Whether it was a sexy role in “Summer School” (1987), a smart role on “Ally McBeal” (Fox,1997-2000) or a troubled role on “Melrose Place” (Fox 1992-97), earthy blonde beauty Courtney Thorne-Smith delighted fans for almost twenty years, providing her own wit, depth and charm to “good girl” parts, which in lesser hands, could have come across as thankless and bland.
Thorne-Smith was born on Nov. 8, 1967 in San Francisco, CA and later graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, CA. She realized her love of acting while performing in a kindergarten production of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Her father, a computer market researcher, and her mother, a therapist, divorced when she was seven years old, leaving her to live with one or both of them at different stages of her childhood and teenage years. She began her career with the Ensemble Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA while still a student in high school.
While still a teen, the young actress was discovered in high school when Twentieth Century Fox was searching for a new face to play Charlie Sheen’s girlfriend in the feature film “Lucas” (1986). After landing the role, she was officially bitten by the acting bug – going so far as to cancel her plans to attend Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and moving instead to L.A.
Her combination of talent and striking beauty enabled Thorne-Smith to compile a long acting resume, including playing a teenaged day-care teacher in "Day by Day" (NBC, 1987-89) while also acting in forgettable films like "Revenge of the Nerds II" and "Summer School" (both 1987). She made her first memorable impact as the L.A. Laker cheerleader who dated lawyer Michael Kuzak (Harry Hamlin) in a series of guest appearances on NBC's "L.A. Law" (1985-1990) in 1990. The young actress also appeared in numerous TV series, including “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (ABC, 1986), “Anything But Love” (ABC, 1989-1992) and the television films “Beauty’s Revenge” (1995) and “Tour of Duty” (1994).
When Thorne-Smith auditioned with Aaron Spelling for a series pilot about young doctors, the legendary TV titan was so impressed that he had six more projects sent to her doorstep the next day. One that caught her eye was a spin-off of the already phenomenally successful teen primetime soap, “Beverly Hills, 90210” called “Melrose Place.” For her portrayal as perennial victim Alison Parker, TV Guide praised Thorne-Smith as "one of the standout stars of (the) glossy ensemble cast – and the hottest cat ever to scratch and snarl on the sun-scorched roof of Melrose Place.” Viewers tuned in each week to follow the romantic travails of Alison and her hunky taxi driver roommate Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue), of the six-pack abs but low I.Q. variety. As the soap grew more and more sudsier with each passing year, Thorne-Smith as Alison was able to explore everything from being a raging alcoholic to a kidnapping victim to going head-to-head with the queen bee of Spelling soaps, Heather Locklear, as the resident vixen and Alison’s backstabbing boss, Amanda Woodward. Throughout the decade of the nineties, Thorne-Smith and her heretofore fellow cast of unknowns (with the exception of Locklear) enjoyed overnight fame on a level few actors get to experience. Enough of a household name by 1999, Thorne-Smith was chosen to become a spokeswoman for Almay cosmetics, as the fresh-face for their new line of make-up “Skin Stays Clean.”
After the “Melrose” rocket finally crash landed after increasingly out-there plots that tested even the most devoted viewers, Thorne-Smith appeared in such varied works as the feature film “The Lovemaster” (1997) and ABC’s “Spin City” (1996-2002). It was only a matter of time before this fan favorite found a home on yet another iconic series.
In 1997, she achieved even further acclaim by playing attorney Georgia Smith on Fox's Emmy-winning and unbelievably quirky series, “Ally McBeal.” Besides solidifying Thorne-Smith as a television “it” girl, the David E. Kelley production made the show’s lead Calista Flockhart an overnight star, not to mention putting co-stars Lucy Liu and Portia de Rossi on the map as well. The downside to a show featuring a predominantly female cast, were the inevitable rumblings of cat-fighting within the ranks. Surely the show featured the skinniest cast on TV at that time – a group the press coined “lollipop heads.” As rumors swirled that the actresses were in a competitive quest to lose weight, Flockhart and de Rossi, in particular, were wasting away, leaving the healthy actress – Thorne-Smith – to question her own appearance as something other than a size zero. Despite the show’s success, the behind-the-scenes drama reportedly played a part in Thorne-Smith jumping ship in 2000.
After taking a year to get things in order, Thorne-Smith returned to yet another hit series – this time, the Jim Belushi sitcom “According to Jim” (2001- ), co-starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Larry Joe Campbell. As Belushi’s long-suffering wife and ball buster Cheryl, Thorne-Smith was the critical “straight guy” to Belushi’s obnoxious character, Jim. The show enjoyed a loyal following as part of the network’s solid Friday night lineup.