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Sally Struthers - Biography

Actress: Month of Sundays

Although she had few periods of unemployment in her three professional years before she landed the role of Gloria Stivic on CBS' "All in the Family" (1971-78), Sally Struthers became a household name as the blonde, curly-topped, mini-skirted, occasionally wailing daughter of Archie Bunker. Loving both her bigoted father and her liberal husband, Michael (Rob Reiner), Gloria was sometimes referee, sometimes the voice that kept her own spouse honest.

Winning an Emmy Award for her work, Struthers soon became one of the first queens of TV movies, with one a year from 1974 through the end of the decade, including "Aloha Means Good-bye" (CBS, 1974), "Hey, I'm Alive!" (ABC, 1975), "The Great Houdini" (ABC, 1976), "Intimate Strangers" (ABC, 1977), "My Husband Is Missing" (NBC, 1978), "And Your Name is Jonah" (CBS, 1979) and the celebrated "A Gun in the House" (CBS, 1981) written by Richard Levinson and William Link. Struthers' screen credits have been far more sporadic, including small but memorable roles in "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) and "The Getaway" (1972). At the outset of the 1980s, she found herself typecast as Gloria Stivic (although she had left the role in 1978). Bowing to the casting, she starred in "Gloria" (CBS, 1982-83) as a now divorced Mrs. Stivic, but the show failed to enchant viewers. Struthers turned to the stage, appearing opposite Rita Moreno in the 1985 distaff version of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" at the Ahmanson Theatre in L.A. and the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway.

By 1986, Struthers was back on series TV, this time in the syndicated version of the movie "9 to 5," and doing frequent commercial pitches. Although a one-time singer with Spike Jones Jr's band, Struthers began a career as a voice actor on several animated series. As early as 1971, she became Pebbles Flintstone on the CBS' animated series "Pebbles and Bammm Bamm". Struthers continued doing voice work as a regular and guest on such shows as "The Charmkins", "Dinosaurs", "Duckman" and "The New Adventures of Mother Goose". Although the kewpie-doll figure of Gloria Stivic gave way with the years, Struthers retained the girlish, believable manner, which she also lent to many TV spots for her pet charity, the Christian Children's Fund. She appeared in the national tour of the revival of the hit stage musical "Grease" in 1995-96, including a stint on Broadway.

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