Lucy Lee Flippin


Lucy Lee Flippin is an American actress.

Education and early life

Flippin is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Harrison Fitzgerald Flippin. She was born in Philadelphia on July 23, 1943 and raised in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. She attended Northwestern University and spent a year performing with Holiday on Ice before pursuing a career in acting. Later she studied acting under Uta Hagen. Her attempt to work in Hollywood was rebuffed when an executive at Warner Bros. told her that she would not succeed as an actress because she was not pretty enough and was too tall. She returned to New York and worked there for 10 years.

Career

She initially began her career in New York City where she eventually got several TV commercials and off-Broadway theatre work, most notably opposite Richard Gere in a Lincoln Center production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. At the advice of her agent, she relocated to Los Angeles where she would get roles in television series and films.
She played Eliza Jane Wilder on the TV series Little House on the Prairie. She played Fran Castleberry, the younger sister of Polly Holliday's character on the show Flo. After Little House on the Prairie stopped production, she appeared in many different television shows and movies, and has performed onstage at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She retired in 2008.

Personal life

Flippin married actor Thomas Francis Tarpey on October 26, 1975, in Douglassville, Pennsylvania.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976The Bob Newhart ShowDarvaEpisode: "The Slammer"
1976The Edge of NightMiranda Price
1977Mary Jane Harper Cried Last NightMother in ParkTV movie
1978Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryTV movie
1979The RopersHildaEpisode: "The Family Planning"
1979Portrait of a StripperLoriTV movie
1979–1982Little House on the PrairieEliza Jane WilderRecurring role
1980–1981FloFran CastleberryMain role
1983Philip Marlowe, Private EyeMrs. YeagerEpisode: "The Pencil"
1984NewhartBassett Hound LadyEpisode: "Vermont Today"
1984AliceDottyEpisode: "Space Sharples"
1985Scarecrow and Mrs. KingInez FaberEpisode: "A Lovely Little Affair"
1985Amazing StoriesLibrarianEpisode: "Mummy Daddy"
1986The Last PrecinctOfficer Rina Starland8 episodes
1986Mr. BelvedereWilmadeanEpisode: "Halloween"
1986MoonlightingJulieEpisode: "It's a Wonderful Job"
1987Santa BarbaraMarthaEpisode: "1.803"
1987Small WonderCynthia JenningsEpisode: "Bride and Groom"
1988The Golden GirlsNancyEpisode: "Grab That Dough"
1988Small WonderCynthia JenningsEpisode: "When You Hear the Beep"
1989Small WonderCynthia JenningsEpisode: "Vicki Doolittle"
1989Full HouseMs. AgbabianEpisode: "Back to School Blues"
1989Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to MoscowTV movie
1989Mr. BelvedereDoris PutnamEpisode: "A Happy Guy's Christmas"
1990Adam-12Woman at Pet StoreEpisode: "A Gang of Two"
1990Return to Green AcresFlo DawsonTV movie
1990The Hogan FamilyMs. PalmerEpisode: "The Play's the Thing"
1990The Munsters TodayNatasha JonesEpisode: "Kiss Kiss"
1991BabesBeckyEpisode: "Hello, Dolly"
1991Eerie, IndianaNurse NancyEpisode "Just Say No Fun"
1996Beverly Hills, 90210Library ManagerEpisode: "Remember the Alamo"
1999ERWoman with roach in earEpisode: "Responsible Parties"
2000CharmedHelenEpisode: "How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans"
2001Black ScorpionFemale JurorEpisode: "Crime Time"
2001The Mind of the Married ManEpisode: "The God of Marriage"
2002Judging AmyFloEpisode: "Boston Terriers from France"
2005Still StandingBettyEpisode: "Still Not the One"