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Lynda Louise Day George (born Lynda Louise Day; December 11, 1944) is an American television and film actress whose career spanned three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was a cast member on Mission: Impossible (1971–1973). She was also the wife of actor Christopher George.
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Lynda Day George | |
|---|---|
 Lynda Day George in publicity picture for 1973 telefilm She Cried Murder | |
| Born | Lynda Louise Day December 11, 1944[1] San Marcos, Texas, U.S. |
| Years active | 1961–1989 |
| Spouses | Joseph Pantano
(m. 1963; div. 1970)Doug Cronin
(m. 1990; died 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
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George was born in San Marcos, Texas. Originally known as Lynda Day, she began her career in the 1960s with the Eileen Ford modeling agency working as a top model in print and TV commercials, and then on Broadway starring in The Devils opposite Jason Robards and Anne Bancroft.[2] She then moved to Los Angeles and began a long television career with guest roles on many series of the 1960s, including Route 66, Flipper, Here Come the Brides, The Green Hornet, Mannix, The Fugitive, The Invaders, It Takes a Thief, The Virginian, Good Morning World, Lancer and Bonanza. She starred in the first of the two Universal/NBC TV-pilot films based around psychiatrist/supernatural investigator Dr. David Sorrell (played by Louis Jourdan), Fear No Evil in 1969. George also had appearances playing in Barnaby Jones in the 1973 episode “Stand in for Death” and in a 1975 episode “Double Vengeance”.[3] She had her first major role as Amelia Cole in a short-lived 1970–1971 television series, The Silent Force, and later starred in the television pilot for Cannon in 1971. That same year, she was cast as Lisa Casey in the critically acclaimed series Mission: Impossible, garnering a Golden Globe nomination in 1972 and an Emmy Award nomination in 1973. During the show's last season, she missed seven episodes because of her maternity leave and was temporarily replaced by Barbara Anderson.
She first met actor Christopher George while they were both models at Eileen Ford and she was married to her first husband. They starred together in the 1966 independent film The Gentle Rain.[4] While working together again in the 1970 John Wayne film Chisum, they fell in love and were married on May 15, 1970.[citation needed]
Thereafter, she became Lynda Day George and co-starred in multiple television films with her husband over the next 10 years, including The House on Greenapple Road (1970), Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976), and Cruise Into Terror (1978). They also worked together in episodes of The F.B.I. (1970), Mission: Impossible (1971), McCloud (1975), The Love Boat (1977), and Vega$ (1978). They guest-starred in television's Wonder Woman in 1976, with Lynda playing villain Fausta Grables, the Nazi Wonder Woman.[5][6]
She continued her television work throughout the 1970s with guest roles on television series The Immortal, which starred husband Christopher; Police Story; Kung Fu; Marcus Welby, M.D.; and Barnaby Jones. She appeared with her husband on an episode of Celebrity Bowling in 1975. She played supporting roles in Rich Man, Poor Man; Roots; and Once an Eagle. In 1977, she appeared on the game shows Match Game '77 and Tattletales, the latter with her husband Christopher.
Her movie career is noted for several horror cult films in which she co-starred with her husband Christopher, including Day of the Animals (1977), Pieces (1982), and Mortuary (1983). She also co-starred with John Saxon in the 1980 horror film Beyond Evil.
Christopher George died of a heart attack on November 28, 1983, at the age of 52.[citation needed] She only worked sporadically after that, in guest roles on Fantasy Island (appearing several times on the series, playing a different character each time); Murder, She Wrote; Hardcastle and McCormick; and Blacke's Magic. She was also a regular guest on various religious television programs. In one of her final performances, Lynda reprised the role of Lisa Casey on an episode of the revived Mission: Impossible television series in 1989.
