachable smile and all-American charm landed her a series regular role on the beloved '90s sitcom - set in an upscale West Coast beach town - that she truly became a household name. This actress portrayed an understanding, bubbly bass player whose playful immaturity was balanced by her steady role as the anchor of her high school friend group. Through her appearances, the blonde bombshell ultimately set a one-of-a-kind TV record - becoming the only actress to play a love interest to two real-life brothers on two separate sitcoms. With a career now spanning 35 years, this actress has amassed more than 20 appearances across a wide range of films and television series. Have you been able to guess who it is yet? It's Kelly Packard! The now 49-year-old actress perfectly embodied the laid-back, sun-soaked spirit of Tiffani Smith - the cool, beachy, bass-playing teen at the core of the hit 90s series, California Dreams. Running for five seasons, Packard was a key force behind both the beachy West Coast charm - and the band - that defined the heart of the show. Her easygoing warmth and natural magnetic energy allowed her to deeply connect with the other characters, often serving as the group's peacemaker and steady voice of reason whenever drama stirred among friends. Like most teenagers, Tiffani faced her share of typical struggles - but she approached them with sincerity and optimism, offering viewers a relatable and grounded portrayal of teen life. Reflecting on her time on the show during a 2024 episode of the Pop Culture Unplugged podcast, Packard credited California Dreams' success to its blend of friendship, music and the chill California beach vibe. She described it as a natural successor to the popularity of Saved by the Bell, capturing a similar spirit. The show changed her life virtually overnight, opening doors in both acting and music - including more mature roles on the big screen. In no time, Packard landed a brief but notable stint on Boy Meets World, portraying two characters across just three episodes, and in doing so, made a bit of TV history. 'I just know how excited I was because I loved the show,' Packard said about booking Boy Meets World during a 2024 podcast episode of The Pod Meets World alongside costars. 'And then I obviously left an impression because they just kept asking me back,' she added. During her brief time on the series, she played two separate characters - Tracy and Candy - appearing as a love interest to both Eric Matthews (played by Will Friedle) and Cory Matthews (played by Ben Savage). When she played Susan Fisher on The Wonder Years as a love interest for Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage), she unknowingly set the stage for a mind-blowing TV milestone - later going on to date Fred's real-life brother, Ben Savage, on Boy Meets World. When Packard played Susan Fisher on The Wonder Years as a love interest for Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage), she unknowingly set the stage for a mind-blowing TV milestone - later going on to date Fred's real-life brother, Ben Savage, on Boy Meets World 'It's those Savage boys that just kept me working. I owe them everything,' Packard said during on The Pod Meets World podcast episode. In a more mature role, Packard went on to appear in a total of 50 episodes of Baywatch between 1991 and 1999, cementing her place as a familiar face on one of the most-watched television shows of the decade. She starred alongside castmates Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and David Hasselhoff. What set this show apart was that she played four different roles - Joannie, a beach girl, Beth Campfield and April Giminski - making her only the second actress in series' history to portray multiple characters. 'Being on the number one show in the world, it took me to a whole different level in terms of my spiritual being,' Packard said during a previous in-depth interview about her journey on Baywatch. 'Just knowing that I could touch people out there… I have tried to do that every day in my life since then,' she added. She later became a sought-after TV host, with one of her most notable roles on Ripley's Believe It or Not. Traveling the globe, she reported on astonishing facts accomplished by extraordinary individuals for the show, captivating audiences with each unbelievable story she secured in the process. In 2014, Packard and her family appeared in an episode of Wife Swap, in which she switched places with actress Tichina Arnold. Today, Packard is actively engaged in both entertainment and family life, connecting with fans young and old through public events and social media - including several California Dreams reunions alongside fellow cast members. She and co-star Jenny Kawn initiated the idea for these reunions, leading to sold-out performances in major cities like Los Angeles and New York, Packard shared on the Pop Culture Unplugged podcast. During the podcast episode, Packard shared her desire to return to acting - feeling as though she has much more to offer the industry - and expressed openness to future auditions. In 1996, she married Darrin Privett, an emergency medicine physician. Together, they have four children together - three daughters and one son - and reside in Newhall, California. Daily Mail reached out to Packard for further comment.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Step By Step star Christine Lakin, 46, rose to fame as a child actress in the '90s... see her now
