Kay Lenz

Kay Ann Lenz (born March 4, 1953) is an American actress. A former child performer, Lenz has worked primarily in television and has won two Emmy Awards.

Early years

Lenz was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Ted Lenz, a producer-commentator father and Kay Miller Lenz, a model-radio engineer mother. She appeared on television as a baby held by a guest on a program that her father produced.

Career

Lenz began working as a child actress, beginning with appearances in three episodes of This Is the Life when she was 14, She went on to appear in such television shows as The Andy Griffith Show (in the episode Opie's Group (1967) under the stage name Kay Ann Kemper) as well as in stage productions. She made a brief appearance billed as Kay Ann Kemper in American Graffiti (1973) as Jane, a girl at a dance. She achieved recognition for her title-role performance as the free spirit who captivates William Holden in Breezy, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Lenz made guest appearances in The Streets of San Francisco, Gunsmoke, MacGyver, McCloud, Cannon, and Petrocelli, and played a lead role in the film White Line Fever (1975) before being cast in 1976 in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She reprised her role for the sequel, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II (1977). Since the 1980s, she has played guest roles in numerous television series.

In 1984 she appeared in Rod Stewart's music video for the song "Infatuation". She won an Emmy in 1989 for Midnight Caller. She was also nominated for an Emmy for her role as flinty lawyer Maggie Zombro in the police/legal drama Reasonable Doubts.

Personal life

Lenz was the first wife of singer-actor David Cassidy. They married on April 3, 1977, and divorced on December 28, 1983. She has no children.

Filmography

Film

Television