Julia Duffy

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Julia Duffy made her first professional appearance as an infant. She began drama lessons at age ten and made her stage debut at 18 in a production of The Girl in the Freudian Slip. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, her first television audition won her the role of Gerry on the daytime drama Love of Life. This paved her way to a four-year run as Penny on daytime's The Doctors.

On Broadway, Julia starred in Once In a Lifetime and The Enchanted. She has appeared in regional theater productions of Barefoot In the Park, Three Sisters, Taming of the Shrew, Lovers and Other Strangers, Play It Again, Sam and Never Too Late.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and quickly won roles on television and in feature films including starring on television as Princess Ariel in the series Wizards and Warriors. She has also guest-starred on Cheers, Lou Grant, The Love Boat, and Breaking Away.

Julia is best known as Stephanie, the self infatuated preppy maid whom she played for seven seasons on the hit comedy series Newhart --- a role which earned her seven Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Viewers for Quality Television awards, five American Comedy Award nominations, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Following her role on Newhart, Julia starred in the series Baby Talk based on the hit feature film Look Who's Talking, played cousin Allison Sugarbaker on Designing Women for a season, and was featured as next-door neighbor "perfect" Barb on the NBC series The Mommies. The series Social Studies debuted on the UPN network on March 18, 1997 with Julia as Frances Harmon, the headmistress of a somewhat financially diverse co-ed boarding school --- but critics panned the show.

Other television credits include the miniseries The Blue and the Gray and the television films Children in the Crossfire, The Covergirl and the Cop, Menu for Murder, and Sooner or Later. She's also appeared in a Digiorno's Pizza Commercial, in a cameo episode of George and Leo, and on Brett Butler's Grace Under Fire. Feature films include Night Warning, Battle Beyond the Stars, Cutter's Way, and Wacko: The Motion Picture.

Julia also had a recurring role on the hit series Reba and nabbed cameo supporting roles in the feature films Intolerable Cruelty and Dumb and Dumberer.

Julia lives in southern California with her husband, actor and writer Jerry Lacy, with whom she shares two children, Kerry Kathleen and Danny.