Lead and former juvenile actress McNichol is the daughter of a former actress. At age six she began appearing in commercials and was in TV shows by age nine. At 12 she became a regular on the TV series Apple's Way; after that show was canceled she was soon signed to the cast of Family, for which she went on to win two Emmy Awards. She began appearing onscreen in the late '70s, and looked to be on her way to a good film career with her costarring role in Little Darlings (1980), a popular teen-oriented comedy; however, most of her subsequent films were either low-quality or unsuccessful, and she never established herself as a screen actress. In the late '80s and early '90s she costarred on the TV sitcom Empty Nest.
Kristy McNichol
Active - 1975 - 1993 |
Born - Sep 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
Genres - Drama, Family & Personal Relationships, Comedy
Share on
Biography by AllMovie
Movie Highlights
Factsheet
- Entered show business at age 8 by appearing in a commercial for Kraft cheese; landed some early TV roles with help from family friend Desi Arnaz.
- Recorded a 1978 album with her brother Jimmy that included the single "He's So Fine," which reached No. 70 on the Billboard chart.
- Popularized in the late '70s by a pair of Kristy dolls sold by Mattel, including one as her character Buddy from Family.
- Was once roommates with Liberace's niece Ina in Beverly Hills.
- Returned to Empty Nest in 1995 for the sitcom's final episode after leaving the show in 1992.
- After retiring from acting, has spent her time teaching drama and doing charity work.