• Nancy McKeon is an American actress, voice actress, director, producer and writer
• She is best known for iconic role in NBC’s “The Facts of Life”
• Has a net worth of approximately $6 million as of August 2019
• Appeared in 189 episodes of “The Facts of Life”
• Married to actor and TV presenter Marc Andrus since 2003 and has two daughters
Known for movies
The Facts of Life (1980-1988)
as Jo Polniaczek / Frizzo
A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story (1989)
as Tracey Thurman
Comfort and Joy (2003)
as Jane Berry
Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
as Amy Harkin
Short Info
| Net Worth | $6 Million |
| Date Of Birth | April 4, 1966 |
| Spouse | Marc Andrus |
| Fact | Austin, Texas: Living on a ranch, with her husband, Marc Andrus, and their daughters, Aurora Andrus and Harlow Andrus. [2010] |
Contents
- 1 Who is Nancy McKeon?
- 2 Early Life and Education: Destined for Stardom
- 3 Career Beginnings: From a Toddler to a Young Star
- 4 The Crown Jewel of Her Career: The Facts of Life
- 5 Struggles: Missing Out on Friends, Working Girl and More
- 6 Her Own Creation: Can’t Hurry Love
- 7 Later Works and Dropping Off the Grid
- 8 Personal Life: Is Nancy McKeon Married? Does She Have Any Children?
- 9 Net Worth: How Rich is Nancy McKeon?
- 10 Body Measurements: How Tall is Nancy McKeon?
- 11 Social Media Presence
- 12 General Info
- 13 Family
- 14 Accomplishments
- 15 Social profile links
- 16 Quotes
- 17 Facts
- 18 Pictures
- 19 Movies
- 20 Awards
Who is Nancy McKeon?
Born under the fire sign of Aries on 4 April 1966, in Westbury, New York State USA, Nancy Justine McKeon is a 53-year-old American actress, voice actress, director, producer and writer. She is best known for her iconic role in NBC’s “The Facts of Life”, which many consider one of the best sitcoms of all time. Her first foray into the world of acting occurred when she was just a child, and mostly involved appearances in commercials and small-time roles in popular shows. After “The Facts of Life” was discontinued, her career slowed down, as she couldn’t land any significant roles in the mid-2000s. After years away from the public eye, she resurfaced in 2018, as a competitor in the 27th season of “Dancing with the Stars”, but from which she was soon eliminated.
Posted by Nancy McKeon Fans on Saturday, June 28, 2014
Early Life and Education: Destined for Stardom
Nancy was born into a devoutly religious family, meaning that she grew up with strict Catholic values. Despite her parents’ piousness, she was brought up in a loving environment and never lacked anything. Nancy made her acting debut at the tender age of two, when she starred in several regional and national commercials. Her father was a travel agent by profession, but he loved watching various shows and movies, which drew young Nancy towards considering acting as a vocation. She has a brother, Phillip, who also became a notable actor. At the age of 13, the entire McKeon family moved to Los Angeles, California, so that Phillip and Nancy could pursue their acting careers to the fullest. In 1984, she matriculated from Bellarmine-Jefferson High School in Burbank, California, after which, as a result of her early success, Nancy decided to forego a college education and focus on acting.
Career Beginnings: From a Toddler to a Young Star
Prior to becoming a notable television actress, Nancy mostly appeared in commercials. Some of these roles involved her brother Phillip co-starring alongside her, which drew a lot of attention to the McKeon family. In her prepubescent years, Nancy appeared in “Another World” and “The Secret Storm”, both notable soap operas, however, for unspecified reasons, she was uncredited for these roles. Officially, her debut was as Vicki Mayer in an episode of “Starsky and Hutch” in 1977. A year later, she appeared in “Fantasy Island” and “A Question of Love”, the latter of which was a highly rated TV movie of the 1970s. She even tried her hand at voice acting, lending her vocal chords to several characters in the animated series “Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo”. After “The Love Boat”, she succeeded in landing her first recurring role as Jill Stone in “Stone”, appearing in three episodes. This wasn’t something usual for a 13-year-old, but Nancy was already on her way to becoming a true child star.
The Crown Jewel of Her Career: The Facts of Life
In 1979, when the McKeon family moved to Los Angeles, young Nancy was called for an audition for a role in “Alice”. The audition went well, but she had another lined up – for a greetings card advertisement on the Hallmark Channel. During the audition, she was noticed by a casting director who offered her the role of Jo Polniaczek in “The Facts of Life”. Even though the offer was compelling, Nancy had second thoughts, mostly because four of the show’s original cast members left, and people predicted that the show’s rating would plummet. However, this was not the case, and she became one of the central characters in many plotlines, having an instrumental influence on the show’s success throughout the 1980s, appearing in a total of 189 episodes. ‘We went through puberty on camera. The audience saw us go through our ugliest times and come out all right.’, she said of the experience. Even though this was a breakthrough for Nancy, things were about to go downhill.
