Andrea Anders
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Andrea Anders (born May 10, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work on television, notably through her main roles on five short-lived sitcoms, Joey, The Class, Better Off Ted, Mr. Sunshine and Mr. Mom, as well as recurring and guest roles on numerous TV series including Cruel Summer, Oz, Young Sheldon, Modern Family, Necessary Roughness, Ted Lasso, and That '90s Show. Additionally, she has been cast in nearly ten produced but unsold pilots.
In addition, she regularly appears as supporting characters in films directed or produced by her older brother Sean Anders,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> namely Never Been Thawed, Sex Drive, Daddy's Home 2, Instant Family, Countdown and Spirited, and has also had roles in a handful of other films such as The Stepford Wives, Return to Zero, Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.
Early lifeEdit
Andrea Anders was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 10, 1975, the third child of Terrance and Sally Anders.<ref name="Birthday">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Parents">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Sally">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was raised in DeForest, Wisconsin with her sister Torri and her brother Sean,<ref name="cbs bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where she attended the DeForest Area High School, graduating in 1993.<ref>Andrea Anders from Better Off Ted - at Film.com Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="HighSchool">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She went on to study acting at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point,<ref name="University">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> receiving her bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1997.<ref name="cbs bio" /> She then moved to New Jersey to study at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts,<ref name="MasonGross">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> earning a Master of Fine Arts in 2001.<ref name="cbs bio" /> In addition, she trained in the Meisner technique under Maggie Flanigan<ref name="MaggieFlanigan1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and credits the teacher with her continued work as an actress.<ref name="MaggieFlanigan2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
TheatreEdit
In 2001, Anders began her career in theatre. She was an understudy for Mary-Louise Parker in the Broadway production of Proof and later played the part of Elaine Robinson in The Graduate. She also appeared in On the Jump at the Arena Stage, New Doors at the Guthrie Theater, Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical and two New York Stage & Film productions: Cold/Tender and New World Rhapsody.<ref name="buddytvprofile">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Playbill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In May 2007, Anders started in the Geffen Playhouse performance of Fat Pig. She played the part of Jeannie, an accountant. Fat Pig closed on July 1, 2007.<ref name="fatpig">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Television and filmEdit
One of Anders' first appearances on television was a commercial for Danone that ran in the 1990s and then again around 2006.<ref name="cbstheclassinterview">Template:Cite videoTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Her first acting credits came between 1998 and 2001 when she appeared on the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light, respectively as Elaine, one of Starr Manning's nannies, and Ellie, an assistant to Olivia Spencer.
In 2001, she appeared in the Law & Order episode "The Fire This Time", as teenager Emily Hoyt. In 2003, she played the recurring role of Donna Degenhart for five episodes of the HBO drama series Oz. That same year, Anders was cast opposite Richard Ruccolo as the original female lead in the failed television pilot for the proposed series Spellbound,<ref name="spellbound_1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> about a warlock who falls in love with a mortal woman.<ref name="spellbound_2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After the pilot was not picked up by NBC, Anders was replaced for the equally unsuccessful second pilot.<ref name="spellbound_3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2004, Anders made her film debut with a minor role in The Stepford Wives, playing a secretary to Nicole Kidman's main character. That same year, she was cast as Emma Leeds, the female lead in News To Me, a proposed workplace sitcom inspired by Joel Stein's experiences as the youngest-ever columnist at Time magazine; the pilot was not picked up.<ref name="newstome">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That same year, Anders guest starred in one episode of the series Tru Calling.
In July 2004, Anders was cast in what would be her breakthrough role as Alex Garrett, Joey Tribbiani's neighbor, landlady, friend and eventual love interest on the Friends spin-off, Joey.<ref name="joey_1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="joey_2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> NBC cancelled the series during its second season.<ref name="joey_3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In between seasons of Joey, Anders appeared as a "Christian Band Slut" in her older brother Sean's directorial debut film Never Been Thawed, marking the first of many collaborations between the pair.
In February 2006, prior to Joey's cancellation, Anders signed as a series regular of the sitcom The Class as Nicole, the unfulfilled wife of a former pro-football player who reconnects with her high school boyfriend after a class reunion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite steady ratings and winning the Favorite New TV Comedy Award at the 33rd People's Choice Awards, CBS did not renew the show for a second season.
In 2008, following The Class' cancelation, Anders guest starred on the episode "Power" of the crime drama Numb3rs, and had a small role her brother's film, Sex Drive.
