| Amy Yasbeck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Amy Marie Yasbeck September 12, 1962 Blue Ash, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) | John Ritter (m. 1999–2003), his death |
| Children | Stella Ritter (b. 1998) |
Amy Marie Yasbeck (born September 12, 1962) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chapel Davenport on the sitcom Wings from 1994 to 1997.
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Early life [edit]
Yasbeck was born in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash, Ohio, the daughter of Dorothy Louise Mary (née Murphy; 1922–1984), a homemaker, and John Anthony Yasbeck (1921–1982),[1] a butcher and grocery store owner.[2][3][4] Her father was of Lebanese descent, while her mother was of Irish ancestry.[5] As a child, Yasbeck was featured on the package art for the Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Oven. Years later, in 2000, she was presented with a new Easy-Bake Oven on the show I've Got a Secret, for which she was a regular panel member.
She spent her elementary, middle, and high school years at two different Catholic schools: Summit Country Day School and Ursuline Academy. After losing both of her parents, her father from a heart attack and her mother from emphysema, Yasbeck moved to New York.
Career [edit]
Yasbeck has had starring roles in the sitcoms Wings, Alright Already, and Life on a Stick and in movies such as House II: The Second Story, Pretty Woman, Problem Child, Problem Child 2 and The Mask. She has twice worked with Mel Brooks, in 1993's Robin Hood: Men in Tights and 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It. She also played the part of Madison the mermaid in the Disney television movie Splash, Too in 1988. (The role of Madison was originated by Daryl Hannah in the 1984 movie Splash.)
She played Olivia Reed for four months on the long-running daytime soap opera Days of our Lives. Yasbeck also appeared once on the hit DCOS That's So Raven as the mother of one of the main characters, Chelsea. The episode originally aired on September 22, 2006.
In late 2007, plans surfaced of a potential That's So Raven spinoff featuring Yasbeck and Anneliese van der Pol, who portrayed her daughter, with occasional appearances by Raven-Symoné. The show was scrapped due to van der Pol signing onto a new Broadway play, and Yasbeck wanting to take a break from acting to focus on her family.
She was a contestant on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? in 2010.
Personal life [edit]
Yasbeck is the widow of actor John Ritter, with whom she had worked in several projects. She first met him at director Dennis Dugan's house during a read-through of their 1990 movie Problem Child. According to Yasbeck, Ritter forced her to eat a bagel and cream cheese because he thought she was too thin. He also thought she was too young to play his wife in the movie (Ritter was almost 14 years Yasbeck's senior).
Yasbeck and Ritter also starred together in Problem Child 2 (1991) and guest-starred together in an episode of The Cosby Show which aired in 1991. Ritter also guest-starred on Wings as Yasbeck's estranged husband in the season seven episode "Love Overboard". The couple had a daughter, Stella Dorothy, in 1998, and married in 1999.
On September 11, 2003; their daughter Stella's birthday; Ritter fell into a coma when rehearsing for 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics. He drifted in and out of consciousness and told his feelings to doctors. Initially it was concluded that Ritter was suffering a heart attack. At 10:47 PM that night, Ritter died. The cause of death was actually an aortic dissection stemming from a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
Yasbeck gave her blessing to the continuation of the sitcom, 8 Simple Rules, where it was ultimately decided that Katey Sagal's character would assume the lead role as a widow.
Yasbeck appeared on Larry King Live on June 16, 2008, to discuss heart disease in the wake of television personality Tim Russert's death.
Wrongful death lawsuit [edit]
After her husband died, Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death lawsuit[6] against Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and several doctors who treated him, alleging they misdiagnosed his condition and that contributed to his death.[7] Several of the defendants settled out of court for a total of $14 million, including Providence St. Joseph, which settled for $9.4 million. On March 14, 2008, a jury split 9–3 in favor of the doctors, clearing the physicians of any wrongdoing.[8]
Filmography [edit]
Books [edit]
- Yasbeck, Amy (2010). With Love and Laughter, John Ritter. ISBN 978-1-4165-9841-1.
References [edit]
- ^ Social Security Death Index
- ^ Budd, Lawrence (September 23, 1999). "TV STARS TIE THE KNOT AT LOCAL THEATER". Dayton Daily News.
- ^ Amy Yasbeck Biography (1962?-)
- ^ http://www.tourza.net/family_trees/fams/Yazbeck.pdf
- ^ Lee, Linda (March 9, 2003). "A NIGHT OUT WITH: John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck; Clowning and Autographing". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ ""Ritter's Family Sues Doctors," World Entertainment News Network, September 10, 2004". Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ ""Ritter's family says he didn't have to die," by Charles Ornstein, Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2008". January 24, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-01-27. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ Serjeant, Jill (March 14, 2008). ""Doctors cleared in death of John Ritter," Reuters, March 14, 2008". Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
External links [edit]
- Amy Yasbeck at the Internet Movie Database
- Amy Yasbeck at the TCM Movie Database
- Amy Yasbeck at AllRovi
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