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Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Loni Anderson, star of 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79
Loni Anderson, who played the platinum blond receptionist on the TV sitcom 'WKRP in Cincinnati' in the late 1970s and early '80s and who later became a tabloid mainstay during her contentious divorce from actor Burt Reynolds, died Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. She was 79. Her death, in a hospital, just days before her 80th birthday, was confirmed by Cheryl Kagan, her publicist, who cited an unspecified prolonged illness. As a young woman, Anderson epitomized the American beauty standards of her time with her fresh face, dimples and big, sparkling eyes. She got her start in acting on television shows in the mid-1970s. Her big break came in 1978 when she was cast as Jennifer Marlowe, a receptionist, on 'WKRP in Cincinnati.' The show, which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982, was about an easy-listening local radio station in Cincinnati that switched to a rock format. Her role earned her three Golden Globe nominations as well as two Emmy nominations. She later appeared in two episodes of a sequel, 'The New WKRP in Cincinnati,' which aired from 1991 to 1993. Anderson's seemingly ditsy, bombshell character was anything but, and her performance as Jennifer showed that looks and smarts could go together. 'I was against being like a blonde window dressing person, so I made my feelings known,' she said on Australian television in 2017. 'And as we know, Jennifer was the smartest person in the room.' She added, 'She just turned into a great groundbreaking kind of character for women to be glamorous and smart.' Anderson's blond locks were not her natural hair color, and she initially had conflicted feelings about them. She had been a brunette for most of her life, including during her early acting career, and worried that she would not be taken seriously as an actress if she dyed her hair. 'I was very much on the fence about it,' she said in the interview. She entered into a relationship with actor Burt Reynolds, who would become her third husband, in 1982, when they were filming 'Stroker Ace,' a comedy movie revolving around car racing. Anderson played a 'rather sweet, Marilyn Monroe-like turn as a virginal public relations woman,' who was the love interest of Reynolds' character, Vincent Canby wrote in his review in The New York Times, dismissing the film as 'the must-miss movie of the summer.' The couple married in 1988 and adopted a son, Quinton Reynolds. The marriage ended in 1993 in a bitter Hollywood split that would serve as tabloid filler for decades, with Reynolds and Anderson jabbing at each other in interviews. In 2015, the gossip website TMZ reported that Reynolds had finally paid off his settlement to Anderson. 'It was one of the longest and nastiest divorces in Hollywood history,' the website wrote. 'The truth is,' Reynolds wrote in a memoir released that year, 'I never did like her.' The two seemed to have patched things up before Reynolds' death in 2018. 'We were friends first and friends last,' Anderson said in 2019. 'It's time to move on.' In 2008, Anderson married musician Bob Flick, her fourth husband, who was a founding member of the 1960s folk group the Brothers Four. The two had met more than four decades before, on May 17, 1963, as part of a fan photo opportunity for Flick's band. Exactly 45 years later, they cut into a wedding cake decorated with that first photo of them. Loni Kaye Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl Anderson, a chemist, and Maxine Kallin, a model. In addition to her son, Quinton, and her husband, Flick, Anderson is survived by her daughter, Deidra Hoffman; her stepson, Adam Flick; two granddaughters and two step-grandchildren. Over the decades, Anderson amassed more than 60 acting credits. In 1980, she starred in the biographical drama and made-for-TV movie 'The Jayne Mansfield Story' opposite a young Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hungarian actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. Anderson continued working well into her 70s. In 2023, she appeared in the Lifetime movie 'Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas,' which follows five soap opera actresses who reunite to shoot a Christmas episode. Anderson remained true to her early television persona well into her later years, still maintaining her bleached-blond hair. At the premiere of 'Ladies of the '80s,' she reflected on acting in the 1970s and '80s compared with doing so in more recent times. Young actors in the 21st century could be 'chameleonlike,' she said, whereas in her generation, 'everybody had an image, and you stuck with your image.' She added: 'We were kind of put into our image. Into our Loni-suit.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
Calgary Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Loni Anderson, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79