Struggles: Missing Out on Friends, Working Girl and More
While on ABC, Nancy continued to develop her voice acting career, notably as Scruffy in “Scruffy: The Tuesday Dog”. Even though she earned a lot of money and attracted a lot of attention due to her time in “The Facts of Life”, she didn’t know which direction to take to develop her career. It seemed as if she was always just a second way from landing another big role. She auditioned for the main part in the sitcom adaptation of “Working Girl”, but lost out to a relatively unknown actress by the name of Sandra Bullock. In 1994, she was on the cusp of greatness yet again, as she was on the shortlist of candidates for the role of Monica Geller in “Friends”, but as we all know, she lost to Courteney Cox. In an interview about the subject, she had the following to say: ‘I have no hard feelings. The role went to the right person. Courteney was brilliant. Now, I can’t see anybody playing the role, not even myself.’ Things were looking bleak for Nancy until she surprised everyone.
Her Own Creation: Can’t Hurry Love
In 1995, the acting world was shocked when Nancy announced that she would be producing “Can’t Hurry Love”, in which she would also be the lead star. The plot revolves around Annie, a single woman in her thirties, who has no luck when it comes to finding Mr. Right. Despite the show being the 24th most watched series in the entire country, CBS decided to cancel it. Even though it attracted positive reviews, a lot of critics described the show as an “all-female version of “Friends””.
Later Works and Dropping Off the Grid
After her failed experiment, McKeon refused to give up. In 1998 she appeared in 13 episodes of “Style and Substance” as Jane Sool. Around this time, she was ready to take it easy, but still wanted to land another role as grand as in “The Facts of Life”.
She came close to achieving that as Inspector Jinny Extead in the hit cop drama “The Division”, appearing in 88 episodes of the show from 2001 to 2004. ‘I hope we’re put in the same league as other cop shows.’, she said during the first season. ‘Hopefully, we will be able to hold our heads up high and be considered among the best shows, like “NYPD Blue”.’ Shortly after being in five episodes of “Sonny with a Chance” in 2010, she dropped out of the public eye. Apparently she grew tired of show business, and wanted to lead a peaceful life. In 2018, she returned as a contestant in season 27 of “Dancing with the Stars”. Her partner was legendary Ukrainan dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, but they were the third couple eliminated.
Personal Life: Is Nancy McKeon Married? Does She Have Any Children?
Nancy married her husband, actor and TV presenter,Marc Andrus, on 8 June, 2003; they started daring way back in 1993. Together they have two daughters, Aurora born on 5 March 2004, and Harlow who came into this world in December of 2006.
Today, Nancy resides in Austin, Texas with her family. Previously, she was in a relationship with Mark Holmes, the frontman of Canadian glam rock/punk rock band Platinum Blonde, and from 1982 to 1985, she was with Michael J. Fox, whom she met while shooting “High School USA”. Not many people know this, but at the height of her stardom, she arranged to meet Pope John Paul II together with her parents. Nancy is also fond of martial arts.
Net Worth: How Rich is Nancy McKeon?
Have you ever wondered how affluent Nancy really is? According to credible sources, she has a net worth of approximately $6 million, as of August 2019, accumulated largely by being the star of one of the highest rated sitcoms of all time. Afterwards she focused on voice acting, and took on more recurring roles in “Style and Substance” and “The Division”. Given the fact that she’s not active anymore, this amount of money is more than enough to last her for an entire lifetime.
Body Measurements: How Tall is Nancy McKeon?
Nancy McKeon is 5ft 6in (168cm), weighs 134lbs (61kg) and maintains a slim figure. Her eyes are green, while her hair is dark brown.
Social Media Presence
Thanks to the ever expanding grasp that social media has on worldwide audiences, it is in the best interests of most celebrities to keep their fans informed about their activities and thus maintain and potentially increase their ratings and profit. However, it doesn’t appear as though Nancy is at all preoccupied with maintaining her involvement in this trend, seeing as her presence on social networks is all but ubiquitous at the moment. She only has an Instagram account, but which is followed by over 36,000 fans.
