Nancy McKeon

Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life and Jinny Exstead on The Division.

Early life and family Nancy Justine McKeon was born on April 4, 1966, in Westbury, New York, to Barbara McKeon and travel agent Donald McKeon. She began her entertainment career by modeling baby clothing for the Sears & Roebuck catalog at age two. During some of her childhood, the family resided in Forest Hills, New York in Queens. She was cast as tomboy Jo Polniaczek in the fall of 1980 during the show's second season after four of the first season's cast were dismissed from the show. McKeon also provided the voice for many ABC Weekend Special cartoon characters, including the voice for Scruffy.

While she was working on The Facts of Life, McKeon attended school on-set with tutors, having attended Catholic school prior to that. In an interview with Tom Snyder in 1998, she joked that she "was given detention a few times" for not adhering to the strict rules of school, which included not wearing her favorite patent leather shoes.

Adulthood In 1990, McKeon was courted by NBC executives for the title role in the TV sitcom adaptation of the 1988 film Working Girl; the role, played by Melanie Griffith in the movie, instead went to then unknown Sandra Bullock. In 1994, McKeon and Courteney Cox auditioned for the role of Monica Geller on the sitcom Friends. The role went to Cox. In 1995, she starred in her own series, Can't Hurry Love, which lasted one season. In 1998, she starred with Jean Smart in the sitcom Style & Substance.

McKeon portrayed Inspector Jinny Exstead on the Lifetime police drama The Division from 2001 to 2004, with her pregnancy incorporated into the storyline of the last year of the series. From 2009 to 2010, she appeared in a recurring role in the Disney Channel Original Series Sonny with a Chance as Connie Munroe, the mother of Demi Lovato's title character.

McKeon starred in numerous made-for-TV movies in the 1980s and 1990s, including A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story, in which she portrayed the title role of Tracey Thurman, and The Wrong Woman, portraying a woman framed for killing her boss. In Strange Voices, she portrayed a woman with schizophrenia. She produced many of these movies through her film company, Forest Hills Entertainment (named after her childhood neighborhood, Forest Hills). She also directed two episodes of The Division.

In 2003, McKeon starred in the film Comfort and Joy.

McKeon has narrated several audiobooks.

She has a brief cameo appearance in 2019's You Light Up My Christmas, a movie starring her Facts of Life co-star Kim Fields. The movie includes other cast members from the show. McKeon was supposed to have a larger role in the movie, but was unable to film more due to a family emergency. Also in 2019, McKeon announced on social media her involvement in a new, planned Amazon series based on the Lauren Oliver young adult novel Panic. The first season premiered in 2021.

Personal life

While McKeon was on The Facts of Life, she and her parents were granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II. She described the experience to interviewer Tom Snyder in 1998 as "electric," explaining, "In every rendering of every artist, you see this aura that's painted around figures...He has that in life." A private pair seeking to keep the event small, the two only had 20 guests at the wedding.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1992 Where the Day Takes You Vikki 1994 Teresa's Tattoo Sara 1995 Melanie Brooke 1997 Just Write Bride 1999 A Wakening Short film; Director, writer

Television Year Title Role Notes 1977 Starsky & Hutch Vikki Mayer "The Crying Child" 1978 Return to Fantasy Island Ann TV film 1978 Alice Girl Orphan "Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?" 1978 Susan Moreland TV film 1979 Penny Barrett "Daddy's Pride" 1979 The Puppy's Great Adventure Dolly (voice) TV film 1980 Stone Jill Stone TV series (9 episodes) 1980 The Puppy's Amazing Rescue Dolly (voice) TV film 1980 Amelia Daley (voice) TV film 1980 Scruffy Scruffy (voice) TV film 1980 ABC Afterschool Special Lucy Twining "Schoolboy Father" 1980–81 Thundarr the Barbarian Tye / Tai (voice) "Harvest of Doom", "Last Train to Doomsday" 1980–88 Jo Polniaczek TV series (189 episodes) 1981 Alice Kimberly "Alice's Halloween Surprise" 1981 The Puppy Saves the Circus Dolly (voice) TV film 1982 Miss Switch to the Rescue Amelia Daley (voice) TV film 1982–83 The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour Dolly (voice) TV series (13 episodes: The Puppy's New Adventures segment) 1982 Jo Polniaczek TV film 1983 Dusty Slugger TV film 1983 ABC Afterschool Special Nancy Parks "Please Don't Hit Me, Mom" 1983–84 Dolly (voice) TV series (8 episodes) 1983 High School U.S.A. Beth Franklin TV film 1985 Poison Ivy Rhonda Malone TV film 1985 This Child Is Mine Kimberly Downs TV film 1986 Firefighter Cindy Fralick TV film 1987 Jo Polniaczek TV film 1987 Strange Voices Nicole 'Nikki' Glover TV film 1989 Tracey Thurman TV film 1990 Dawn Wilder "New Dawn" 1991 Lightning Field Martha Townsend TV film 1992 Baby Snatcher Karen Williams TV film 1993 Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage Rosalie Profaci Bonanno TV film 1995 Margaret Deal TV film 1995–96 Can't Hurry Love Annie O'Donnell TV series (19 episodes) 1998 Style & Substance Jane Sokol TV series (13 episodes) 1999 In My Sister's Shadow Joan Connor TV film 1999 Touched by an Angel Rachel Waters "The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life" 2001–04 Inspector Jinny Exstead TV series (88 episodes)Director: episodes "Full Moon" (S2), "The Cost of Freedom" (S3) 2003 Comfort and Joy Jane Berry TV film 2004 Category 6: Day of Destruction Amy Harkin TV miniseries 2006 Wild Hearts Emily TV film 2007 Without a Trace Gail Sweeney "Absalom" 2009–10 Sonny with a Chance Connie Munroe TV series (5 episodes) 2011 Love Begins Millie TV film 2018 Dancing with the Stars Contestant TV series (5 episodes) 2019 You Light Up My Christmas Kathy TV film 2021 Panic Jessica Mason TV series (6 episodes)

Awards and nominations Marco Island Film Festival 2000: Won, "Audience Award for Best Short Drama"—A Wakening 2000: Won, "Crystal Palm Award for Best Short Film"—A Wakening

Prism Awards 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Episode"—The Division 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series"—The Division 2004: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi Episode Storyline"—The Division

TV Land Awards 2007: Nominated, "The 'When Bad Teens Go Good' Award"—The Facts of Life

Young Artist Awards 1982: Nominated, "Best Young Comedienne in Motion Picture or Television"—The Facts of Life 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Television Special"—Please Don't Hit Me, Mom 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television"—The Facts of Life Goes to Paris 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series"—The Facts of Life 1984: Nominated, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series"—The Facts of Life