Article content Loni Anderson, who starred in the hit sitcom 'WKRP in Cincinnati' in the late 1970s and early 1980s, died Aug. 3. She was 79. Article content Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, according to her longtime publicist Cheryl J. Kagan. Article content Article content 'We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,' Anderson's family said in a statement provided by Kagan. Article content Article content Anderson rose to fame as a platinum blonde – dyed, she admitted – who defied stereotypes, while also coming to embrace her status as a sex symbol. Article content Article content Anderson's breakout role was the brainy, beautiful receptionist for the eponymous radio station in 'WKRP in Cincinnati.' Article content The sitcom ran for 90 episodes from 1978 until 1982 and Anderson's performances earned her two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations. She also guest-starred on its 1991 revival, 'The New WKRP in Cincinnati.' Article content Her character, Jennifer Marlowe, had originally been written as a 'dumb blonde,' Anderson recalled in her 1995 memoir, 'My Life in High Heels.' But she argued against the script – a move she initially thought had cost her the role. Article content Article content 'I've talked back, criticized the way something's written, bombed the audition, and blown my chances for all time with MTM,' the production company, she wrote. Article content Instead, the part was rewritten for her and launched an acting career that would span four decades, including roles on stage, film and TV. Article content Anderson, who died days before her 80th birthday, was born on Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, she briefly taught at a local high school. Article content 'The guys said terrible things to me and I was afraid and I left,' after which she took up professional acting, she said during a 1980 appearance on 'The Tonight Show' with Johnny Carson. Article content After working in community theater in Minneapolis, she moved to Los Angeles in 1975 with her second husband to pursue a career in television and film so she could spend more time with her daughter from her first marriage, according to biographical information provided by Kagan.
Straits Times
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Loni Anderson, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Loni Anderson, who played the platinum blonde receptionist on the screwball comedy 'WKRP in Cincinnati' in the late 1970s and early '80s and later became a tabloid mainstay during her contentious divorce from actor Burt Reynolds, died Aug 3 at a hospital in Los Angeles. She was 79. Her death, just days before her 80th birthday, was confirmed by Cheryl Kagan, her publicist, who cited an unspecified prolonged illness. Loni Kaye Anderson was born Aug 5, 1945, in St Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Klaydon Carl Anderson, a chemist, and Maxine Kallin, a model. As a young woman, Anderson's fresh face, dimples and big, sparkling eyes epitomised the American beauty standards of her time. She got her start in acting on television shows in the mid-1970s. Her big break came in 1978 when she was cast as Jennifer Marlowe, a receptionist, on 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. The show, which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982, was about an easy-listening local radio station in Cincinnati that switched to a rock format. Her role earned her three Golden Globe nominations as well as two Emmy Award nominations. She later appeared in two episodes of a sequel, 'The New WKRP in Cincinnati', which aired from 1991 to 1993. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Live: Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty in case involving ex-transport minister Singapore The past and future of Choa Bungalow, a 'last reminder' of Marine Parade's former shoreline Multimedia How Singapore is rethinking nature in the city Business Are Gen Z-ers in Singapore worried about generative AI coming for their jobs? World Trump is winning his trade war, but Americans will pay the price Singapore No plans to fully liberalise cross-border ride-hailing services between Singapore and Johor: LTA Singapore LTA, Singapore bus operators reviewing Malaysia's request to start services from JB at 4am World Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens humanitarian corridors Anderson's seemingly ditsy, bombshell character was anything but, and her performance as Jennifer showed that looks and smarts could go together. 'I was against being like a blonde window dressing person, so I made my feelings known,' she said on Australian television in 2017. 'And as we know, Jennifer was the smartest person in the room.' 'She just turned into a great groundbreaking kind of character for women to be glamorous and smart,' Anderson added. Her trademark blond locks were not her natural hair color, and she initially had conflicted feelings about them. Anderson had been a brunette for most of her life, including during her early acting career, and worried that she would not be taken seriously as an actress if she dyed her hair. 'I was very much on the fence about it,' she said in the interview. She entered into a relationship with actor Burt Reynolds, who would become her third husband, in 1982 when they were filming 'Stroker Ace', a comedy surrounding car racing. Anderson played a 'rather sweet, Marilyn Monroe-like turn as a virginal public relations woman' who was the love interest of Reynolds' character, according to The New York Times' review of the film. The couple married in 1988 and adopted a son, Quinton Reynolds. The union ended in 1993, in one of the most acrimonious splits Hollywood had seen, and one that would serve as tabloid filler for decades to come, with both Reynolds and Anderson jabbing at each other over the years in interviews. In 2015, the gossip website TMZ reported that Reynolds had finally paid off his settlement to Anderson. 