General Info
| Full Name | Nancy McKeon |
| Net Worth | $6 Million |
| Date Of Birth | April 4, 1966 |
| Height | 1.68 m |
| Profession | Screenwriter, Television producer, Film director, Actor, Television Director |
| Nationality | American |
Family
| Spouse | Marc Andrus |
| Children | Aurora Andrus, Harlow Andrus |
| Parents | Donald McKeon, Barbara McKeon |
| Siblings | Philip McKeon |
Accomplishments
| Awards | Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series, Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television, Audience Award, Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Television Special |
| Nominations | Young Artist Award for Best Young Comedienne - Motion Picture or Television, TV Land "When Bad Teens Go Good" Award, PRISM Award for Performance in a Drama Series Multi Episode Storyline, PRISM Award for Performance in a Drama Series |
| Movies | A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story, Comfort and Joy, Strange Voices, A Mother's Gift, Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage, Baby Snatcher, Category 6: Day of Destruction, High School U.S.A., Poison Ivy, The Wrong Woman, Where the Day Takes You, This Child Is Mine, Love Begins, Wild Hear... |
| TV Shows | The Division, Style & Substance, One to Grow On, The Facts of Life, The Puppy's Further Adventures, The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour, Can't Hurry Love |
Social profile links
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | [on Facts of Life] We went through puberty on camera. The audience saw us go through our ugliest times and come out all right. |
| 2 | I don't really think that way. If I were to cross the river tomorrow, I'd think I had had as good a time here [on earth] as people could have. I'm enjoying the day and watching how things evolve. - Ambition |
| 3 | "I hope we're put in the same league as other cop shows. Female or male, it's the same job. Hopefully, we will be able to hold our heads up high and be considered among the best shows, like NYPD Blue (1993)". -Discussing The Division (2001). |
| 4 | I'm usually the victim, the one who gets beat on. |
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | She was in a previous relationship with Platinum Blonde lead singer Mark Holmes. |
| 2 | Austin, Texas: Living on a ranch, with her husband, Marc Andrus, and their daughters, Aurora Andrus and Harlow Andrus. [2010] |
| 3 | Was good friends with singer Michael Damian in the 1980s. |
| 4 | Remains good friends with her The Facts of Life (1979) co-star Lisa Whelchel. |
| 5 | At age 40, she gave birth to her second child, daughter Harlow Andrus, at the end of December 2006. |
| 6 | Was number 81 on vh1's The Greatest: 100 Greatest Kid Stars (2005) |
| 7 | Lived, for a time, in Kansas City, Missouri. |
| 8 | She became a mother when she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Aurora, on March 6, 2004. |
| 9 | Was considered for the part of Monica on Friends (1994). The role later went to Courteney Cox. |
| 10 | Practiced a form of martial arts. |
| 11 | Declined to participate in The Facts of Life Reunion (2001) because, "I'm just not a fan of that kind of thing. I would not watch it, so why would I be IN it? It's just never the same." She did, however, offer to direct a movie which would have dealt with the girls reuniting after Jo's death. She later said that she was joking. |
| 12 | Younger sister of Philip McKeon. |
| 13 | Was cast as the lead in the TV show Working Girl (1990), but left before production started. She was replaced by Sandra Bullock. |
Pictures
Movies
Actress
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love Begins | 2011 | TV Movie | Millie (as Nancy Mckeon) |
| Sonny with a Chance | 2009-2010 | TV Series | Connie Munroe |
| Without a Trace | 2007 | TV Series | Gail Sweeney |
| Wild Hearts | 2006 | TV Movie | Emily |
| Category 6: Day of Destruction | 2004 | TV Movie | Amy Harkin |
| The Division | 2001-2004 | TV Series | Inspector Jinny Exstead |
| Comfort and Joy | 2003 | TV Movie | Jane Berry |
| Touched by an Angel | 1999 | TV Series | Rachel Waters |
| In My Sister's Shadow | 1998 | TV Movie | Joan Connor |
| Style & Substance | 1998 | TV Series | Jane Sokol |
| Just Write | 1997 | Bride | |
| Can't Hurry Love | 1995-1996 | TV Series | Annie O'Donnell |
| The Wrong Woman | 1995 | Melanie | |
| A Mother's Gift | 1995 | TV Movie | Margaret Deal |
| Teresa's Tattoo | 1994 | Sara | |
| Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage | 1993 | TV Movie | Rosalie Profaci Bonanno |
| Baby Snatcher | 1992 | TV Movie | Karen Williams |
| Where the Day Takes You | 1991 | Vikki | |
| Lightning Field | 1991 | TV Movie | Martha |
| The Hitchhiker | 1990 | TV Series | Dawn Wilder |
| A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story | 1989 | TV Movie | Tracey Thurman |
| The Facts of Life | 1980-1988 | TV Series | Jo Polniaczek / Frizzo |
