Bess Motta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bess Motta is an actress, singer, choreographer, and exercise instructor best known for her work on the Canadian produced television series, The :20 Minute Workout which aired for two seasons in 1983 and 1984.
She has been credited with putting TV aerobics on the map, and has been called the "Aerobics queen of the 1980s", having become a fitness advocate after returning from England 30 pounds overweight. She was also overweight as a teenager. Born in 1958, her given name was Bess Motter, but changed her last name to Motta on advice from her agent.
She was perhaps considered the star of the show; often acknowledged as the leader of the group, and was also the public's favorite because of her spunk, high energy and enthusiasm. She was also known for her singing while she counted down during the workout.
Bess and fellow exerciser, Arlaine Wright, were the two main teachers on the show, (although Nicole Nardini and Anne "Annie" Schumacher also led classes on various days) and both women, along with Anne and Leslie Smith, were featured in both seasons of the show.
After her two seasons on the :20 Minute Workout, (the second of which was when she was the show's choreographer) and even during that time; she took time out for some other projects. Most notably, she played Rita, a friendly and bubbly waitress in a mansion's diner (kitchen) on the ill-fated syndicated show, The New Monkees in 1987.
She was also featured in The Terminator, playing Linda Hamilton's roommate, Ginger Ventura, in 1984, while still doing the :20 Minute Workout.
She also appeared in the first few seasons of The Home Show, as a woman who often tried to get a lazy couch potato type (whom she referred to as "You-Know-Who") to free himself of laziness and the couch, (and at one time, his bed) and into the joys of exercise.
In 1998, Bess and Arlaine reunited, in a sense, in the comedy movie called Dirty Work, which, in a bow to their work on the :20 Minute Workout, appeared in archival footage of their famous show.
