Kathleen Beller

Kathleen Jennifer Beller (born February 19, 1956) is an American actress who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Promises in the Dark and was well known for her role as Kirby Anders on the prime time soap opera Dynasty. She had a small role in The Godfather Part II and a featured role in The Betsy.

Career Beller started her career by appearing in several commercials. Her film debut was a small role in 1974's The Godfather Part II, portraying an actress in a play that the young Vito Corleone and Genco Abbandando attended. Later, she was recognized more for her television work, appearing in TV movies and guest-starring in television series, notably the soap Dynasty. She played Betsy in 1978's The Betsy, a role Beller hoped would end her television career and start her film career:

For a TV actress, getting that first feature film is a major step. So this is very important in my life. But, funnily, getting this part in The Betsy was actually the easiest part I ever got. I did one reading, one lunch to discuss the part with the director (Daniel Petrie) and that was that. I had the part. From now on, if I do any TV at all it will only be good TV. It's interesting how one feature film — and The Betsy isn't even released yet—can make such a difference in a career. On the strength of just being in The Betsy, I am finding it so much easier. Now I go in to read for a movie part, and they know me, the door is at least partly open. Beller returned to television work, appearing in TV movies such as Mary White (1977) and Are You in the House Alone? (1978). She recalled the exhausting casting procedure of Mary White, which lasted daily for three weeks. Beller also continued to appear in films, playing a supporting role in the 1978 musical comedy Movie Movie, and portraying a cancer patient in the film Promises in the Dark (1979). She spent three months researching the Promises in the Dark role, and later recalled it as one of her favorite roles. Although the film was a commercial failure, the role earned Beller a Golden Globe nomination. Although she assumed this demand would cause her not to be cast, she won the role, which the film's director changed to a woman in her early 20s. She blamed her departure from Dynasty on the new writers who were hired in 1984, Beller said that "[she'd] come back if they wanted [her]".

After her run on Dynasty, Beller starred in the TV thriller Deadly Messages, which Beller said differed from her earlier thrillers by "[not taking] itself too seriously". Beller and Dolby are depicted together on the front sleeve of Dolby's third album, Aliens Ate My Buick (1988).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1974 Girl in 'Senza Mamma' 1978 Betsy Hardeman 1978 Movie Movie Angie Popchik 1979 Promises in the Dark Elizabeth "Buffy" Koenig Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 1981 Fort Apache, The Bronx Theresa 1981 Surfacing Kate 1982 Princess Alana 1983 Touched Jennifer 1989 Time Trackers R.J. Craig 1990 Legacy Eliza Williams 2016 Tom Mother Short, completed

Television Year Title Role Notes 1971–1974 Search for Tomorrow Liza Walton Sentell TV series 1975 Baretta Carla "The Coppelli Oath" 1975 Crime Club Pam Agostino TV movie 1975 Hawaii Five-O Elena Mendoza "The Waterfront Steal" 1976 Medical Center Sharon "You Can't Annul My Baby" 1976 At Ease! Stacy Ramsey TV short 1976 Visions Ruth Schwartz "The Great Cherub Knitwear Strike" 1977 Little Deer "To Catch the Eagle" 1977 Something for Joey Jean Cappelletti TV movie 1977 Barnaby Jones Julie Enright "Run Away to Terror" 1977 Mary White Mary White TV movie 1978 Having Babies III Dawn TV movie 1978 Are You in the House Alone? Gail Osborne TV movie 1980 Mother and Daughter: The Loving War Renie TV movie 1980 Rappaccini's Daughter Beatrice TV movie 1981 No Place to Hide Amy Manning TV movie 1981 Manions of America Maureen O'Brian TV miniseries 1982 Kathy Reynolds TV miniseries 1982–1984 Dynasty Kirby Anders Series regular 1984 Glitter Princess Lisa TV series, 1 episode: 2 “Trouble in Paradise” 1985 Deadly Messages Laura Daniels TV movie 1985 Murder, She Wrote Mary Carver "Funeral at Fifty-Mile" 1986 Blacke's Magic Carla Gasparini "Breathing Room" 1987 Cloud Waltzing Meredith Tolliver TV movie 1987–1988 Mary Caitlin Callahan Main role 1989 Murder, She Wrote Maria Deschier "When the Fat Lady Sings" 1991 Dynasty: The Reunion Kirby Anders TV miniseries 1991 Danger Team Cheryl Singer TV movie

Awards and nominations + Year Award Category Title of work Result 1980 Golden Globe Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture Promises in the Dark