Alley Mills | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | May 9, 1951
Other names | Alley Bean |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1965–present |
Spouse |
Allison Mills (born May 9, 1951), also known as Alley Bean, is an American actress best known for her role as Norma Arnold, the mother in the coming-of-age series The Wonder Years, and her role as Pamela Douglas, the sister of the late Forrester matriarch Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery), on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She most recently portrayed Heather Webber on ABC's General Hospital.
Early life and education
Mills was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was television executive Ted Mills,[2] and her mother, Joan (née Paterson) Mills Kerr, was an author and editor for American Heritage magazine. Her stepmother was actress Genevieve (Ginette Marguerite Auger), and her stepfather was Chester B. Kerr, a director of Yale University Press. She has one sister, Hilary Mills Loomis, and one brother, Tony Mills. She received a B.A. magna cum laude in drama and art history from Yale University in 1973 and an M.A. from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[3]
Career
Her first acting role on television was in the short-lived comedy The Associates, where she played an attorney, opposite Martin Short.
She is best known for playing Norma Arnold, the mother on the ABC series The Wonder Years, from 1988-1993.
Mills had a recurring role in the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as Marjorie Quinn, Dr. Michaela Quinn's sister. She had previously appeared in the series as a saloon girl.
In December 2006, Mills joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful under contract as Pamela Douglas, the estranged sister of Stephanie Douglas Forrester. But in March 2007, after making only a handful of appearances, her character went insane, was confined to a mental hospital, and then disappeared from the show. Mills reprised the role on recurring status in 2007 and 2008, and by December 2008, was added to the opening credits as a contract player. In November 2019, it was reported that Mills was off contract with the show. Mills made a return appearance to The Bold and the Beautiful in August 2021.[4][5]
In October, 2022, Mills replaced Robin Mattson as legacy character, Heather Webber on General Hospital
Personal life
Mills was married to author, film, television and stage actor Orson Bean from 1993 until his death in 2020.[6][7]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | Diary of a Mad Housewife | Women's lib girl | |
1983 | Going Berserk | Nancy Reese | |
1984 | Young Lust | ||
2002 | Jane White Is Sick & Twisted | Mom | |
2002 | Never Get Outta the Boat | Jean | |
2004 | Tricks | Ruth | |
2009 | A Golden Christmas | Katherine Wright | |
2011 | Satin | Rose Wells | |
2011 | 3 Holiday Tails | Katherine Wright | |
2014 | Maybe Someday | Martha Donnelly | In post-production |
2015 | Appetite for Love | Tallulah Jones | |
2019 | The Fiddling Horse | Ethel Truman | Feature film |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | The Waltons | Nancy | Episode: "The Obsession" |
1979 | Kaz | Episode: "They've Taken Our Daughter" | |
1979–1980 | The Associates | Leslie Dunn | Main role |
1980 | Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case | Wanda | Movie |
1981 | A Matter of Life and Death | Allison Cross | Movie |
1981 | Lou Grant | Lisa | Episode: "Search" |
1982 | Making the Grade | Sara Conover | Main role |
1982 | Hill Street Blues | Tracy Renko | 4 episodes |
1983 | Newhart | Professor | Episode: "Sprained Dreams" |
1983 | The Other Woman | Amy Vitelli | Movie |
1983 | Prototype | Dr. Rebecca Bishop | Movie |
1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Amy Kennear | Miniseries |
1986 | Maggie | Charlotte Farnsworth | Movie |
1986 | Moonlighting | Claire | Episode: "The Man Who Cried Wife" |
1987 | Mr. President | Pat | Episode: "Pilot" |
1987 | I Married Dora | Janine Desmond | Episodes: "Where There's a Will, There's No Way", "West Coast Story" |
1987 | Punky Brewster | Donna Deaton | Episodes: "Open Door, Broken Heart: Parts 1 & 2" |
1988 | To Heal a Nation | Sue, Stone Worker | Movie |
1988–1993 | The Wonder Years | Norma Arnold | Main role |
1989 | I Love You Perfect | TBA | Movie |
1990 | ABC Afterschool Special | Linda | Episode: "Testing Dirty" |
1992 | Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted | Carol Willis | Movie |
1992–1994 | Vicki! | Herself | Guest host |
1993 | Tainted Blood | Mrs. Patterson | Movie |
1993–1997 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Saloon Woman | 1 episode (uncredited) |
Marjorie Quinn | Recurring role, 11 episodes | ||
1994 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Carol Oliver | Episode: "Love in the Dark Ages" |
1994 | Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire | Royce Payne | Movie |
1995 | Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare | Portia | Movie |
1995 | Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan | Julie Cresta | Movie |
1998 | Touched by an Angel | Liz | Episode: "Last Dance" |
1999 | Profiler | Amber Wiley | Episode: "Inheritance" |
1999–2000 | Popular | Robin John | Episodes: "Wild, Wild Mess", "Ch-Ch-Changes", "The Consequences of Falling" |
2000 | The Beach Boys: An American Family | Audree Wilson | Movie |
2000 | NYPD Blue | Sonya Morrow | Episode: "This Old Spouse" |
2001–2005 | Yes, Dear | Jenny Ludke | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
2002 | Girlfriends | Lynn's Mother | Episode: "Don't Leave Me a Loan" |
2002–2003 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Diana Spellman | Episodes: "The Whole Ball of Wax", "Soul Mates" |
2003 | Strong Medicine | Rhonda LaCouer | Episode: "Prescriptions" |
2006–2019, 2021- | The Bold and the Beautiful | Pamela "Pam" Douglas | Main role; recurring role |
2019 | Teachers | Joanna Bennigan | 2 episodes |
2022- | General Hospital | Heather Webber | Recurring role |
2023 | Fantasy Island | Vivian Hutchinson | Episode: "War of the Roses (And the Hutchinsons)" |
References
- ↑ "Mills, Alley 1951–". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ↑ Monika Guttman. "Wonder casting: hippie to housewife". St. Petersburg Times. June 25, 1989. TV DIAL, 6.
- ↑ "Mills, Alley 1951–". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ↑ Bowe, Jillian. "Alley Mills Off Contract at The Bold and the Beautiful". Daytime Confidential.
- ↑ Young, Candace (November 7, 2019). "B&B's Alley Mills off Contract As Pam Douglas".
- ↑ "Veteran actor Orson Bean, 91, struck and killed by vehicle in Venice, friends say". KABC-TV. February 7, 2020.
- ↑ "Celebrity Actor-comedian Orson Bean, 91, hit and killed by car in LA". Associated Press. February 8, 2020 – via Yahoo!.
External links
- Alley Mills at IMDb