CineScope
Audra Lindley picture

Audra Lindley

Acting
Known For

79 Years Old

Audra Marie Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers. Born in Los Angeles, California, Lindley was the daughter of show business parents. She got her early start in Hollywood by being a stand-in, which eventually progressed to stunt work. Nothing panned out, and she went to New York in her mid-20s to work in theater. Among her many Broadway plays were: On Golden Pond, Playhouse 90, Long Day's Journey into Night, and Horse Heavens. She took time off to get married and raise five children. Upon resuming her career, she began to make steady appearances on television, including the role of Sue Knowles on the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow, and a six-year stint as manipulative "Aunt Liz" Matthews on the NBC soap opera Another World. She also had regular roles as Meredith Baxter's mother in the sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie, as well as Lee Grant's best friend in Fay. Her greatest fame arrived when she began playing the wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled and sexually frustrated Helen Roper on the hit sitcom Three's Company (1977). (Lindley wore a wig to maintain the character's exaggerated hairstyle.) The character and her husband, Mr. Roper (played by Norman Fell), were spun off to their own show, The Ropers (1979), which was not a success. Lindley continued to appear steadily on television and in film, such as Revenge of the Stepford Wives in 1980 and as Fauna, the owner of the "Bear Flag Restaurant," a Monterey, CA brothel portrayed in the 1982 film Cannery Row. In 1982, she appeared in the film Best Friends starring Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds. One of her last roles was a character part in the lesbian-themed film Desert Hearts (1985). Lindley wanted to reshoot one key scene. The director, Donna Deitch, replied that they did not have the budget for reshooting. Lindley said that she would buy a portion of the film if Deitch let her do just that one take again. Deitch agreed, and Lindley kept her word. Lindley garnered further parts of all sizes in various TV films and series, including playing Phoebe Buffay's grandmother on Friends, and her last, a recurring role as Cybill Shepherd's mother on the CBS sitcom Cybill. She had also played Shepherd's mother in the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid. Lindley died from leukemia on October 16, 1997, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center with a Cybill script by her hospital bedside. She was married to and divorced from Dr. Hardy Ulm (1943–1960); they had five children. She later married and divorced James Whitmore (1972–1979) Description above from the Wikipedia article Audra Lindley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Born

Los Angeles, California, USA on 24th September 1918

Died

16th October 1997

All Credits

The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Vanessa Norris
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Agnes Larrabee
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Portia Fairchild
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Mrs. Worth
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Anita Wolfe
Friends Image
Friends
Frances
The Mike Douglas Show Image
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
Murder, She Wrote Image
Murder, She Wrote
Maggie Saunders
The Philco Television Playhouse Image
The Philco Television Playhouse
Robert Montgomery Presents Image
Robert Montgomery Presents
Maggie
Robert Montgomery Presents Image
Robert Montgomery Presents
Route 66 Image
Route 66
No Image
From These Roots
Laura Tompkins
Tales from the Crypt Image
Tales from the Crypt
Anita
Three's Company Image
Three's Company
Helen Roper
Matlock Image
Matlock
No Image
Lux Video Theatre
Nurse Claxton
No Image
Lux Video Theatre
Olive
No Image
Lux Video Theatre
Irene Stoddard
No Image
The Bob Crane Show
Chico and the Man Image
Chico and the Man
Bridget Loves Bernie Image
Bridget Loves Bernie
Amy Fitzgerald
The Ropers Image
The Ropers
Helen Roper
Naked City Image
Naked City
Mrs. Denton
Naked City Image
Naked City
Grace Youngham
Naked City Image
Naked City
Sheila Braden
Search for Tomorrow Image
Search for Tomorrow
Another World Image
Another World
Pearl Image
Pearl
Lily - General's Wife
Sudden Death Image
Sudden Death
Mrs. Ferrara
The Relic Image
The Relic
Dr. Matilda Zwiezic
No Image
Fay
Lillian
Troop Beverly Hills Image
Troop Beverly Hills
Frances Temple
Desert Hearts Image
Desert Hearts
Frances Parker
The New Age Image
The New Age
Sandi Rego
Spellbinder Image
Spellbinder
Mrs. White
The Heartbreak Kid Image
The Heartbreak Kid
Mrs. Corcoran
Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart Image
Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart
Katherine Kendrick
Taking Off Image
Taking Off
Ann Lockston
The Male Animal Image
The Male Animal
Student (uncredited)
One Foot in Heaven Image
One Foot in Heaven
Mother (uncredited)
Cannery Row Image
Cannery Row
Fauna Flood
Manpower Image
Manpower
Nurse (uncredited)
Best Friends Image
Best Friends
Ann Babson
When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? Image
When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?
Ceil Ryder
Revenge of the Stepford Wives Image
Revenge of the Stepford Wives
Barbara Parkinson
Bridesmaids Image
Bridesmaids
Lulu
Absolute Strangers Image
Absolute Strangers
Anne Zusselman
Dangerously They Live Image
Dangerously They Live
Nurse (uncredited)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake Image
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake
Mrs. Chaney
Getting Married Image
Getting Married
Catherine Lawrence
Just My Imagination Image
Just My Imagination
Elizabeth Thompson
Stamp of a Killer Image
Stamp of a Killer
Granny
Pat Boone and Family: A Christmas Special Image
Pat Boone and Family: A Christmas Special
Self
The Canterville Ghost Image
The Canterville Ghost
Mrs. Otis
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan Image
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan
Jean
Sisters and Other Strangers Image
Sisters and Other Strangers
Irene Connelly
The Silent Lovers Image
The Silent Lovers
Laura Hope Crews
The Day the Bubble Burst Image
The Day the Bubble Burst
Evangeline Adams
Sunday Drive Image
Sunday Drive
Aunt Joan
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face Image
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face
Monica/Edna's mother
The New Love Boat Image
The New Love Boat
Mae Allen
Skyward Christmas Image
Skyward Christmas
Billie
No Image
Take My Daughters, Please
Rebecca
No Image
An American Girl
Mrs. Davis