• Multi-talented American actress, songwriter and singer Crystal Bernard was born in Garland, Texas
• Raised in a Southern Baptist home, she wrote and recorded a song with her sister at the age of 11
• Her career started with a role in the sitcom “Happy Days” and she gained further success with her role of Helen Chappel Hackett in the series “Wings”
• She has also pursued a theatre and music career, writing and recording songs with Paula Abdul and Jim Messina
• Crystal's current net worth is estimated to be around $5 million
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Crystal Bernard is a popular American actress, songwriter and singer, who is probably best known for her role of Helen in the TV sitcom “Wings”. During her long career, she’s tried herself in various entertainment spheres, and gained success in all of them, being a truly multi-talented person. Let’s find out more about what she’s up to today, what her net worth is, etc.
Early life and family
Crystal Lynn Bernard was born 30 September 1961. in Garland, Texas USA, so under the sign of Libra, and holding American nationality. Crystal’s family were televangelists in her Southern Baptist home; her father’s name is Jerry Wayne Bernard, who was a preacher, singer and later even an actor; her mother’s name is Gaylon Fussell, her age and occupation are unknown.
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Crystal was raised in Oak Creek Village, not far from Houston, Texas, along with her older sister Robyn, and two younger ones, Angelique and Scarlett. From her early years Crystal enjoyed singing, dancing and performing on stage, so she wrote and recorded a couple of songs and then performed and recorded them with her older sister Robyn. The first song was called “The Monkey Song”, which had deep thoughts of objection to evolution theory. The other song didn’t survive over the years, though both of the recordings were made at the base of Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1972. Along with her younger sisters, Crystal also performed gospel songs in church.
Father Jerry Wayne Bernard
Being a famous televangelist, Jerry Wayne Bernard travelled across the US for a long time, spreading the word about his church. Born on 18 January 1937, Jerry was around 52 years old when he appeared in the movie entitled “Chameleons” (1989) playing the role which was familiar for him – a preacher. He also landed a minor role in the series which his daughter Crystal starred in, “Wings”, playing a bank customer. Later he appeared in two TV films: “Lady Against the Odds” (1992) and “Siringo” (1995). His latest appearance was in the role of Dr. Mallozzi in the movie called “The Contract” (1999).
Educational background
Crystal attended Bammel Middle School, where she impressed her teachers with her multiple talents.
She even created the video about Tom Sawyer for her school project, which she filmed and edited herself, also writing a song for it. Then she attended Spring High School, matriculating from there in 1979, subsequently entering Baylor University of which her father is also an alumni, and enjoyed studying there; she graduated with a BA in international relations, while also studying in the Alley Theatre, to develop her acting skills.
Career
First steps
Crystal got her first job by landing a minor role in the popular series “Happy Days” (1974 – 1984) in 1982, appearing in 16 episodes of the show in the role of K.C. Cunningham, sharing the screen with Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross and Ron Howard.
Then she was cast in various roles in such series as “Gimme a Break!” (1982-1995), “Fantasy Island” (1977 – 1984), “The Love Boat” (1977 – 1987) and “High School U.S.A.” (1983-1984). In 1983 Crystal landed the role of Amy Tompkins in the popular sitcom “It’s A Living” (1980 – 1989), playing opposite Gail Edwards and Barrie Youngfellow.
At the start of the ‘90s, Crystal was cast as Helen Chappel Hackett, a young lunch-counter operator in the café at the airport in the series “Wings” (1990 – 1997). The TV show told the story of members of the fictional Tom Nevers Field Airport, and their daily issues with passengers and colleagues. The sitcom had great success with the audience, running for eight seasons.
I love tsundere characters.
Helen fits this trope, she is cold and harsh towards Joe but deep down she loves him.#Wings @CrystalBernard1 pic.twitter.com/619p8Ojh6C— HalloweenFanatic'93 (@ZSkellingtonMan) June 26, 2017
Further acting career
Crystal began receiving invitations to TV films and movies, as she was noticed by major directors in Hollywood. Thus she appeared in such movies as “Young Doctors in Love” (1982) playing the role of Julie; “Slumber Party Massacre II” (1987) in which she landed the role of Courtney Bates; “Without Her Consent” (1990) and “Lady Against the Odds” (1992). Among her later works there are such movies as “Gideon” (1998), “Single Santa Seeks Mrs Claus” (2004), and “Meet the Santas” (2005). She also appeared in the role of Lisa Christien in the series “According to Jim” (2001 – 2009), .
