Veronica Hamel is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress.

Biography

After Hamel graduated from Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

, she worked as a secretary for a company that manufactured ironing board covers. She began a fashion modeling career after being discovered by Eileen Ford

Eileen Ford

Eileen Ford is a model agency executive and co-founder, in 1946, with her late husband Gerard William "Jerry" Ford, of Ford Models, one of the earliest and internationally best known modelling agencies in the world.-Early life:...

. In her first film role, she played a model in 1971's Klute

Klute

Klute is a 1971 film which tells the story of a prostitute who assists a detective in solving a missing persons case. It stars Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi and Roy Scheider. The movie was written by Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis and directed by Alan J. Pakula.Klute was the first...

, followed by roles in the disaster films Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure is a 1979 American disaster film, a sequel to the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure. It was directed by Irwin Allen and starred Michael Caine and Sally Field...

and When Time Ran Out

When Time Ran Out

When Time Ran Out... is a disaster film released in 1980, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortese, Veronica Hamel, Pat Morita, Edward Albert, and Barbara Carrera.Produced by the "Master of...

.

She was the model in the last cigarette

Cigarette

A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

 commercial televised in the U.S. (for Virginia Slims

Virginia Slims

Virginia Slims is a brand of cigarette manufactured by Altria Group . The brand was introduced in 1968 and marketed to young professional women using the slogan "You've come a long way, baby." Some media watch groups considered this campaign to be responsible for a rapid increase in smoking among...

, aired at 11:59 p.m. on New Year's Day 1971 on The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

). Hamel had been a model in print ads not just for Slims, but also for Pall Mall Gold

Pall Mall (cigarette)

Pall Mall cigarettes are a brand of cigarettes produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and internationally by British American Tobacco at multiple sites.- History :...

 cigarettes.

Hamel started appearing in TV series in 1975. She was considered for the role of Kelly Garrett on Charlie's Angels

Charlie's Angels

Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...

, but reportedly declined the role. Producer Aaron Spelling

Aaron Spelling

Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...

 cast Jaclyn Smith

Jaclyn Smith

Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...

 instead.

Hamel is probably best remembered for playing Joyce Davenport, the hard-driving public defender and love interest of police captain Frank Furillo, on the long-running TV series Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues

Hill 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 ...

from 1981 to 1987. She was a five-time Emmy nominee for that role.

Alan Alda

Alan Alda

Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...

's 1988 film A New Life

A New Life

A New Life is a Chinese drama in Singapore which aired in 2005. The show starred Christopher Lee, Yvonne Lim, Darren Lim, Ann Kok, Andrew Seow, Carole Lin, May Phua and Jin Yinji....

cast Hamel in a leading role as his doctor and love interest. She was cast as Elizabeth, the wife of Charles Grodin

Charles Grodin

Charles Grodin is an American actor, comedian, author and former cable talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. He had a small part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968...

's character in the movie Taking Care of Business in 1990.

She was named on Us magazine's "Best Dressed" list for 1983.

Hamel portrayed Lily Munster

Lily Munster

Lily Munster, Countess of Shroudshire , is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Yvonne De Carlo. The matriarch of the Munster household, Lily is an undead vampire. Her character resembles Vampira...

 in the 1995 Halloween telefilm Here Come the Munsters

Here Come the Munsters

Here Come the Munsters is a telefilm that aired on Fox October 31, 1995. It starred Edward Herrmann, Christine Taylor and Veronica Hamel. It included cameos from original Munsters surviving cast members Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, and Pat Priest...

in which Yvonne De Carlo

Yvonne De Carlo

Yvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...

 had a cameo.

In 2002, she also appeared on Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues

Hill 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 ...

creator Steven Bochco

Steven Bochco

Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....

's legal drama Philly.

In recent years, Hamel had a recurring role in the NBC television series Third Watch

Third Watch

Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....

and appeared as Margo Shephard, Jack

Jack Shephard

Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...

's mother, in the ABC series Lost

Lost (TV series)

Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1971
| Klute

Klute

Klute is a 1971 film which tells the story of a prostitute who assists a detective in solving a missing persons case. It stars Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi and Roy Scheider. The movie was written by Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis and directed by Alan J. Pakula.Klute was the first...

| Model (uncredited)
|
|-
| 1975
| Kojak

Kojak

Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...

(TV series)
| Elenora
|
|-
| 1976
| Joe Forrester

Joe Forrester (TV series)

Joe Forrester is a Crime/Drama TV series, starring Lloyd Bridges.- Character :Joe Forrester's character was created in the TV series Police Story, in the episode "The Return of Joe Forrester", directed by Virgil W. Vogel...