In May 2008, Anders was cast in the satirical workplace comedy Better Off Ted, after creator Victor Fresco was impressed with her work on The Class.<ref name="vicfresco">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="betteroffted">Template:Cite news</ref> She played Linda Zwordling, the love interest for main character Ted Crisp, played by Jay Harrington, and a co-worker of his at an evil megacorporation. The series was a mid-season replacement, premiering to low rating in March 2009,<ref name="TVByNumbers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but critical acclaim kept the show going and even renewed for a second season, though it would be cancelled and pulled from the air with the last two episodes of that season unaired.<ref name="FF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The show enjoyed a mini-reunion in 2011 through the music video for "Revenge of the Nerds", a rap song recorded by co-star Malcolm Barrett under the stage name "Verbal", which features all the main actors from the series in cameos either as their characters or, in the case of Anders, new characters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In April 2009, shortly after Better Off Ted premiered, Anders joined the cast of The Big D, a sitcom project centered on a New York City coupleTemplate:Sndplayed by Anders and Ben KoldykeTemplate:Sndwho move to Dallas, where the husband is from, and where the wife consistently clashes with her southern belle mother-in-law. Despite her character being central to the premise, Anders was billed as a guest star in case she'd have to work on The Big D and Better Off Ted at the same time, with the latter having precedence. This issue was moot, as CBS did not pick up the series.<ref name="thebigd">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In February 2010, Anders was cast in Mr. Sunshine, marking the return to comedy television for Friends star Matthew Perry.<ref name=hrJan1210>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Anders played Alice, the tomboyish co-worker and friend with benefits who's looking for more commitment from Perry's character.<ref name="mrsunshine">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It premiered as a midseason replacement the following February, but was cancelled by ABC just three months.<ref name="Canceled">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Right after Mr. SunshineTemplate:'s cancellation, Anders appeared in a four episode story arc in the first season of USA Network's series Necessary Roughness, as a former girlfriend of Marc Blucas' character.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the years following Mr. Sunshine, Anders starred as a lead in a string of sitcom pilots, none of which were picked up to series. First was Ladyfriends in 2012, for NBC, centered on two best friends leading very different lives, portrayed by Anders and Minnie Driver.<ref name="ladyfriends">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, ABC did not pick up Divorce: A Love Story, an adaptation of the long-running Israeli sitcom Ha-Chaim Ze Lo Hacol, about a happily divorced couple played by Anders and Jason Jones.<ref name="divorce">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, CBS did not pickup the proposed Cuz-Bros, in which Anders was cast as an anchorwoman and co-worker of Geoff Stults' character.<ref name="cuzbros">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2015, Anders starred in two more failed pilots. First was How We Live, where Anders played a stay-at-home mom and best friend of the female lead, played by Briga Heelan.<ref name="howwelive">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Next was The Half of It, where Anders portrayed the ex-wife of Jon Dore's character.<ref name="thehalfofit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2016, she starred in the failed pilot for the sitcom Crunch Time, as the creator and producer of a game show hosted by Craig Ferguson's character.<ref name="crunchtime">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In between acting in these television pilots, Anders had roles in a number of other projects. In 2012, she filmed a supporting part in the fact-based television film Return to Zero, which premiered on the Lifetime Network in 2014. She had recurring roles in the one season each of comedy series About a Boy and of Modern Family, appearing in the latter as the obnoxious new neighbor of the Dunphy family. In 2016, she was the main character in the comedy film Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?, where women in a small Texas town withhold sex until their partners dispose of their guns. That same year, she also did a guest spot on the first season of Speechless, a sitcom led by Minnie Driver, her co-star from the failed Ladyfriends pilot.
