Audra Marie Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers. Born in Los Angeles, California, Lindley was the daughter of show business parents. She got her early sta ... rt in Hollywood by being a stand-in, which eventually progressed to stunt work. Nothing panned out, and she went to New York in her mid-20s to work in theater. Among her many Broadway plays were: On Golden Pond, Playhouse 90, Long Day's Journey into Night, and Horse Heavens. She took time off to get married and raise five children. Upon resuming her career, she began to make steady appearances on television, including the role of Sue Knowles on the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow, and a six-year stint as manipulative "Aunt Liz" Matthews on the NBC soap opera Another World. She also had regular roles as Meredith Baxter's mother in the sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie, as well as Lee Grant's best friend in Fay. Her greatest fame arrived when she began playing the wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled and sexually frustrated Helen Roper on the hit sitcom Three's Company (1977). (Lindley wore a wig to maintain the character's exaggerated hairstyle.) The character and her husband, Mr. Roper (played by Norman Fell), were spun off to their own show, The Ropers (1979), which was not a success. Lindley continued to appear steadily on television and in film, such as Revenge of the Stepford Wives in 1980 and as Fauna, the owner of the "Bear Flag Restaurant," a Monterey, CA brothel portrayed in the 1982 film Cannery Row. In 1982, she appeared in the film Best Friends starring Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds. One of her last roles was a character part in the lesbian-themed film Desert Hearts (1985). Lindley wanted to reshoot one key scene. The director, Donna Deitch, replied that they did not have the budget for reshooting. Lindley said that she would buy a portion of the film if Deitch let her do just that one take again. Deitch agreed, and Lindley kept her word. Lindley garnered further parts of all sizes in various TV films and series, including playing Phoebe Buffay's grandmother on Friends, and her last, a recurring role as Cybill Shepherd's mother on the CBS sitcom Cybill. She had also played Shepherd's mother in the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid. Lindley died from leukemia on October 16, 1997, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center with a Cybill script by her hospital bedside. She was married to and divorced from Dr. Hardy Ulm (1943–1960); they had five children. She later married and divorced James Whitmore (1972–1979) Description above from the Wikipedia article Audra Lindley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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| Organization | Category | Movie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Heartbreak Kid | Nominated |
| Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Desert Hearts | Won |
| Sundance Film Festival | Best Actress | Desert Hearts | Won |
From These Roots
as Laura Tompkins
Episodes: 343
First Aired: Jun 30, 1958
Three's Company
as Helen Roper
Episodes: 76
First Aired: Mar 15, 1977
The Ropers
as Helen Roper
Episodes: 28
First Aired: Mar 13, 1979
Bridget Loves Bernie
as Amy Fitzgerald
Episodes: 24
First Aired: Sep 16, 1972
Fay
as Lillian
Episodes: 10
First Aired: Sep 04, 1975
Pearl
as Lily - General's Wife
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Nov 16, 1978
Friends
as Frances
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 22, 1994
Naked City
as Sheila Braden
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 30, 1958
The Love Boat
as Mrs. Worth
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
The Love Boat
as Portia Fairchild
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Murder, She Wrote
as Maggie Saunders
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1984
The Love Boat
as Anita Wolfe
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Tales from the Crypt
as Anita
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jun 10, 1989
Lux Video Theatre
as Irene Stoddard
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1950
Naked City
as Grace Youngham
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1958
Naked City
as Mrs. Denton
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1958
Lux Video Theatre
as Olive
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1950
Lux Video Theatre
as Nurse Claxton
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
as Maggie
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 30, 1950
The Love Boat
as Agnes Larrabee
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
The Love Boat
as Vanessa Norris
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Another World
Episodes: 1643
First Aired: May 04, 1964
Robert Montgomery Presents
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jan 30, 1950
The Philco Television Playhouse
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Oct 03, 1948
Matlock
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 03, 1986
Chico and the Man
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1974
Route 66
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 07, 1960
The Bob Crane Show
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 06, 1975
Search for Tomorrow
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 03, 1951
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 11, 1961
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