Meredith Baxter

Meredith Ann Baxter aka Meredith Baxter-Birney (born June 21, 1947) is an American actress best known for her role as mother Elyse Keaton on the hit NBC sitcom series Family Ties.

Early life
Baxter was born in South Pasadena, California, the daughter of actress turned director/producer Whitney Blake and Tom Baxter, a radio announcer. After her parents were divorced in 1953, Baxter and her two brothers, Richard (born 1944) and Brian (born 1946), were raised by their mother in Pasadena. Her second stepfather was situation-comedy writer Allan Mannings.

Baxter was educated at James Monroe High School before transferring to Hollywood High School. During her senior year, she attended Interlochen Center for the Arts as a voice major but returned to Hollywood High where she graduated in 1965.

Career
Baxter's first big break came in 1972 when she was cast as the title character Bridget in Bridget Loves Bernie opposite David Birney who she later married in real life after the series was cancelled after a single season.

After a series of guest appearances & starring roles in TV films, Meredith rebounded with a new series of her own for ABC called Family alongside other stars, John Rubinstein, Kristy McNichol (future star of Empty Nest) and now-retired child actress Quinn Cummings. The show premiered on March 9, 1976 and ended on June 25, 1980.

Two years later came the job that really put her on the map. It was for the role of former flower child turned architect & mother Elyse Keaton on TV's Family Ties. Her co-stars were Michael Gross, Jason Bateman's big sister Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers and the much-loved Michael J. Fox. Meredith kept herself busy with TV films while working on the show, including a 1985 TV movie version of Family Ties called Family Ties Vacation.

More TV movies followed after Family Ties ended in 1988. She even found to star and produce another sitcom, this time for ABC called The Faculty. The show ended after four months on the air. Around a year later, Meredith guest starred in Michael J's later sitcom Spin City.

On December 2, 2009 while being interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show, Meredith revealed that she is gay.

Two years later, she reunited with Michael Gross and sort of revive their Family Ties characters for the animated world in a cartoon series for The Hub called Dan Vs. That show lasted from 2011-2013.

She recently won a role in the venerable CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Today she plays a drinking buddy of Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) named Maureen.

Personal Life
Meredith Baxter had three failed marriages. The first was to Robert Lewis Bush; they married a year after high school graduation from 1966-1971. Her second marriage (the longest to date) was to Bridget Loves Bernie co-star David Birney; they were wed from 1974 to 1989 when Family Ties was cancelled. Her last normal marriage lasted from 1995 to 2000 and that was to actor and screenwriter Michael Blodgett. All those marriages produced five children combined.

Today she is married to Nancy Locke.

Trivia
Meredith Baxter and her TV husband Michael Gross were born on the same date.

Shows Appeared

 * Hollywood Squares
 * All-Star Family Feud
 * Lingo (Chuck Woolery Version)
 * RuPaul's Drag U