In 2019, she appeared as the aunt of Sophia Lillis' character in the film Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, and as the mother of Elizabeth Lail's character in the film Countdown, the latter produced by her brother Sean. That same year, Anders played the starring role in the sitcom Mr. Mom, which was cancelled after 11 episodes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Anders met actor Matt LeBlanc in 2004 while co-starring as his friend and eventual love interest on Joey and the pair eventually embarked on a relationship which was confirmed in 2006 following LeBlanc's split from his wife Melissa McKnight.<ref name="LeBlancOtherWoman">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="LeBlancSurprise">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After over eight years as a couple, LeBlanc announced at the start of 2015 that he and Anders had been broken up for several months.<ref name="LeBlancSplit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In late 2016, Anders revealed she was pregnant, talking about the experience at length during a stand-up comedy set on December 15, 2016. She has however never publicly discussed the child's birth, or father. She did refer to the baby as a "she", when announcing 'She's here' via Instagram. Anders' Instagram profile references her daughter's name as Audrey; in response, the mother of her significant other (Jason Keller) referred to the child as her granddaughter.<ref name="PregnancySet">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="HaHaClub">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/BQHRblyg2Zt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA</ref>
On September 15, 2016, Anders and her older brother Sean were inducted into their high school's hall of fame, at the DeForest Area High School's Performing Arts Center.<ref name="HallofFame">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
FilmographyEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | One Life to Live | Elaine | Unknown episodes |
| 2001 | Guiding Light | Ellie | Unknown episodes |
| Law & Order | Emily Hoyt | Episode: "The Fire This Time" | |
| 2003 | Oz | Donna Degenhart | 5 episodes |
| Spellbound | Female lead | Unaired NBC pilot | |
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Heather | |
| News To Me | Emma Leeds | Unaired ABC pilot | |
| Tru Calling | Fake Chris Berensen/Kathy | Episode: "Rear Window" | |
| 2004–2006 | Joey | Alexis "Alex" Garrett | Starring role in 46 episodes |
| 2005 | Never Been Thawed<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Christian Band Slut | |
| 2006–2007 | Template:Sortname | Nicole Allen (née Campbell) | Starring role in 19 episodes |
| 2008 | Numb3rs | Rena Vining | Episode: "Power" |
| Sex Drive | Brandy | ||
| 2009 | The Big D | Jane Dupree | Unaired CBS pilot |
| 2009–2010 | Better Off Ted | Linda Zwordling | Starring role in 26 episodes |
| 2011 | Mr. Sunshine | Alice | Starring role in 13 episodes |
| Necessary Roughness | Laura Radcliffe | 4 episodes | |
| 2012 | Ladyfriends | Nicole Lambert | Unaired NBC pilot |
| 2013 | Divorce: A Love Story | Robin | Unaired ABC pilot |
| 2014 | Return to Zero | Trish | Lifetime TV movie |
| Cuz-Bros | Stacey | Unaired CBS pilot | |
| 2014–2015 | About a Boy | Joanne | 3 episodes |
| Modern Family | Amber LaFontaine | 4 episodes | |
| 2015 | How We Live | Natalie Harris | Unaired NBC pilot |
| The Half of It | Megan | Unaired CBS pilot | |
| 2016 | Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? | Jenna Keely | |
| Speechless | Audrey | Episode: "T-H-A-- THANKSGIVING" | |
| Crunch Time | Emily | Unaired NBC pilot | |
| 2017 | Daddy's Home 2 | Principal Hayes | |
| 2018 | 9JKL | Lauren | Episode: "Heavy Meddling" |
| Instant Family | Jessie | ||
| 2018–2023 | Young Sheldon | Linda | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase | Hannah | |
| The Good Fight | Cheryl Lamore | 2 episodes | |
| Mr. Mom | Megan Anderson | Starring role of 11 episodes | |
| Countdown | Jamie Harris | ||
| 2020–2023 | Ted Lasso | Michelle Lasso | 9 episodes |
| 2021 | Big Shot | Arielle | Episode: "Beth Macbeth" |
| Cruel Summer | Joy Wallis | 8 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Conners | Helen | 2 episodes |
| Spirited | Carrie | ||
| 2023 | Carol & the End of the World | (voice) | Episode: "The Distraction" |
| 2023–2025 | Bookie | Sandra | Starring role of 15 episodes |
| 2023–2024 | That '90s Show | Sherri Runck | 13 episodes |
| 2024 | Extended Family | Kristin | Episode: "The Consequences of Writing Things Down" |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
| name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1={{{id}}}|2=^nm}}
| Template:Trim/
| nm{{{id}}}/
}}
| {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
| name/Template:First word/
| find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+%0A++++++%7C+%7B%7B%7Bname%7D%7D%7D%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
}}
}}{{#if: {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch:
| award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
}}}} {{#if:
| {{{name}}}
| Template:PAGENAMEBASE
}}] at IMDb{{#if: {{#property:P345}}
| Template:EditAtWikidata
| Template:Main other
}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source={{{id}}}|plain=false}}
| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}