| Strange Voices | 1987 | TV Movie | Nicole Glover |
| The Facts of Life Down Under | 1987 | TV Movie | Joanne 'Jo' Polniaczek |
| Firefighter | 1986 | TV Movie | Cindy Fralick |
| This Child Is Mine | 1985 | TV Movie | Kimberly Downs |
| Poison Ivy | 1985 | TV Movie | Rhonda Malone |
| High School U.S.A. | 1983 | TV Movie | Beth Franklin |
| The Puppy's Further Adventures | 1983 | TV Series | Dolly (1983) (voice) |
| Dusty | 1983 | TV Movie | Slugger |
| The Facts of Life Goes to Paris | 1982 | TV Movie | Joanne 'Jo' Polniaczek |
| The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour | 1982 | TV Series | Dolly (voice) |
| Pac Preview Party | 1982 | TV Movie | Dolly (voice, uncredited) |
| ABC Weekend Specials | 1979-1982 | TV Series | Dolly / Ameila Matilda Daley / Scruffy / ... |
| Alice | 1978-1981 | TV Series | Kimberly / Girl Orphan |
| Thundarr the Barbarian | 1980-1981 | TV Series | Tai Tye |
| Please Don't Hit Me, Mom | 1981 | TV Movie | Nancy Parks |
| ABC Afterschool Specials | 1980 | TV Series | Lucy Twining |
| Stone | 1979-1980 | TV Series | Jill Stone |
| Stone | 1979 | TV Movie | Jill Stone |
| The Love Boat | 1979 | TV Series | Penny Barrett |
| Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | 1979 | TV Series | Additional Voices (voice) |
| A Question of Love | 1978 | TV Movie | Susan Moreland |
| Fantasy Island | 1978 | TV Series | Ann |
| Starsky and Hutch | 1977 | TV Series | Vikki Mayer |
Director
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Division | 2002-2003 | TV Series 2 episodes | |
| A Wakening | 1999 | Short |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Wakening | 1999 | Short producer | |
| Can't Hurry Love | 1995 | TV Series producer | |
| Strange Voices | 1987 | TV Movie co-executive producer | |
| Firefighter | 1986 | TV Movie producer |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Wakening | 1999 | Short writer |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home & Family | 2016 | TV Series | Herself |
| The 9th Annual TV Land Awards | 2011 | TV Special | Herself |
| Good Morning America | 2011 | TV Series | Herself |
| Biography | 2010 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| E! True Hollywood Story | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Today | 2006 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Rosie O'Donnell Show | 2001-2002 | TV Series | Herself |
| Lauren Hutton and... | 1995 | TV Series | Herself |
| Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Celebration | 1994 | TV Movie | Herself |
| One on One with John Tesh | 1992 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Wil Shriner Show | 1987 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1985 | TV Series | Herself |
| Battle of the Network Stars XVIII | 1985 | TV Special | Herself - NBC Team |
| One to Grow On | 1985 | TV Series short | Herself |
| NBC Special Treat | 1983 | TV Series | Herself - Host |
| Battle of the Network Stars XIV | 1983 | TV Special | Herself - NBC Team |
| Battle of the Network Stars XII | 1982 | TV Special | Herself - NBC Team |
| The Regis Philbin Show | 1981-1982 | TV Series | Herself |
| The New Battlestars | 1981 | TV Series | Herself |
| Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | 1981 | TV Movie | Herself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment Tonight | 2015 | TV Series | Herself |
| Sonny with a Chance: Sonny's Big Break, Volume 1 | 2009 | Video | Connie Munroe |
| 50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Candid Camera: 5 Decades of Smiles | 2005 | Video | Herself |
| Biography | 2005 | TV Series documentary | Joanne 'Jo' Polniaczek in 'The Facts of Life' |
Awards
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Audience Award | Marco Island Film Festival | Best Short Drama | A Wakening (1999) |
| 2000 | Crystal Palm Award | Marco Island Film Festival | Best First Short Film | A Wakening (1999) |
| 1983 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television | The Facts of Life Goes to Paris (1982) |
| 1983 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in a Television Special | Please Don't Hit Me, Mom (1981) |
| 1983 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series | The Facts of Life (1979) |
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | The "When Bad Teens Go Good" Award | The Facts of Life (1979) |
| 2004 | Prism Award | Prism Awards | Performance in a Drama Series Multi Episode Storyline | The Division (2001) |
| 2003 | Prism Award | Prism Awards | Performance in a Drama Series | The Division (2001) |
| 2003 | Prism Award | Prism Awards | Performance in a Drama Series Episode | The Division (2001) |
| 1984 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series | The Facts of Life (1979) |
| 1982 | Young Artist Award | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Comedienne - Motion Picture or Television | The Facts of Life (1979) |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