Theatre career
Right after Crystal’s contract with the “Wings” series was over, she decided to try herself on the theatre stage.
Thus she participated in the Los Angeles production of “Crimes of the Heart” (1999), which was later nominated as the “Best Play” by Tony Awards. She also landed the role of Annie Oakley, an American sharpshooter, in the Marquis Theatre production “Annie Get Your Gun” (2001). The third work which appeared to be her last on the stage was the west coast premiere of the Falcon Theatre production “Barbra’s Wedding” (2005), sharing the stage with Daniel Stern, an experienced actor and playwright.
Music career
The period when Crystal starred in the “Wings” series was both hard and prosperous for her, as she discovered more strength and will to do more in the entertainment industry.
Thus she blew away dust from her songwriter’s notebook, and became the author of several singles which turned out to be quite successful. She co-wrote the single called “If I Were Your Girl”, performed by the legendary Paula Abdul and included in her “Head Over Heels” album. She also recorded a duet with the popular singer Peter Cetera, entitled “(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight” (1995) and included in Peter’s album “One Clear Voice”. Another duet was performed with Jim Messina – Crystal recorded the song “Watching the River Run” with the folk-rock singer in 2005. It’s worth mentioning that she also recorded several albums with her father, singing gospel songs for his on-stage performances and seminars.
It’s quite hard to believe how a person can be involved in so many things during a short period of time, but Crystal shared in one of her interviews that it was the only way she saw her life going: ‘I knew that I did not want to be a statistic, that I wanted happiness within, and I wanted to be present because I knew what a great mover I was. I could move things and make things happen’.
Personal life
Crystal has dated many celebrities during her long career, but never tied the knot with any of them. Even though she was raised in a religious family with strong traditional views on everything concerning relationships, she doesn’t believe in marriage, and is still officially single.
However, it is worth remembering that she’s had a long list of affairs she hasn’t hidden. She was in a relationship with the film producer, Tony Thomas for several years, but eventually announced their split. By the end of ‘90s Crystal met and fell in love with the political commentator and analyst Rush Limbaugh, but their romance didn’t last long – they both had very busy schedules and simply couldn’t find enough time to see each other. In 2004 Crystal started getting signs of attention from the famous actor Billy Dean, but they dated for less than a year, not even explaining the reason their separation. After her collaboration with Peter Cetera, a lot of her fans considered they fell in love with each other, and could even have secretly married, but neither confirmed even the fact of their relationship.
According to official sources, Crystal is still single and doesn’t have a partner – or hides him successfully.
Social media presence
Crystal is not very active on social media platforms, so one can’t find an Instagram account. However, she had a Twitter account which she started in 2010 but eventually abandoned in 2017;. She also has a Facebook page, but which also looks abandoned, as she only has her father as her “friend”, and hasn’t posted anything on it. When she was active on Twitter, she communicated with her fans, and answered their messages and questions politely and kindly.
Appearance, clothing style
Crystal has middle-length blonde hair but which is naturally dark-brown; she has hazel eyes. Crystal is 5ft 3ins (1.6 m) tall, weighs around 116lbs (53kgs), and her vital statistics are 34-25-34 – apparently she’s always been slender. Her fans often compliment her on her figure as they don’t see any difference between her look now and back in the days when she was starring in the “Wings” series, or even her earlier works such as “Love Boat”. As to her clothing style, she prefers short skirts, blouses and feminine short dresses which emphasize her slender body.
Net worth and salary
According to authoritative sources, Crystal’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million, as of mid-2024. She’s been working hard in the entertainment industry since 1982, and is still busy with several projects in the field of song-writing. Even though she doesn’t appear in any series or movies these days, her net worth is still growing as she continues in those other spheres of the entertainment industry.
1 Comment
Crystal Bernard would be PERFECT to play Stevie Nicks if there is ever a movie about Ms. Nicks.
All she would need is brown contacts. She is petite, long blonde hair, beautiful and can sing etc.