Christine Lakin has come a long way since breaking out in Hollywood in the early 1990s. The actress, now 46, got her big break as a main cast member on the sitcom Step By Step, which she starred on for 160 episodes over seven seasons. She played Alicia 'Al' Lambert, the daughter of Patrick Duffy's character Frank, who is getting used to his new marriage to Suzanne Somers ' character Carol. Although critics never paid much attention to Step By Step, it was popular with viewers for several seasons, though ratings began to flag by the show's sixth season. For its seventh and final season, it moved from ABC to CBS, though that turmoil only exacerbated the exodus of viewers, and the show was canceled for good in June 1998. Now, more than two decades after the show that gave her her big break went off the air, takes a look at what Christine looks like now. The film and television actress was spotted out in Los Angeles this week when she attended her son Baylor's Little League game. Christine was dressed in a sporty white tank top that highlighted her toned arms, and she paired it with acid wash jeans and brown Birkenstock sandals. She opted for minimal makeup and covered up with aviator sunglasses and a blue denim-style LA Dodgers baseball cap. Christine carried a bag with her son's equipment, including his baseball bat, and she also brought along a fan for the sweltering late-spring day. Despite being decades away from the role she's best known for, she still looked shockingly youthful. In 2014, she tied the knot with the actor Brandon Breault. In 2016, they welcomed their first child, daughter Georgia James, nine, and in late 2018 she gave birth to their son Baylor B., six. Christine managed to make a successful transition from being a child star to an adult actor after her first series ended, and even though she's never appeared in any film or show as successful as Step By Step, she has continued to be a prolific actor and has even expanded into directing in recent years. After wrapping on Step By Step, Christine — who described herself as a 'recovering child actor' in an interview with Voyage LA last year, became an in-demand guest star on shows including 7th Heaven, 3rd Rock From The Sun and the Touched By An Angel spinoff Promised Land. Christine was dressed in a sporty white tank top that highlighted her toned arms, and she paired it with acid wash jeans, brown Birkenstocks, aviator sunglasses and a blue denim-style LA Dodgers baseball cap. She opted for minimal makeup As the 2000s rolled around, she appeared in episodes of Boston Public, the original Touched By An Angel series, the cult teen mystery-drama Veronica Mars, CSI and Bones. Her next series to get picked up was the CW's Valentine in 2008, but the series only lasted eight episodes. Although she mostly appeared in low-budget films throughout the 2000s, she had a surprising connection to Paris Hilton's attempt to launch an acting career when she starred opposite the heiress in The Hottie And The Nottie (as the Nottie). It took extreme makeup and prosthetics to cover up Christine's natural beauty, though she eventually gets to show off her real visage after a 'makeover.' The film was panned by critics and earned the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for Paris, as well as three other Razzies. The Hottie And The Nottie was also a failure at the box office, grossing only $1.6 million against a relatively modest budget of $9 million. She rounded out the decade with roles in Disney's Race To Witch Mountain — which starred Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino and Ciarán Hinds — and the all-star ensemble romantic comedy Valentine's Day. A year later, she reunited with director Garry Marshall for a small part in his follow-up ensemble rom-com, New Year's Eve. As the 2010s started up, Christine began a successful run as the voice of Joyce Kinney, as well as multiple miscellaneous characters, on the long-running animated series Family Guy. She continued guest starring on shows like NCIS, CSI: NY and Modern Family, and she had multi-episode runs on Melissa & Joey and the Cartoon Network series Clarence. Her film work in the 2010s was less prolific, but she again played a small part for Marshall in his rom-com Mother's Day, which starred Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis, among many others, and she also returned to the Veronica Mars universe with a role in the sequel film from 2014. Christine has also established herself as a television director begin in 2012, and she got some of her most high-profile directing gigs beginning in 2018 on The Goldbergs. She went on to direct 12 episodes of the series through 2023, along with three episodes of its spinoff series Schooled. More recently, she helmed an episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. While speaking to Voyage LA last year, she explained her shift to working more behind the camera. 