'It was one of the longest and nastiest divorces in Hollywood history,' the website wrote. 'The truth is,' Reynolds wrote in a memoir released that same year, 'I never did like her.' The two seemed to have patched things up before Reynolds' death in 2018. 'We were friends first and friends last,' Anderson said in 2019. 'It's time to move on.' In 2008, Anderson married her fourth husband, musician Bob Flick, who was a founding member of the 1960s folk group the Brothers Four. The pair had met more than four decades prior, as part of a fan photo opportunity for Flick's band on May 17, 1963. Exactly 45 years later, they cut into a wedding cake decorated with that first photo of them. In addition to Quinton Reynolds and Flick, Anderson is survived by her daughter, Deidra Hoffman, her stepson, Adam Flick, two granddaughters and two step-grandchildren. NYTIMES
Boston Globe
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Loni Anderson, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79
As a young woman, Anderson's fresh face, dimples and big, sparkling eyes epitomized the American beauty standards of her time. She got her start in acting on television shows in the mid-1970s. Her big break came in 1978 when she was cast as Jennifer Marlowe, a receptionist, on 'WKRP in Cincinnati.' Advertisement The show, which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982, was about an easy-listening local radio station in Cincinnati that switched to a rock format. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Her role earned her three Golden Globe nominations as well as two Emmy Award nominations. She later appeared in two episodes of a sequel, 'The New WKRP in Cincinnati,' which aired from 1991 to 1993. Anderson's seemingly ditsy, bombshell character was anything but, and her performance as Jennifer showed that looks and smarts could go together. 'I was against being like a blonde window dressing person, so I made my feelings known,' she said on Australian television in 2017. 'And as we know, Jennifer was the smartest person in the room.' 'She just turned into a great groundbreaking kind of character for women to be glamorous and smart,' Anderson added. Advertisement Her trademark blond locks were not her natural hair color, and she initially had conflicted feelings about them. Anderson had been a brunette for most of her life, including during her early acting career, and worried that she would not be taken seriously as an actress if she dyed her hair. 'I was very much on the fence about it,' she said in the interview. She entered into a relationship with actor Burt Reynolds, who would become her third husband, in 1982 when they were filming 'Stroker Ace,' a comedy surrounding car racing. Anderson played a 'rather sweet, Marilyn Monroe-like turn as a virginal public relations woman' who was the love interest of Reynolds' character, according to The New York Times' review of the film. The couple married in 1988 and adopted a son, Quinton Reynolds. The union ended in 1993, in one of the most acrimonious splits Hollywood had seen, and one that would serve as tabloid filler for decades to come, with both Reynolds and Anderson jabbing at each other over the years in interviews. In 2015, the gossip website TMZ reported that Reynolds had finally paid off his settlement to Anderson. 'It was one of the longest and nastiest divorces in Hollywood history,' the website wrote. 'The truth is,' Reynolds wrote in a memoir released that same year, 'I never did like her.' The two seemed to have patched things up before Reynolds' death in 2018. 'We were friends first and friends last,' Anderson said in 2019. 'It's time to move on.' In 2008, Anderson married her fourth husband, musician Bob Flick, who was a founding member of the 1960s folk group the Brothers Four. Advertisement The pair had met more than four decades prior, as part of a fan photo opportunity for Flick's band on May 17, 1963. Exactly 45 years later, they cut into a wedding cake decorated with that first photo of them. In addition to Quinton Reynolds and Flick, Anderson is survived by her daughter, Deidra Hoffman, her stepson, Adam Flick, two granddaughters and two step-grandchildren. Over the decades, Anderson amassed more than 60 acting credits. In 1980, Anderson starred in the biographical drama and made-for-TV movie 'The Jayne Mansfield Story' about the actor of the same name opposite a young Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hungarian actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. She continued working well into her 70s. In 2023, she appeared in the Lifetime movie 'Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas,' which follows five soap opera actresses who reunite to shoot a Christmas episode. Anderson remained true to her early television persona well into her later years, still donning a well-kept head of bleach-blond hair. At the premiere for the 2023 film, she reflected on acting in the 1970s and '80s versus in more recent times. Young actors in the 21st century could be 'chameleon-like,' she said, whereas in her generation, 'everybody had an image and you stuck with your image.' She added: 'We were kind of put into our image. Into our Loni-suit.' This article originally appeared in
