Lucy Lee Flippin is an American actress.
Lucy Lee Flippin | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1971–2008 |
| Spouse |
Thomas Francis Tarpey
(m. 1975) |
Education and early life
editFlippin is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Harrison Fitzgerald Flippin.[1] She was born in Philadelphia and raised in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. She attended Northwestern University and spent a year performing with Holiday on Ice before pursuing a career in acting.[2] Later she studied acting under Uta Hagen.[3] Her attempt to work in Hollywood was rebuffed when an executive at Warner Bros. told her that she would not succeed as an actress because she was not pretty enough and was too tall. She returned to New York and worked there for 10 years.[4]
Career
editShe initially began her career in New York City where she eventually got several TV commercials and off-Broadway theatre work, most notably opposite Richard Gere in a Lincoln Center production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.[2] At the advice of her agent, she relocated to Los Angeles where she would get roles in television series and films.[2]
She played Eliza Jane Wilder on the TV series Little House on the Prairie. She played Fran Castleberry, the younger sister of Polly Holliday's character on the show Flo.[2][3] After Little House on the Prairie stopped production, she appeared in many different television shows and movies, and has performed onstage at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.[5] She retired in 2008.
Personal life
editFlippin married actor Thomas Francis Tarpey on October 26, 1975, in Douglassville, Pennsylvania.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Telephone Book | Obscene Phone Caller Three | |
| 1976 | The Front | Nurse | |
| 1977 | Slap Shot | Game Show Contestant (uncredited) | |
| Annie Hall | Waitress at Health Food Restaurant | ||
| 1978 | The One and Only | Agatha Franklen | |
| Goin' South | Diane Haber | ||
| 1983 | Flashdance | Secretary | |
| 1984 | Young Lust | ||
| 1985 | Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment | Mom in Mercedes | |
| Private Resort | Wanda | ||
| 1987 | Summer School | Ms. Cura | |
| 1988 | Bulletproof | Sister Mary | |
| Lady in White | Grace La Della | ||
| Hero and the Terror | Media Person | ||
| Earth Girls Are Easy | Receptionist | ||
| 1989 | My Mom's a Werewolf | Murse Mammosa | |
| 1993 | A Perfect World | Lucy | |
| 1995 | Mother | Chloe | Video |
| 1996 | Ladykiller (Scene of the Crime) | Mrs. Morlock | |
| Shoot the Moon | Miss Fellman | ||
| 1997 | Venus Envy | Mary | |
| 1999 | Soccer Dog: The Movie | Mrs. Kale | |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Feed the Earth Spokeswoman | |
| 2002 | The King | Grandma | Short film |
| 2004 | Little Black Book | Daughter | |
| 2005 | Whigmaleerie | Lili Dubois | |
| 2007 | Urban Decay | Wam Lady | |
| 2008 | Prairie Fever | Faith | Video |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Bob Newhart Show | Darva | Episode: "The Slammer" |
| The Edge of Night | Miranda Price | ||
| 1977 | Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night | Mother in Park | TV movie |
| 1978 | Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery | ||
| 1979 | The Ropers | Hilda | Episode: "The Family Planning" |
| Portrait of a Stripper | Lori | TV movie | |
| 1979–1982 | Little House on the Prairie | Eliza Jane Wilder | Recurring role |
| 1980–1981 | Flo | Fran Castleberry | Main role |
| 1983 | Philip Marlowe, Private Eye | Mrs. Yeager | Episode: "The Pencil" |
| 1984 | Newhart | Bassett Hound Lady | Episode: "Vermont Today" |
| Alice | Dotty | Episode: "Space Sharples" | |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Inez Faber | Episode: "A Lovely Little Affair" |
| Amazing Stories | Librarian | Episode: "Mummy Daddy" | |
| 1986 | The Last Precinct | Officer Rina Starland | 8 episodes |
| Mr. Belvedere | Wilmadean | Episode: "Halloween" | |
| Moonlighting | Julie | Episode: "It's a Wonderful Job" | |
| 1987 | Santa Barbara | Martha | Episode: "1.803" |
| Small Wonder | Cynthia Jennings | Episode: "Bride and Groom" | |
| 1988 | The Golden Girls | Nancy | Episode: "Grab That Dough" |
| Small Wonder | Cynthia Jennings | Episode: "When You Hear the Beep" | |
| 1989 | Small Wonder | Cynthia Jennings | Episode: "Vicki Doolittle" |
| Full House | Ms. Agbabian | Episode: "Back to School Blues" | |
| Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow | TV movie | ||
| Mr. Belvedere | Doris Putnam | Episode: "A Happy Guy's Christmas" | |
| 1990 | Adam-12 | Woman at Pet Store | Episode: "A Gang of Two" |
| Return to Green Acres | Flo Dawson | TV movie | |
| The Hogan Family | Ms. Palmer | Episode: "The Play's the Thing" | |
| The Munsters Today | Natasha Jones | Episode: "Kiss Kiss" | |
| 1991 | Babes | Becky | Episode: "Hello, Dolly" |
| Eerie, Indiana | Nurse Nancy | Episode "Just Say No Fun" | |
| 1996 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Library Manager | Episode: "Remember the Alamo" |
| 1999 | ER | Woman with roach in ear | Episode: "Responsible Parties" |
| 2000 | Charmed | Helen | Episode: "How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans" |
| 2001 | Black Scorpion | Female Juror | Episode: "Crime Time" |
| The Mind of the Married Man | Episode: "The God of Marriage" | ||
| 2002 | Judging Amy | Flo | Episode: "Boston Terriers from France" |
| 2005 | Still Standing | Betty | Episode: "Still Not the One" |
References
edit- ^ a b "Thomas Tarpey Marries Lucy Flippin". The New York Times. October 26, 1975. p. 68. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Hatza, George (February 15, 1981). "Lucy Lee Has Dual Role As Flo's Kid Sister And Real-Life Mom". Reading Eagle. pp. 82–83. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Witbeck, Charles (August 8, 1980). "Leaving 'Prairie' for a roadhouse". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (December 24, 1980). "'Flo' sister role gives actress her big break". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. A 7. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Holland, Curtainup Jack. "A CurtainUp Los AngelesReview: Merton of the Movies". www.curtainup.com.