In 2021, George announced that she is ready to return to acting.[7]
Marriages
She was first married to Joseph Pantano from 1963 to 1970, with one son, Nicky. She left Pantano to marry Christopher George.[8] She was married to him from May 15, 1970, until his death on November 28, 1983, and they had one daughter, Casey. They filed suit to have Nicky Pantano legally declared as Christopher's natural son. In 1990, Lynda George's third marriage was with actor and producer Doug Cronin, who died of cancer on December 4, 2010; they resided in Los Angeles and Gardiner, Washington.[9][10][11]
Memoir
On January 17, 2020, during an interview with entertainment correspondent Ed Robertson of TV Confidential, George announced that she was collaborating with a biographer on a memoir centered on her acting career. The working title is Lynda Day George: A Hollywood Memoir.[12]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Outsider | Kim | |
| 1962 | Route 66 | Bibi | Episode: "You Never Had It So Good" |
| 1963 | Route 66 | Allison | Episode: "A Long Way from St. Louie" |
| Rockabye the Infantry | Connie Mahoney | TV short | |
| 1964 | Flipper | Linda Granville | Episode: "Second Time Around" |
| NBC Children's Theatre | Maid Marian | Episode: "Robin Hood" | |
| 1966 | Felony Squad | Karen Anders | Episode: "Fear Below" |
| T.H.E. Cat | Lisa Heller | Episode: "The System" | |
| The Green Hornet | Ardis Ralston | Episode: "Deadline for Death" | |
| Hawk | Charlotte Burns | Episode: "Game with a Dead End" | |
| Seaway | Leonora | Episode: "Don't Forget to Wipe the Blood Off: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| The Gentle Rain | Judy Reynolds | ||
| 1967 | The F.B.I. | Mindy Platt | Episode: "Sky on Fire" |
| Carol Grant | Episode: "Line of Fire" | ||
| Mannix | Carol Blake | Episode: "Then the Drink Takes the Man" | |
| The Invaders | Janet Wilk | Episode: "The Trial" | |
| Cowboy in Africa | Liz Carter | Episode: "What's an Elephant Mother to Do?" | |
| Coronet Blue | Jenny Straigh | Episode: "A Dozen Demons" | |
| The Virginian | Judy Atkins | Episode: "A Welcoming Town" | |
| The Fugitive | Nadine Newmark | Episode: "There Goes the Ball Game" | |
| 1968 | Lancer | Sarah Cassidy | Episode: "The Escape" |
| Bonanza | Lisa Jackson | Episode: "The Stronghold" | |
| It Takes a Thief | Samantha Sutton | Episode: "A Matter of Royal Larceny" | |
| Good Morning World | Cecily Hutton | Episode: "For My Daughter's Hand, You'll Get My Foot" | |
| The F.B.I. | Joyce Carr | Episode: "The Widow" | |
| Felony Squad | Julie Brown | Episode: "The Flip Side of Fear: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| The Sound of Anger | Barbara Keeley | Television movie | |
| 1969 | Fear No Evil | Barbara Anholt | |
| 1970 | Chisum | Sue McSween | |
| The Immortal | Terry Kerwin | Episode: "Man on a Punched Card" | |
| Here Come the Brides | Valerie | Episode: "Two Women" | |
| House on Greenapple Road | Lillian Crane | Television movie | |
| The F.B.I. | Maria Pierce | Episode: "Return to Power" | |
| 1970–1971 | The Silent Force | Amelia Cole | Main cast |
| 1971 | Cannon | Christie Redfield | Episode: "Pilot" |
| The Sheriff | Alma Gregory | Television movie | |
| 1971–1973 | Mission: Impossible | (Lisa) Casey | Main cast |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones | Ellie Briggs | Episode: "Stand-In for Death" |
| Police Story | Angela Wilson | Episode: "The Big Walk" | |
| Set This Town on Fire | Molly Thornburgh | Television movie | |
| She Cried Murder | Sarah Cornell | Television movie | |
| 1974 | Petrocelli | Vickie Richardson | Episode: "By Reason of Madness" |
| Thriller | Cathy More | Episode: "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are" | |
