Celebrity Nooz: Joanna Kerns

Joanna Kerns (Actress) as Maggie Seaver - Growing Pains

Updated: 4/2/09

Name: Joanna Kerns

Birth Name: Joanne Crussie DeVarona

Born: February 12, 1953, San Francisco, California

Claim To Fame: She is best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985-1992.

Family Life: She was married to Richard Kerns from 1976-1984. Their marriage ended in divorce. They have one daughter, Ashley Cooper Kerns, who was born in 1978. She has been married to Marc Appleton since 1994.

Info: Kerns started out as a dancer and gymnast, turning to acting in the mid-1970s. After moving to New York, she studied acting with Lee Strasberg and was cast in the 1974 Broadway production of Ulysses in Nighttown. Mainly a television actor, Kerns made appearances in numerous series, including Laverne & Shirley and Magnum, P.I., and made her TV-movie debut in The Million Dollar Rip-Off (1976).

Her first steady role was that of Pat Devon, the stuntwoman girlfriend of real estate salesman Tony Roberts, in the CBS series The Four Seasons. Finally, she earned the role that would gain her the most recognition - playing Maggie Seaver on the hit series Growing Pains (1985-1992). While with the series, Kerns also began acting in TV-movies, such as The Preppie Murder (1989), Blind Faith (1990), The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990), Shameful Secrets (1993), and No One Could Protect Her (1996).

Trivia: Sister of Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Donna DeVarona.

Appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."

Is of mixed Mexican/Irish descent.

Grew up in Lafayette, California.

Tried out for the Olympics in 1968 as a gymnast.

Worked in a produce store as a cashier (1968-1972).

Her aunt is silent film actress Miriam Cooper.

Her father was a an insurance agent, and her mother was a clothing store manager.

Where Are They Now: Aside from her acting talents, Kerns has also found success behind the camera. She has directed episodes of television shows such as Dawson's Creek, Titans, Scrubs, Private Practice, Psych, Greys Anatomy and Privileged. Kerns was recently on the big screen in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, playing the mother of Katherine Heigl's character.

Write To Joanna Kerns:
Joanna Kerns
P.O. Box 49216
Los Angeles, CA 90049

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