Christopher Norris (actress)
Christopher Norris | |
|---|---|
Norris in Trapper John, M.D., 1979 | |
| Born | October 7, 1953 |
| Education | Antioch University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1964–1999 |
| Spouse |
Walter Danley
(m. 1980; div. 1998) |
Christopher Norris (born October 7, 1953)[1][2] is an American former Broadway, film, and television actress. She began acting on Broadway[3] and is probably best known for her portrayal of nurse Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi in the television series Trapper John, M.D.. Early in pregnancy her parents picked the name "Christopher" and decided to name the baby that regardless of its sex.[4] She attended Los Angeles Valley College and, in the 1990s, she broke from acting and graduated with a B.A. in psychology and theater from Antioch University.[5]
Early notable roles include the wild girl Miriam in Summer of '42 (1971),[6] a heroic young flight attendant in the disaster film Airport 1975 (1974), and as a hot girl in Roger Corman's Eat My Dust! (1976).[7] Early in her career, Norris typically played wholesome, "girl next door" types, and, later in her career, she got more "vixen" type roles, including the role of loony Laura Simmons Asher on the daytime soap Santa Barbara. Her other daytime credits include Another World and Guiding Light.
In 1980, Norris married Walter Danley, a businessman and later mystery novelist. They divorced in 1998.[8]
Due to their physical resemblance, Norris is frequently mistaken for Melanie Griffith. Because of this, Griffith was mistakenly interviewed in the 1990s by the British media about acting in Airport 1975.[5]
She designed the exterior and interior of her home, and Christopher Norris nurse uniforms were designed, sold, and proceeds used for nursing scholarships.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Summer of '42 | Miriam | |
| 1971 | Lady Liberty | Lydia | Uncredited |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | Bette | |
| 1974 | Goodnight Jackie | Donna | |
| 1976 | Eat My Dust! | Darlene Kurtz |
Television
| 1967 | Truman Capote's "The Thanksgiving Visitor" | Annabelle Conklin | TV film based on his short story |
| 1968–1970 | The Edge of Night | Sarah Louise Capice | 3 episodes |
| 1971 | Mr and Mrs Bo Jo Jones | Julie Greher | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1973 | The Great American Beauty Contest | Miss Utah | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1973 | The Paul Lynde Show | Julie Cunningham | Season 1, Episode 26: Springtime for Paul |
| 1974 | Sons and Daughters | Lisa | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | The Hatfields and the McCoys | Nancy McCoy | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1975 | The Secrets of Isis | Dorothy Bieder | Season 1, Episode 11: No Drums, No Trumpets |
| 1976 | Wonder Woman | Gloria | Season 1, Episode 13: Wonder Woman in Hollywood |
| 1977 | Happy Days | Sheila | Season 4, Episode 24: The Last of the Big Time Malphs |
| 1977 | Forever Fernwood | Hortense | Episode #1.18 |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Shirley Roberts | Season 2, Episode 6: War Games/Queen of the Boston Bruisers |
| 1978 | Barnaby Jones | June | Season 7, Episode 8: Stages of Fear |
| 1979–1986 | Trapper John, MD | Nurse Gloria “Ripples” Brancusi | 132 episodes |
| 1980 | Gridlock | Linda Reinhardt | TV film (NBC) |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | Gail Pagett | Series 3, Episode 28: No girls for Doc/Marriage of convenience/The caller/The witness |
| 1981 | Aloha Paradise | Darcy Holtz | Season 1, Episode 5: The Best of Friends/Success/9 Carats |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Angelica Franchini | Series 6, Episodes 1 & 2: The Italian Cruise: Venetian Love Song/Down for the Count/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Arrangement: Parts 1 & 2 |
| 1983–1988 | Hotel | Carol Bowman/Helen Madison | 4 episodes |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Elisa/Eden Crawford | Season 1, Episode 3: Losing Touch |
| 1986–1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Pru Mattson/Denise Quinlan | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Matlock | Judy Benson | Season 2, Episode 5: The Husband |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Cynthia Stillman | Season 3, Episode 17: The Last Laugh |
| 1989–1990 | Santa Barbara | Laura Asher | 185 episodes |
| 1992 | Guiding Light | Rebecca Nash | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Karin Hatcher | Season 5, Episode 15: Drill for Death |
| 1998–1999 | Another World | Margaret Allen | 9 episodes |
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Roar Like a Dove | Jane | |
| 1965–1966 | The Playroom | Ellen |
Off Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Lorraine Serabian Peninnah | [9] |
References
- ^ "Biography Christopher Norris". angelfire.com. Angelfire.
- ^ "Christopher Norris Actor Born October 7, 1953". watch.plex.tv. Plex Inc. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ "Christopher Norris Performer". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Work's a Real Scream but Christopher just loves leaving her troubles at the set". angelfire.com. Angelfire. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Christopher Norris.Archived. June 24, 2024.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2006 Movie Guide (NYC: Penguin, 2006), p.1254
- ^ Craddock, Jim, editor. VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (Detroit, Michigan: Thomson Gale Group, 2007), p.277.
- ^ "Interview with Walter Danley, & 5 books to give away!". July 3, 2014. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
- ^ "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Off Broadway 1964". masterworksbroadway.com. Sony Music. Retrieved October 24, 2024.