(TV series)
| Fashion Mart
|
|-
|
| Apple Pie
| Artist
|
|-
|
| The Bob Newhart Show

The Bob Newhart Show

The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers...

(TV series)
| Rosemary
|
|-
|-
|
| Switch

Switch

In electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another....

(TV series)
| Nabilla
|
|-
|
| Cannonball!

Cannonball (film)

Cannonball, also known as Carquake, is a 1976 film starring David Carradine. The film is one of two released in 1976 that were based on a real illegal cross-continent road race that took place for a number of years in the United States...

| Linda Maxwell
|
|-
|
| The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files

The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...

| Marcy Brownell / Sandy Lederer
|
|-
| 1977
| Family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

(TV series)
| Vicki Webber
|
|-
|
| Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue (TV mini-series)
| Laura Koshko
|
|-
|
| The Gathering

The Gathering (1977 film)

The Gathering is a 1977 ABC made for television drama film. A rare live-action drama film from the Hanna-Barbera studios, it was directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Edward Asner and Maureen Stapleton.-Plot:...

(TV movie)
| Helen Thornton
|
|-
| 1978
| Starsky and Hutch

Starsky and Hutch

Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...

(TV series)
| Vanessa
|
|-
|
| Ski Lift to Death (TV movie)
| Andrea Mason
|
|-
| 1979
| Dallas
|
|
|-
|
| Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure is a 1979 American disaster film, a sequel to the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure. It was directed by Irwin Allen and starred Michael Caine and Sally Field...

| Suzanne Constantine
|
|-
|
| The Gathering, Part II (TV movie)
| Helen
|
|-
| 1980
| When Time Ran Out...
| Nikki
|
|-
| 1981
| Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (TV movie)
|
|
|-
| 1981–1987
| Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues

Hill 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 ...

(TV series)
| Joyce Davenport
|
|-
| 1988
| A New Life
| Kay Hutton
|
|-
| 1990
| Taking Care of Business
| Elizabeth Barnes
|
|-
| 1991
| Stop at Nothing

Stop at Nothing (film)

Stop at Nothing is a 1991 television film directed by Chris Thomson. The thriller, starring Veronica Hamell and Lindsay Frost, premiered on ABC, and has since been frequently aired on Lifetime Television.- Plot :...

(TV movie)
| Annette 'Nettie' Forbes
|
|-
| 1993
| The Disappearance of Nora

The Disappearance of Nora

The Disappearance of Nora is a 1993 thriller television movie, starring Veronica Hamel and directed by Joyce Chopra.- Plot :A beautiful woman is lost in the Las Vegas desert...

(TV movie)
| Nora Freemont
|
|-
| 1994
| A Child's Cry for Help

A Child's Cry for Help

A Child's Cry for Help is a 1994 television film starring Pam Dawber and Veronica Hamel, with a supporting role by a young Tobey Maguire.-Plot:A recent transplant from California, Dr...

(TV movie)
| Dr. Paula Spencer
|
|-
| 1995
| Here Come the Munsters

Here Come the Munsters

Here Come the Munsters is a telefilm that aired on Fox October 31, 1995. It starred Edward Herrmann, Christine Taylor and Veronica Hamel. It included cameos from original Munsters surviving cast members Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, and Pat Priest...

(TV movie)
| Lily Munster
|
|-
| 1997
| Home Invasion

Home Invasion

Home Invasion is the fifth solo album by Ice-T. Released in 1993, the album Home Invasion is the fifth solo album by Ice-T. Released in 1993, the album Home Invasion is the fifth solo album by Ice-T. Released in 1993, the album (which was originally set to be released in 1992 under the deal with...

(TV movie)
| Georgia Patchett
|
|-
| 1998
| The Last Leprechaun
| Laura Duvann
|
|-
| 2002
| Determination of Death
| Virginia 'Ginny' Halloran
|
|-
|
| Philly

Philly

Philly may refer to:Things related to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city in the United States, nicknamed Philly*Philly , an American television series*Philly cheesesteak, a sandwich...

(TV series)
| Judge Marjorie Brennan
|
|-
| 2002/2003
| Third Watch

Third Watch

Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....

(TV series)
| Beth Taylor
|
|-
| 2007
| Bone Eater (TV movie)
| Commissioner Hayes
|
|-
| 2010
| Lost

Lost (TV series)

Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

| Margo Shephard
|

External links