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| For
many successful seasons, Alley Mills played Norma Arnold, the
delectable wife and mother, on the smash ABC series, THE WONDER
YEARS. More importantly, in 1993, she married the delightful
actor, reconteur, magician, comic, not to mention wunderkind,
Orson Bean. |
| Alley
Mills began her career playing a lion in the Miss Spencer School
for Girls production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Shakespeare
has never been the same and Alley has been roaring right along
ever since. |
| From
that stunning success, it was only a step up to Yale University,
where she was among one of the first female undergraduates ever
admitted to that august institution. From Yale and a subsequent
BA in drama, Alley ventured on to London and the Academy of Music
and Dramatic Arts, where she secured her MA. |
| Her
first professional appearance was in the New York Off Broadway
theatrical venue, performing opposite Geraldine Fitzgerald in
the New York Festival production of A COLLIER's FRIDAY NIGHT.
Then it was onto the road in the national tour of ROMEO AND JULIET,
again by Shakespeare for whom the lady has a definite affinity.
Gossip it has it that if Alley Mills were performing Shakespearean
roles way back then, the Bard might still be alive and writing
today. |
| Crossing
the country to the West Coast, Alley became a stalwart of the
Los Angeles theatrical scene at the mark Taper Forum, the Odyssey
and the Matrix Theatres. |
| In
short order she was featured on television in THE ASSOCIATES
opposite Martin Short and in Gary Goldberg's telefilm, THE BUREAU.
Following these initial exposures to the small screen, she became
a familiar face in the households of America by appearing on
MAKING THE GRADE, MOONLIGHTING, LOU GRANT, HILL STREET BLUES,
and I MARRIED DORA. She finally came to full fledged stardom
of her own on the highly successful series THE WONDER YEARS.
Presaging her real life starring role as the love of Orson Bean's
life, she guest starred in THE OTHER WOMAN with Hal Linden, THE
ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS, STARTING OVER starring Stephanie Powers
and in support of Susan Day in the ABC TV Movie, I LOVE YOU PERFECT. |
| Displaying
her facility with audiences and the sometimes indelicate art
of ad lib, Alley hosted THE HOME SHOW and stood in for Vicki
Lawrence for some episodes of THE VICKI SHOW when Miss Lawrence
vacationed. |
| In
the magical world of theatrical cinema, Alley has appeared opposite
Frank Langella in DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE, the hopefully forgotten
YOUNG LUST, which she has obviously survived and as the female
lead opposite John Candy in GOING BERSERK. After the final episodes
of THE WONDER YEARS, Alley appeared in a TV movie with Raquel
Welch, which is a bit like stuffing beauty with beauty, then
performed in a two hour version of DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN in
which she portrayed Jane Seymour's bitchy sister. Obviously,
there was no type casting involved. Alley also filmed the part
of a "lipstick lesbian" for a TV show called POPULAR
and a lead role in a 4 hour NBC mini-series called THE BEACH
BOYS. |
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