My Sister Sam actress Jenny O’Hara was seen out and about in Los Angeles during the week as she went on a solo shopping trip. The 83-year-old, who portrayed Dixie Randazzo in the hit series, opted for a laid-back look as she ran errands in the city.
Jenny sported a black sweater and black trousers with a shiny black puffer vest to complete the look. She added black sneakers, a silver pendant necklace and black-rimmed glasses, and opted to keep her makeup au naturel.
© Disney General Entertainment ConA six-decade legacy
The California native landed her first role in 1964 in the Broadway play Dylan, and followed this up with several smaller roles in Another World, Brinks, The Great Robbery and Blind Ambition.
Jenny got her big break in My Sister Sam, which ran from 1986 to 1988 and followed a young photographer, Sam, whose teenage sister, Patti, comes to live with her. Pam Dawber played Sam, while Rebecca Schaeffer was Patti.
Jenny portrayed Sam’s sarcastic assistant for the two seasons that the show aired, and went on to score several guest roles in Charlie’s Angels, Law & Order, The X-Files, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Reba.
© CBS via Getty ImagesMaster of genres
One of her longest running roles was that of Janet Hefferman in the comedy series The King of Queens, which ran from 2001 to 2007 and co-starred Kevin James and Leah Remini. She also starred in the HBO drama Big Love from 2006 and 2009, followed by the 2010 horror film Devil.
“I really am scared of scary movies, but I have to tell you, doing it [was] entirely different. It is so much fun. The grimmer, the grizzlier, the scarier the better,” she told Showbiz Junkies of her experience filming the flick.
Devil revolves around five strangers trapped in an elevator, who experience several unnatural occurrences that make them believe the devil is among them. This was not Jenny’s first foray into horror – she starred in 1997’s Wishmaster, which follows a demonic jinn who wants to take over the world and is accidentally unleashed by a gemologist.
Jenny has shown no signs of slowing down, and recently acted in the critically acclaimed mini-series Good American Family alongside Ellen Pompeo.
© Getty ImagesA major tragedy
Jenny’s long career hasn’t been without its low notes. The star was close with her My Sister Sam co-stars, including the late Rebecca Schaeffer, who was tragically killed by a fan in front of her apartment in July 1989. During their time filming the show, Rebecca had received fan mail from a stalker at the studio lot, yet his attempts to enter the premises had been denied on several occasions.
She was just 21 years old when her stalker, Robert John Bardo, paid a private investigator to find her address. He then shot and killed her on her doorstep, on the same day that she was set to meet with Francis Ford Coppola about a starring role in The Godfather Part III.
© Getty ImagesRemembering Rebecca
Robert was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, and his actions set into motion several anti-stalking laws in California.
“She was so natural, she was herself,” Jenny told E! News, following Rebecca’s untimely death. “There was nothing phony about her, there was nothing put on about her. She was amazing. And I thought that she was going to be a remarkable mother.”
Jenny remains a poignant link to TV history and an enduring talent in the industry.
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