| Marcus Welby, M.D. | Leigh Conforti | Episode: "I've Promised You a Father: Part 1" | |
| Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Leigh Conforti | Episode: "I've Promised You a Father: Part 2" | |
| The Magician | Stacey Hyatt | Episode: "The Illusion of Black Gold" | |
| Kung Fu | Dora Burnham | Episode: "In Uncertain Bondage" | |
| Panic on the 5:22 | Mary Ellen Lewis | Television movie | |
| 1975 | Barnaby Jones | Brina Douglas | Episode: "Double Vengeance" |
| Ellery Queen | Alma Van Dine | Episode: "The Adventure of the Comic Book Crusader" | |
| Death Among Friends | Lisa Manning | Television movie | |
| Barbary Coast | Clio Du Bois | Episode: "The Barbary Coast" | |
| McCloud | Stacy Decker | Episode: "Sharks!" | |
| The Trial of Chaplain Jensen | Louise Kennelly | Television movie | |
| 1976 | Mayday at 40,000 Feet! | Cathy Armello | Television movie |
| Wonder Woman | Fausta Grables | Episode: "The Nazi Wonder Woman" | |
| Rich Man, Poor Man | Linda Quayles | TV Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Most Wanted | Laurie Chandler | Episode: "The Ten-Percenter" | |
| Once an Eagle | Marge Krisler | TV Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| Twin Detectives | Nancy Pendleton | Television movie | |
| 1977 | Roots | Mrs. Reynolds | TV Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| Murder at the World Series | Margot Mannering | Television movie | |
| Day of the Animals | Terry Marsh | ||
| Match Game '77 | |||
| It Happened at Lakewood Manor | Valerie Adams | Television movie | |
| Switch | Dominique Deveraux | Episode: "Two on the Run" | |
| 1978 | Cruise Into Terror | Sandra Barry | Television movie |
| The Return of Captain Nemo | Kate | TV Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| Fantasy Island | Iris Chandler | Episode: "Trouble, My Lovely/The Common Man" | |
| Nancy Harding | Episode: "Homecoming/The Sheikh" | ||
| The Love Boat | Laura Wakefield | Episode: "A Selfless Love/The Nubile Nurse/Parents Know Best" | |
| Vega$ | Sandra Wells | Episode: "Serve, Volley and Kill" | |
| 1979 | Racquet | Monica Gordon | |
| The Love Boat | Peggy Rossmore | Episode: "Play by Play/Cindy/What's a Brother For?" | |
| The Littlest Hobo | Lisa Phillips | Episode: "Little Girl Lost" | |
| 1980 | Fantasy Island | Lorraine Peters | Episode: "With Affection, Jack the Ripper/Gigolo" |
| Beyond Evil | Barbara Andrews | ||
| Casino | Carol | Television movie | |
| 1981 | Fantasy Island | Dr. Carla Frankenstein | Episode: "The Lady and the Monster/The Last Cowboy" |
| 1982 | Benson | as Gabrielle Simone | season 4 episodes 1 & 2 |
| Pieces | Mary Riggs | ||
| The Love Boat | Barbara Lee | Episode: "Green, But Not Jolly/Past Perfect Love/Instant Family" | |
| Mortuary | Eve Parson | ||
| 1983 | Masquerade | Jackie | Episode: "Girls for Sale" |
| Young Warriors | Beverly Carrigan | ||
| 1984 | Fantasy Island | Nora Leonard | Episode: "Sweet Life/Games People Play" |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Diane Shelley | Episode: "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean" |
| Hardcastle and McCormick | Mrs. Burt Schneider | Episode: "Too Rich and Too Thin" | |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | Louise Richmond | Episode: "Address Unknown" |
| 1989 | Mission: Impossible | Lisa Casey | Episode: "Reprisal" |
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| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Golden Globe | Best TV Actress - Drama | Mission: Impossible | Nominated |
| 1973 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing) | Mission: Impossible | Nominated |
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