Alley Mills
Encyclopedia
Alley Mills is an American actress best known for her role as Norma Arnold, the mother in the coming-of-age series The Wonder Years
.
, where she played an attorney, opposite a then-unknown Martin Short
.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film, television, stage actor and author Orson Bean
. Bean is well known for being a long term celebrity panelist of To Tell the Truth
and Match Game
. Mills (who is twenty-three years his junior) is Bean's third wife, and they have been married since 1993. She also appeared on a special "Celebrity TV Moms" episode of the Anne Robinson
version of The Weakest Link
, in which she was the second one eliminated.
Mills joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful
as Pamela Douglas
, the estranged sister of Stephanie Douglas Forrester
, on December 1, 2006. She was put under contract, but after making only a handful of appearances, her character went insane, was confined to a mental hospital, and then disappeared from the show. Mills reprised the role in December 2008 and has been added to the opening credits, meaning she is now likely to stay with the show for some time.
The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
.
Life and career
Mills was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Ted Mills, a television executive, died in August 2003. Her stepmother, Genevieve, whose real name was Ginette Marguerite Auger, died March 2004. Alley's mother, Joan (Paterson) Mills Kerr, an author as well as an editor for American Heritage Magazine, died in November, 1996. Her stepfather was Chester Kerr, former director of Yale University Press. She has one sister, Hilary Mills Loomis, and one brother, Tony Mills. Her first acting role on television was in the short-lived comedy, The AssociatesThe Associates
The Associates may refer to:*Associates, a 1980s Scottish band.*The Associates , a 2001-2002 Canadian TV series about young lawyers in Toronto, Canada....
, where she played an attorney, opposite a then-unknown Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film, television, stage actor and author Orson Bean
Orson Bean
Orson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
. Bean is well known for being a long term celebrity panelist of To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
and Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
. Mills (who is twenty-three years his junior) is Bean's third wife, and they have been married since 1993. She also appeared on a special "Celebrity TV Moms" episode of the Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
version of The Weakest Link
Weakest Link (US game show)
The Weakest Link is an American game show that aired on NBC from April 16, 2001 to July 14, 2002. It is based on the British show of the same name. Ten episodes were left unaired until appearing on PAX in 2002, with the remainder eventually airing on GSN...
, in which she was the second one eliminated.
Mills joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
as Pamela Douglas
Pamela Douglas
Pamela "Pam" Douglas is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, portrayed by actress Alley Mills from December 1, 2006 to March 27, 2007, from November 27 to December 10, 2007, from March 7, 2008 to October 28, 2008 and again from December 26, 2008 to...
, the estranged sister of Stephanie Douglas Forrester
Stephanie Douglas Forrester
Stephanie Forrester is a fictional character on the American soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. She is known for her on-again, off-again marriages to the famed fashion designer, Eric Forrester, and for her rivalry with Brooke Logan, who has been involved with Eric and her sons, Ridge and Thorne...
, on December 1, 2006. She was put under contract, but after making only a handful of appearances, her character went insane, was confined to a mental hospital, and then disappeared from the show. Mills reprised the role in December 2008 and has been added to the opening credits, meaning she is now likely to stay with the show for some time.
Notable television roles
- Sabrina, the Teenage WitchSabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
(as Diana Spellman, Sabrina's mother) - GirlfriendsGirlfriendsGirlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
- The Wonder YearsThe Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
(as Norma Arnold) - Strong MedicineStrong MedicineStrong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
- Yes, DearYes, DearYes, Dear is a television sitcom that aired from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, on CBS. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder....
- Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
- Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
- PopularPopular (TV series)Popular is an American teenage comedy-drama on The WB Television Network in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to...
(as Robin John, mother of Harrison John) - The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
(as Pamela DouglasPamela DouglasPamela "Pam" Douglas is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, portrayed by actress Alley Mills from December 1, 2006 to March 27, 2007, from November 27 to December 10, 2007, from March 7, 2008 to October 28, 2008 and again from December 26, 2008 to...
; 2006–present)