'I have always been interested in the production of television and the behind-the-scenes action that goes on with live and scripted production. Being a self-starter and creating my own lane with projects was something born out of necessity in a competitive town like Hollywood, but also appealed to my creative brain to constantly try things and bring folks together to create something fun and unique. She added that 'saying yes to opportunities that sometimes scared me, that didn't always seem like a linear path to where I thought I wanted to go' had helped her in the past and motivated her to give directing a try. However, she found road blocks along the way since she hadn't been trained extensively as a director before trying her hand at it. 'It's hard to be competitive for that first big job when you've had no experience at that level before,' she explained. 'The feedback can feel like a Catch-22: You desperately want to prove you can do it, but folks have a hard time taking a chance on someone new.' In the same interview, she noted that being a child actor had been a far different experience for her than it has been for other stars, both those who found success later and those who left Hollywood. 'I had the most fun working as a child and surrounded by wonderful people,' Christine admitted. 'I love the fans that still approach me today and those who are now watching Step By Step again with their kids. There's a nostalgia that, as a fan of that time, I can completely appreciate.'
The Guardian
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Niall Williams: ‘When I first read Chekhov, I thought: 'He's not so great''
My earliest reading memory I am sitting at the kitchen table at home in Dublin. I am home from school. I am in short pants; my legs dangle. The book in front of me is called Step By Step. It has no author. On the amber paper cover, in my mother's handwriting, is my name. It is my first spelling book. I still have it. It begins with easy ones, No, Go, So, and works through 20 pages to Deck, Dock, Duck. Everything that follows begins here. When you know your spellings, it is a triumphant moment. You have been given a key. My favourite book growing up My hunger for books allowed no time for a favourite. I was on to the next one. All of Enid Blyton might be one multi-volumed book in my memory. The Famous Five and The Secret Seven and the Mystery series all passing through my hands in bedtime reading, to be replaced later by westerns, especially those of Louis L'Amour, whose great virtue was the supply would never run out, because he wrote so many. The book that changed me as a teenager Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Mr Mason had us read it aloud in class, each of 30 teenage boys following the sentences with our finger. The world of that novel was more real to me than the one outside. When Pip fell in love with Estella, I did too. The book that made me want to be a writer I could say Dickens again here, for it seems to me that I began to write to rediscover the pleasure I had as a reader. But when I was 21, Christine Breen told me to read Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and when I emerged from the humid jungle of those pages, head spinning and imagination fevered, I knew that, for better or worse, making fiction was to be my life, and I hoped it would be with her. The book or author I came back toChekhov. When I first read him as a teenager, I thought: 'He's not so great.' At that age I wanted style, brilliance, dazzlement. It took me 40 years to see his people, their profound humanness, and the genius of his story-making. The book I reread The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien. I read it first in university when I wanted to know what every famous Irish writer had done. I reread it when I was working on Time of the Child and realised that one of my characters, Ronnie, the doctor's eldest daughter, who secretly wants to be a writer, was reading it. It is always startling when you find something is so much better than you remembered. I sent my salute to Edna at her extraordinary funeral. The book I discovered later in life I could make this plural and say everything by Edith Wharton. But in particular The House of Mirth. It was chosen by the book club that has met at our house for 16 years. During one year we read only 'classics', to see what that amounted to. And there was Edith, waiting. The book I am currently reading A Cold Eye: Notes from a Shared Island 1989-2024 by Carlo Gebler, with photographs by David Barker. Drawing on his meticulously kept journals from over 35 years, Carlo gives us one day for each year. In the company of these sharp, affectionate and wise entries you find yourself saying 'Yes' often, and 'God, I remember that.' Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Time of the Child by Niall Williams is published by Bloomsbury. To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
