Kristy McNichol

A perky, Emmy Award-winning juvenile lead, Kristy McNichol is perhaps best recalled as Buddy, the young tomboy of the Lawrence clan, on TV's "Family" (ABC, 1976-80). Her attempts to translate her small screen success to features were generally unsuccessful, although she did score opposite Tatum O'Neal and Matt Dillon in the teen comedy "Little Darlings" (1980) and offered a variation of her TV persona as Marsha Mason's daughter in "Only When I Laugh" (1981). After several unsuccessful films (e.g., "Just the Way You Are" 1984), McNichol returned to the small screen in 1988 as Richard Mulligan's policewoman daughter in the NBC sitcom, "Empty Nest", but after four years, she withdrew from the series when she was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. Although she more or less abandoned her show business career, she did return for the final episode "Empty Nest" in 1992 and provided a character voice for The WB's animated series "Invasion America" (1998).

• Also Credited As:
  Christina Ann McNichol
• Born:
  September 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Camp counselor, Hairdresser

Family

• Brother: Jimmy McNichol. born c. 1961
• Mother: Carollyne McNichol.

Milestones

• 1974 Appeared as regular on the CBS family drama Apple s Way
• 1978 Feature film debut, The End
• 1981 Made screen singing debut in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
• 1981 Played Marsha Mason s daughter in the film Only When I Laugh
• 1990 Last feature appearance to date The Forgotten One
• 1992 Took an indefinite leave of absence from Empty Nest to cope with a manic-depressive disorder
• 1995 Appeared in the final episode of the NBC sitcom Empty Nest
• 1998 Provided character voice on The WB series Invasion America
• Attained TV stardom and won two Emmy Awards as Buddy Lawrence in the ABC drama series Family
• Made debut at age 7 in commercials
• Starred in the NBC sitcom Empty Nest