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Did Julia Duffy have the worst luck for any working actress...

posted 6 years ago by TMC-4 (19458)
2 replies | jump to latest

especially once Newhart went off the air in 1990? First, she did this show for ABC called Baby Talk, which was inspired by the movie Look Who's Talking. But she along with George Clooney left after the first season amid a troubled set. Julia Duffy wasn't even originally meant to star on Baby Talk. It was originally going to feature Connie Sellecca, but she quit after a few episodes had been taped due to her dissatisfaction with the role.

Julia then appears on the sixth season of Designing Women to replace the recently departed Delta Burke. Even though Season 6 was the highest rated season throughout Designing Women's seven year run, Julia was gone before they could get to Season 7.

And then, Julia shows up in the final set of episodes of Grace Under Fire in hopes of helping salvage the show after Brett Butler was becoming increasingly unreliable due to her substance abuse issues. And in-between her runs on Designing Women and Grace Under Fire, she is apart of The Mommies, which only lasted for 28 episodes on NBC and a UPN sitcom called Social Studies, which only lasted for six episodes.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Actually, she had the best luck out of any actress. No one that untalented could've lasted as long as she did on Newhart.

[–] MAGolding (1098) 5 months ago

Did Julia Duffy have the worst luck of any working actress?

What about all the female actors, some Jewish, working in Eastern Europe in 1941?

Dominque Dunne gained fame from her role as Dana Freeling in Poltergeist (1982). On September 26, 1982, she broke up with her boyfriend John Sweeney after he got violent with her. On September 20, 1982, he came to her house and strangled her. She died on November 4, 1982, aged 22 years, 11 months, and 12 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique_Dunne

Rebecca Shaeffer gained fame in the role of Patti Russell in My Sister Sam (1986-1988). On July 18, 1989, aged 21 years, 8 months, and 12 days, she was shot and killed by fan Robert Bardo, which caused many stars to become paranoid about their fans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Schaeffer

Peace activist and child actress Samantha Smith died in an airplane crash on August 25, 1985 aged 13 years, 1 month, and 27 days. Her fan Robert Bardo then became a fan of Rebecca Shaeffer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Smith

Heather O'Rourke gained fame in her role as Carol Ann Freeling (sister to Dana) in Poltergeist (1982). After filming Poltergeist III(1988) she suddenly became sick on January 31, 1988, and died February 1, aged 12 years, 1 month, and 5 days. If her Poltergeist (1982) co star Oliver Robbins (b. July 22, 1971) is the least bit superstitious he must have often worried about a Poltergeist curse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_O%27Rourke

Judith Eva Barsi was a successful child actress, aged 10 years, 1 month and 19 days, when she and her mother were murdered by her father on July 25, 1988.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Barsi

Myca Dinh Le, age 7 (male), and Renee Shi-Yi Chen age 6 (female), were killed on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) on July 23, 1982, when Le was decapitated by blades of a falling helicoptor & Chen was crushed to death by the landing skids.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident

I find it hard to believe that no actresses have died tragically young since the 1980s.

Did Julia Duffy really have the worst luck of any working actress?