| Courtney Thorne-Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1967 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | Andrew Conrad (2000–2001) Roger Fishman (2007–present) |
Courtney Thorne-Smith (born November 8, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.[1]
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She was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Menlo Park, a suburb south of San Francisco. Her father, Walter Smith, was a computer market researcher and her mother was a therapist. They divorced when Courtney was seven years old, and she lived with both parents at different stages. She attended Menlo-Atherton High School, in Atherton, California, and graduated from Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California, in 1985. She also performed with the Ensemble Theater Company in Mill Valley while attending high school.[2]
Thorne-Smith made her first film appearance in the 1986 feature film drama Lucas alongside Winona Ryder, Corey Haim, and Charlie Sheen. She was also involved in a number of movies in the late 1980s, such as Welcome to 18 (1986),[3] Summer School (1987), Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), and Side Out (1990). In 1998, she starred in the box office flop Chairman of the Board with Carrot Top. In 2009, she appeared in Sorority Wars.
She appeared on a few mid-1980s television shows such as Growing Pains and the short-lived Fast Times, as well as made-for-TV movies including The Thanksgiving Promise and Infidelity before landing a regular role in the short-lived sitcom Day by Day with Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In 1990, she was featured in six episodes of the popular TV series LA Law as Kimberly Dugan.
Her first notable starring television role was as Alison Parker on Melrose Place from 1992–1997. During this time, in 1995, she starred in a made-for-television movie "Beauty's Revenge" which was also marketed in CD and DVD form as "Midwest Obsession".[4] Following this, she went on to play Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal from 1997–2000. Thorne-Smith had originally auditioned for the title role in the show, which ultimately went to Calista Flockhart. In 1997, she became a spokeswoman for Almay cosmetics, being the face of their new "Skin Stays Clean" line of make-up. Her character was written out of Ally McBeal at the beginning of the fourth season in 2000, though she returned for occasional guest appearances afterwards.
From 2001 to 2009, Thorne-Smith starred as Cheryl on the sitcom According to Jim. In 2007, her real-life pregnancy was hidden on the show at first, but was then written into the plot.[5]
On February 18, 2010, Courtney signed on to play Alan Harper's girlfriend, Lyndsey McElroy, in the seventh season of Two and a Half Men.[6] She appeared in two episodes of season 7 and several more in season 8 and 9.
On September 18, 2007, Thorne-Smith's novel, Outside In, was published by Broadway Books in New York.
She is also a spokeswoman for www.atkins.com
Thorne-Smith dated on-screen lover from Melrose Place, Andrew Shue, in the early 1990s. In 2000, the actress married genetic scientist Andrew Conrad, but they divorced in January 2001. She married Roger Fishman on January 1, 2007.[7] On January 11, 2008, she gave birth to their first child, Jacob 'Jake' Emerson Fishman.[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Welcome to 18 | Lindsey | |
| Lucas | Alise | ||
| Fast Times | Stacey Hamilton | 7 Episodes | |
| The Thanksgiving Promise | Sheryl | TV Movie | |
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise | Sunny Carstairs | |
| Summer School | Pam House | ||
| Growing Pains | Photography class student | Episode: "Nude Photos" | |
| 1988-1989 | Day By Day | Kristin Carlson | |
| 1990 | Anything But Love | Episode: "All About Allison" | |
| L.A. Law | Kimberly Dugan | 6 Episodes | |
| Side Out | Samantha | ||
| 1991 | Fist Fight | ||
| 1992 | Jack's Place | Kim Logan | Episode: "Everything Old is New Again" |
| Grapevine | Lisa | Episode: "The Lisa and Bill Story" | |
| 1992-1997 | Melrose Place | Allison Parker | series regular |
| 1994 | Breach of Conduct | Helen Lutz | TV movie |
| 1995 | Whisper of the Heart | Shiho Tsukishima | voice |
| Beauty's Revenge | Cheryl Ann Davis | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Partners | Danielle | Episode: "The Year of Bob?" |
| 1997 | The Lovemaster | Deb | |
| 1997-2002 | Ally McBeal | Georgia Thomas | Series regular |
| 1998 | Chairman of the Board (film) | Natalie Stockwell | |
| 1999 | Partners | Gina Darrin | Episode: "Always..." |
| Ally | Georgie Thomas | 12 Episodes | |
| 2000 | Norm | Rebecca | Episode: "Norm and the Hopeless Cause" |
| 2001-2009 | According to Jim | Cheryl | series regular |
| 2005 | Batman: New Times | Catwoman | voice |
| 2009 | Sorority Wars | Lutie | TV movie |
| 2010-Present | Two and a Half Men | Lindsey MacElroy | recurring role |
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Nominated Work |
| 1998 | Nominated | Actor Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Ally McBeal |
| 1999 | Won | Actor Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |
| 2000 | Nominated | Actor Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |