If you were wondering how your favorite sitcom female celebrities from the 1980s are doing today, you don’t have to look any further than this page. A list of women who we admired, despised, or crushed back in the day has been compiled, and some of their stories are incredible!
Tempestt Bledsoe – Then
Tempestt Bledsoe is best known for playing as Vanessa Huxtable, Cliff and Clair Huxtable’s fourth child, in the NBC sitcom Vanessa Huxtable, which aired from 1984 to 1986. Bledsoe decided to stay on The Cosby Show and appeared on the show until the final season in 1992, when he passed away. The character of Vanessa, played by her real-life counterpart, appeared in A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show that aired from September 1987 to July 1993.
Tempestt Bledsoe – Then
Tempestt Bledsoe – Now
Towards the end of the 1990s, Tempestt Bledsoe agreed to host her own daily television show, The Tempestt Bledsoe Show, which began airing in 1998. Aside from Husband for Hire on Oxygen, she has also appeared in the Disney Channel animated series The Replacements and the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club. In 2010, Bledsoe was approached by the Style Network, and he agreed to host Clean House on their network. After graduating from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Bledsoe went on to date Darryl M. Bell, who she is currently dating.
Tempestt Bledsoe – Now
Priscilla Barnes – Then
In 1973, Priscilla Barnes received her big break when Bob Hope happened to see her at a local fashion show. Soon after, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she began to appear in films such as The New Original Wonder Woman, The Seniors, and Delta Fox, to name just a few. Throughout 1981, Barnes appeared on Three’s Company as Terri Alden, a permanent replacement for Suzanne Somers who had left the show. Barnes had already established herself as a household name by the time she joined the Three Company, despite the fact that she had to compete for major film roles.
Priscilla Barnes – Then
Priscilla Barnes – Now
In 1998, Priscilla Barnes appeared on the television show E! True Hollywood Story, in which she described her “three worst years” of her life as a performer at Three’s Company, during which she was constantly “uncomfortable” on stage and even attempted to get out of her contract, but was denied. Despite the fact that Terri Alden will always be Barnes’ most important role, she has enjoyed considerable success in television and film, having appeared in a number of supporting roles throughout her career.
Priscilla Barnes – Now
Nicole Eggert – Then
Nicole Eggert was only eight years old when she landed her first film role in Rich and Famous, which she directed. Margaret’s voice was directed by Eggert in Dennis the Menace: Mayday for Mother, the first edited cartoon in the Dennis the Menace Trilogy, which was released in the same year. After appearing in Who’s the Boss?, Eggert landed her most well-known role as Jamie Powell in Charles in Charge, in which she played a character who was a close personal friend of Alyssa Milano.
Nicole Eggert – Then
Nicole Eggert – Now
Nicole Eggert began working as a lifeguard for Baywatch in 1990, following the conclusion of the television series Charles in Charge. Among her many other credits are hosting the 1989 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and a guest appearance on the Super Mario Bros. video game series, among other things. Eggert has previously appeared on television shows such as Boy Meets World, Gilmore Girls, and the Celebrity Fit Club’s 2010 season, among others. In 2014, Eggert made the decision to start her own ice cream truck business.
Nicole Eggert – Now
Kim Fields – Then
Earlier in her career, Kim Fields appeared in the sitcom “Baby, I’m Back” before landing her most well-known role as Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey, which lasted only 13 episodes. Even after that, it wasn’t broadcast on television until 1980. Fields appeared in Mrs. Butterworth’s advertisement as well as two episodes of the television show The Good Times. Fields was a regular character on the television show The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988. Because she is so small, the producers decided to put her on roller skates in order to avoid harsh camera angles.
Kim Fields – Then
Kim Fields – Now
He sang and wrote two songs for The Facts of Life, “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not,” and “Dear Michael,” both of which were minor hits for the group. Fields is now a well-known actress and director with a long list of film and television credits to her credit. She was a cast member of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta for eight seasons before departing the show after the ninth season. Aside from that, she competed in season 22 of Dancing with the Stars, where she placed eighth overall.
Kim Fields – Now
Jane Curtin – Then
After being crowned “Queen of the Dead” in 1975, Jane Curtin went on to become a cast member of the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1976. Curtin’s hard work and “strong moral center” were praised by the show’s writer, Al Franken, throughout her time on SNL. Despite the fact that most of the SNL cast members went on to greater things, Curtin chose to remain on television, co-starring with Susan Saint James as Single Mother Allie Lowell in Kate & Alley from 1984 to 1989.
Jane Curtin – Then
Jane Curtin – Now
Following Kate & Alley, Jane Curtin landed another long-running third-rock TV series from the Sun in 1996. In 1997, she narrated two episodes of Understanding, and in 2006, she co-starred with Fred Savage in Crumbs, a short-lived ABC sitcom that aired for only 13 episodes. She’s appeared in recent episodes of The Good Wife and Broad City, as well as major films like I Love You, Man, and The Heat.
Jane Curtin – Now
Lisa Bonet – Then
Starlet After a brief stint in beauty pageants, Lisa Bonet began her acting career. She did some TV guest appearances as a child, which helped pave the way for her big break as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Bonet left The Cosby Show in 1987 to star in “A Different World,” a series of spinoffs that aired prior to Denise Huxtable’s arrival at university.
Lisa Bonet – Then
Lisa Bonet – Now
Bonet left the show after her pregnancy was revealed during the filming of “A Different World,” but returned a year later to The Cosby Show, only to be fired in 1991 due to “creative differences.” Bonet worked on a number of projects that were shot straight to video. She has only made sporadic appearances on television and in films since the 1990s and 2000s. Bonet married performer Lenny Kravitz in Las Vegas on her 20th birthday, but the couple divorced in 1993.
Lisa Bonet – Now
Nancy McKeon – Then
Nancy McKeon appeared in a number of commercials with her brother Philip before landing her breakthrough role. In the 1970s, she began acting in minor roles on television shows before moving to Los Angeles with her family in 1975. After impressing a casting director with her ability to cry in a Hallmark greeting cards commercial, McKeon was offered a role as tomboy Jo Polniaczek in The Facts of Life. On the Facts of Life, McKeon’s character Jo was irritable, unpleasant, and yet somehow lovely.
Nancy McKeon – Then
Nancy McKeon – Now
Nancy McKeon was almost cast in the TV adaptation of Working Girls after her time as Jo Polniaczek. Sandra Bullock, a relatively unknown actress at the time, was eventually chosen for the role. McKeon tried out for Monica Geller’s role in Friends in 1994 but was passed over in favor of Courteney Cox. A year later, McKeon’s own show, Can’t Hurry Love, lasted only one season. Love Begins, a 2011 television film, was her final role.
Nancy McKeon – Now
Soleil Moon Frye – Then
Soleil Moon Frye began acting when she was two years old. Her first television film, Missing Children: A Mother’s Story, premiered in 1982. After graduating from high school, Frye continued to work as a child actress in made-for-TV movies. At the age of seven, Frye competed for NBC’s Punky Brewster title character, outscoring 3,000 young women. Punky, Frye’s character, was a huge hit with the kids, but the show’s viewership remained low. Soleil Moon Frye began acting when she was two years old. Her first television film, Missing Children: A Mother’s Story, premiered in 1982. After graduating from high school, Frye continued to work as a child actress in made-for-TV movies. At the age of seven, Frye competed for NBC’s Punky Brewster title character, outscoring 3,000 young women. Punky, Frye’s character, was a huge hit with the kids, but the show’s viewership remained low.
Soleil Moon Frye – Then
Soleil Moon Frye – Now
Punky Brewster only lasted two seasons on NBC before being canceled and then picked up by Columbia Pictures Television for two more seasons. Soleil Moon Frye has thus contributed fairly to the effort to express her leading role in It’s Punky Brewster, and Zoey’s character in The Proud Family in It’s Punky Brewster. She also had some sitcom appearances on the show in the 1990s and more recently, and she decided to branch out into directing and writing.
Soleil Moon Frye – Now
Susan Saint James – Then
Susan Saint James began acting at the age of twenty, with a role in the 1966 television film Fame Is the Name of the Game and the two-year follow-up series. In the late 1960s, she made a few more television appearances. While Saint James began to establish a name for herself by appearing in various 1970 TV movies, it wasn’t until 1984 that she became a well-known star when she landed a role in Kate & Alley that she became a household name.
Susan Saint James – Then
Susan Saint James – Now
Susan Saint James was hired on the spot by Vince McMahon to comment on WrestleMania 2 for the World Wrestling Federations in 1986. Saint James received three Emmy nominations for her five-year role in Kate & Alley, but she confirmed that she would leave after the sitcom’s final season in 1989. Saint James has recently been seen on television shows such as The Drew Carey Show and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as participating in the Special Olympic Games.
Susan Saint James – Now
Olivia D’Abo – Then
Olivia d’Abo began playing Princess Jehnna in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer, despite being best known for her role as Kevin Arnold’s disobedient older sister in The Wonder Years. Only a few years later, d’Abo began to appear in Bolero, a critically panned drama film. D’Abo played Hippie Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years for the first four seasons, from 1988 to 1991, and was later brought back as a recurring guest two times over the final two seasons.
Olivia D’Abo – Then
Olivia D’Abo – Now
D’Abo has already made appearances on television since her time on The Wonder Years, including minor roles on Star Trek: Next Generation, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Twilight Zone, and Eureka. She worked on Broadway, backed films like The Spirit of ’76, Greedy, and The Big Green, and produced voice-overs for a variety of video games and animated series. Olivia d’Abo has also added a music career and a weekly podcast to her growing resume.
Olivia D’Abo – Now
Danica McKellar – Then
Winnie Cooper used to spend her weekends at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles, where she studied acting before Jimmy Fallon called her “the coolest girl in any TV show ever.” She landed the lead role in The Wonder Years in 1988, and the series lasted until 1993. On the ABC sitcom, McKellar played the romantic interest of young Fred Savage, and her first kiss was caught on camera.
Danica McKellar – Then
Danica McKellar – Now
Danica McKellar also spoke about her struggles transitioning from a young actress to an adult actress shortly after leaving The Wonder Years. She was able to find work, but it was usually in small roles that lasted only a few seasons. McKellar wore lingerie for a feature in Stuff magazine in 2005 and said afterward that it was an attempt to get a “grittier” role. McKellar has published four books that encourage young people in elementary school to become interested in mathematics, in addition to acting.
Danica McKellar – Now
Donna Dixon – Then
Donna Dixon was a blonde beauty who embodied the state of Virginia in the 1976 Miss USA beauty contest, but she came in second place. She returned to the Miss USA beauty pageant a year later, this time representing the District of Columbia, and she was named the 1st Miss World USA runner-up. Dixon landed his first major television role in the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, alongside Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks. Bosom Buddies was a two-season sitcom that aired from 1980 to 1982.
Donna Dixon Then
Donna Dixon – Now
Donna Dixon’s first project after the cancellation of Bossom Buddies was a leading role in the Doctor Detroit movie. Dixon married Dan Aykroyd while filming the sitcom in 1983. They have collaborated on a number of films and television shows. During her 17-year career, Dixon has appeared in films such as Twilight Zone: The Movie, Spies Like Us, Wayne’s World, Exit to Eden, and The Nanny. She decided to retire in 1997 after having three daughters.
Donna Dixon Now
Geena Davis – Then
Geena Davis had her breakout role in 1982. She was working as a model just before director Sydney Pollack wanted to cast her as a soap opera starlet in his comedy film Tootsie. She then spent two seasons as Wendy Killian’s agent in the short-lived local television series Buffalo Bill. Between 1983 and 1984, Buffalo Bill was on the air. During her early career, Davis appeared in seasons of Knight Rider, Riptide, Family Ties, and Remington Steele.
Geena Davis Then
Geena Davis – Now
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Geena Davis made an impressive transition from television to film with roles in Fletch, The Fly, and Beetlejuice. Davis won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Accidental Tourist in 1988. Davis disappeared from television in the 1990s, only to return in 2000 for 22 episodes of her own show, the Geena Davis Show. Davis has recently appeared in Stuart Little, Chief of Staff, as well as a few low-budget films.
Geena Davis Now
Meredith Baxter – Then
Baxter is said to have started her acting career in 1972, with a role in the CBS sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. Despite the fact that the show was only one season long, she married David Birney, her co-star. The couple married in 1974 but filed for divorce in 1989. Baxter made appearances on episodes of The Young Lawyers, The Doris Day Show, and The Partridge Family during her early career. She is best known for her role in the NBC show Family Ties.
Meredith Baxter Then
Meredith Baxter – Now
From 1982 to 1989, Elyse Keaton was featured on Baxter’s Family Ties. Baxter received two Primetime Emmy nominations for Nancy Lawrence Maitland’s role in Family before joining Family Ties. Baxter appeared in a slew of films, soap operas, sitcoms, and reality shows during the 1990s and 2000s, including One More Mountain, The Young and the Restless, Spin City, and Hell’s Kitchen. Baxter came out as a lesbian in 2009 and married Nancy Locke in 2013.
Meredith Baxter Now
Marisa Tomei – Then
Marisa Tomei made her acting debut in the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1983 to 1985 after graduating from Boston University. Marcy Thompson, a hotly debated fresh-faced woman, accusing Dr. Bob Hughes of insufficient behavior, was the character she portrayed. Tomei then landed a regular role in A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show. Maggie Lauten was portrayed by her for 21 episodes in 1987 before she moved on to something bigger and more diverse.
Marisa Tomei – Then
Marisa Tomei – Now
Marisa Tomei is one of the most important and well-known figures on our list, and she is no stranger to the big screen, having appeared in countless blockbuster films nearly every year since the 1990s. My Cousin Vinny, released in 1992, Anger Management, released in 2003, The Wrestler, released in 2008, and Captain America: Civil War, released in 2016 – Tomei has already won nearly 20 major motion picture awards and has two films in post-production in 2018.
Marisa Tomei – Now
Kirstie Alley – Then
Kirstie Alley got to play Lieutenant JG Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan from 1982 to 1983 before moving on to her most well-known role as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers. Alley joined Cheers in 1987 and decided to stay until the end of the season in 1993. Alley won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Rebecca Howe. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Alley continued to appear in a number of films.
Kirstie Alley – Then
Kirstie Alley – Now
After starring in films such as Sibling Rivalry, It Takes Two, Deconstruction Harry, and Drop-Dead Gorgeous in 1990s, Kirstie Alley decided to return to NBC to star in Veronica’s Closet. Alley appeared in a number of television shows, mostly in the 2000s, about her life. Alley was Jenny Craig’s spokeswoman from 2004 to 2007, and she made her dramatic weight changes widely known. Back by Midnight in 2002 and Accidental Love in 2015 were her most recent film appearances.
Kirstie Alley – Now
Alyssa Milano – Then
Alyssa Milano was brought to an audition for a national touring production by her nanny when she was only seven years old. Her parents were unaware that she had taken a screen test until she had defeated 1,500 girls. Milano’s professional life had officially begun when she returned from the Annie tour and appeared in television commercials, off-Broadway productions, and her film premiere at Old Enough. She then went on to star in the ABC sitcom Who’s the Boss?
Alyssa Milano – Then
Alyssa Milano – Now
Alyssa Milano had become a young star, portraying Samantha Micelli, Tony Danz’s daughter, on Who’s The Boss?. Milano has remained one of the most well-known faces and names in our Hollywood catalog by working on music videos, animated series, main movie photos, and broadcast television. Hall Pass, New Year’s Eve, My Name Is Earl, and the Netflix series Insatiable are among her most notable and recent roles.
Alyssa Milano – Now
Pam Dawber – Then
Pam Dawber is well-known for her appearances in two different 1980s television shows. Between 1978 and 1982, she starred in Mork & Mindy as Mindy McConnell alongside the then-unknown Robin Williams. Between 1986 and 1988, she had the role of Samantha Russel in the sitcom Sister Sam.
Pam Dawber – Then
Pam Dawber – Now
Pam Dawber is best known for her television appearances, but she has also starred in a number of films, including Stay Tuned in 1992 and I’ll Remember April in 1999. In 2014, Dawber decided to join the late Robin Williams in an episode of the comedy series The Crazy Ones. Unfortunately, the show was forced to be canceled shortly after. In 2016, she also appeared in a scene from The Odd Couple.
Pam Dawber – Now
Mary Tyler Moore – Then
Mary Tyler Moore’s television career began with the character of Happy Hotpoint, a small dancing Elf who appeared in Hotpoint commercials in the 1950s. Moore went on to work in a variety of TV roles until Carl Reiner cast him in the Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961. Moore and her husband, Grant Tinker, decided to pitch their own television series four years later, and CBS liked what they saw. The Mary Tyler Moore Show ran for six years in the top twenty from 1970 to 1977.
Mary Tyler Moore – Then
Mary Tyler Moore – Now
Mary Tyler Moore is still regarded as a cultural icon today. She continued to work in television, film, and theater in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Moore died tragically of cardiopulmonary arrest on January 25, 2017, at the age of 80, as a result of pneumonia. She will always be remembered as a groundbreaking artist who pushed the envelope with characters who defied stereotypes about women and questioned sexual orientation norms. She was also a successful philanthropist and animal welfare advocate.
Mary Tyler Moore – Now
Mindy Cohn – Then
Mindy Cohn became Natalie Green, one of Edna Garrett’s students, for The Facts of Life in 1979. Cohn appeared in every episode of the television show until 1988. Natalie’s role was quite progressive, breaking a number of barriers that would normally be considered taboo, such as physical appearance, relationship issues, and adoption. While Natalie Green was widely acknowledged for her personality, she was comfortable with a stable image of herself, trying to say, “Who wants to be a skinny pencil? I’d rather be a happy marker of magic!”
Mindy Cohn – Then
Mindy Cohn – Now
Mindy Cohn’s performance as Natalie on The Facts of Life took 43rd place on a VH1 list of the 100 Greatest Stars. After the Facts of Life in 1986, she starred in The Boy Who Could Fly and other well-known TV shows like Charles in Charge and 21 Jump Street. Cohn’s most recent projects include her role as Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo film series, which she played from 2002 to 2015. She also played Thelma in the film Hollywood Dirt.
Mindy Cohn – Now
Tina Yothers – Then
Tina Yothers began her acting career when she was eight years old, and she made an appearance on an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. However, it was the year before, in 1982, that her role in the hit sitcom Family Ties catapulted her to fame. She played Jennifer Keaton, the younger sister of Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman, in the lead role. Tina is a delicate individual who expresses her parents’ liberal views and has a strained relationship with her siblings.
Tina Yothers – Then
Tina Yothers – Now
Tina Yothers decided to take a break from acting in order to focus on a possible future career in music, despite the fact that she undoubtedly made a good impression as Jennifer. She formed a band with her brother, Jaded, in 2002 and has two children since then. Others have appeared on shows like Celebrity Wife Swap, Celebrity Fit Club, and What Not to Wear recently.
Tina Yothers – Now
Candace Cameron – Then
Full House’s success can be attributed to John Stamos and Bob Saget, as well as Candace Cameron, the show’s relatively young star. DJ Tanner is the family’s oldest child. She is the most vulnerable sibling when it comes to giving advice to younger family members. Despite the fact that some characters died, Cameron was a part of the actual show casting throughout the entire cycle and was unquestionably a fan-favorite character until the series ended in 1995.
Candace Cameron – Then
Candace Cameron – Now
Candace Cameron went on to find projects in the years following the completion of Full House in the early 1990s. She was a major figure on the Hallmark Channel and the female lead in shows based on Aurora Teagarden’s novel series. Cameron competed against celebrities in the 18th season of Dancing With The Stars in 2014, almost walking away with third place. She went on to host the television show The View a few years later and has since assumed the role of DJ Tanner.
Candace Cameron – Now
Judith Light – Then
No one can deny that Judith Light was instrumental in the production of Who’s the Boss? Angela’s famous character has a lot of feistiness. Angela, a focused, self-reliant individual, is enticed by house cleaner Tony and others, which is a recurring story throughout the television series. Despite the fact that they finally declare their love for one another, the producers decided not to allow the sweethearts to marry on the show in order to keep the viewers interested. One Life to Live and St. Elsewhere have both featured light recently.
Judith Light – Then
Judith Light – Now
Following the conclusion of Who’s The Boss?, Judith Light continued to work in the television industry, appearing on shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She also had a recurring role in the hit show Ugly Betty, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2007. On Broadway, Light had success with shows like Lombardi, Other Desert Cities, and The Assembled Parties. In 2019, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Judith Light – Now
Lisa Whelchel – Then
Lisa Whelchel had been a TV star since she was a child, first appearing as a Mousekeeper on the New Mickey Mouse Club. She had indeed appeared in an impressive 130 Disney episode at the age of fifteen. On the other hand, Whelchel is best known for her role as Blair Warner in The Facts of Life, which she played for nine seasons. Blair is a little troublemaker who is narcissistic and shallow in equal measure, as well as hilariously kindhearted.
Lisa Whelchel – Then
Lisa Whelchel – Now
Whelchel’s career also took a long time after the 1980s ended. This appeared to be linked to her marriage to Steven Cauble, with whom she had three children before divorcing in 2012. In the same year, Whelchel competed in the popular game show Survivor: the Philippines, finishing in second place. She was also awarded $100,000 for being voted the fan’s favorite. Whelchel is now in high demand as an inspirational speaker.
Lisa Whelchel – Now
Sara Gilbert – Then
Sara Gilbert made her television debut as Darlene in the hit show Roseanne. She played Dan’s daughter, and her holder character has a reputation for being a young girl sitcom character who is overtly masculine. Gilbert was almost not chosen by the producers because they didn’t think she was cute at all. It’s an excellent point, but Gilbert managed to imbue the character with a level of gravitas that most child actors simply cannot.
Sara Gilbert – Then
Sara Gilbert – Now
Sara Gilbert has appeared in a number of television shows over the years, including 24, ER, and Twins, to name a few. Sure, the great actress won over new viewers with her role as Leslie Winkle in the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which she co-starred in with her Roseanne co-star Johnny Galecki. She also reprised her role as Darlene in the Roseanne, The Conners series, which has received mixed reviews since its premiere.
Sara Gilbert – Now