Tina Yothers
Kristina Louise Yothers /ˈjʌðərz/ is an American actress and singer. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of three, she is best known for her role as Jennifer Keaton on the hit NBC series Family Ties, as well as for her roles in numerous television films throughout the 1980s and early 1990s including The Cherokee Trail, Crash Course, and Spunk: The Tonya Harding Story among others.
Tina Yothers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kristina Louise Yothers Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1981-2013 |
| Spouse | Robert Kaiser (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Yothers was born in Whittier, California. Her father, Robert Yothers, was a television producer. She has three brothers, Jeffrey and Randy (twins), and Cory, who all acted in commercials as children. Randy, as a child actor, made several TV appearances in the early 1970s, and a film appearance in Return From Witch Mountain (1978), all credited as "Poindexter" Yothers. Cory appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the early 1980s, often credited as "Bumper" Yothers.
Career
Yothers began her acting career in television advertisements at age three. Her first cinema role was in the 1981 television film The Cherokee Trail. She also appeared in the 1982 feature film Shoot the Moon. Her most famous role was that of Jennifer Keaton, the younger daughter in the television comedy Family Ties[1] that aired from 1982 to 1989. She also competed in the Battle of the Network Stars in December 1988. When Family Ties ended, Yothers abandoned her blonde hair color and has mostly worn it black since, with the notable exception of a 1996 appearance on the Married... with Children sitcom.
Yothers wrote the book Being Your Best: Tina Yothers's Guide for Girls and formed the band Jaded with her brother Cory. She provided the lead vocals while Cory played keyboard. In 1998, Jaded released their self-titled CD, which was co-written by Cory Yothers, Michael Anderson, Tina Yothers and performed by Tina Yothers (lead vocals), Michael Anderson (guitars/vocals), Jerry France (guitars/vocals), Larry Rosales (drums), Mike Wilson (bass) and Phil Jordan from No Doubt on trumpet, along with a DJ. Previously, Yothers sang a cover of The Raes song "Baby I'm Back in Love Again", which she later recorded as a single, in the "Band on the Run" episode of Family Ties that aired February 26, 1987.
After a nine-year absence from acting, Yothers was given the lead role in Lovelace the Musical, a 2004 stage show based on the life of former pornographic film star Linda Lovelace. She followed that up with a stint as a stock player in the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater in Boca Raton, Florida from 2005 to 2007.
She also appeared as herself on a special TV child stars edition of The Weakest Link in 2001 where she was voted off in round 5.
Yothers appeared on the fourth season of the VH1 reality television show Celebrity Fit Club, which began on August 6, 2006. After Yothers's second pregnancy, she appeared on Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp to try get back to her post-Fit Club weight. On January 17, 2012, she was featured on the ABC show Celebrity Wife Swap, where she traded places with Niecy Nash of Reno 911!.
In February 2013, Yothers appeared on an episode of the TLC series What Not To Wear.
Filmography
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Peg Breydon | "The Cherokee Trail" |
| 1982 | Shoot the Moon | Molly Dunlap | Feature film |
| 1982 | Father Murphy | Beatrice | "The Dream Day" |
| 1982–1989 | Family Ties | Jennifer Keaton | 176 episodes |
| 1983 | Your Place... or Mine | Television movie | |
| 1984 | Domestic Life | Sally Dwyer | "Harold in Love", "The Candidates" |
| 1985 | Family Ties Vacation | Jennifer Keaton | Television movie |
| 1988 | Crash Course | Alice Santini | Television movie |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday | Jennifer Keaton | Television special |
| 1990 | Laker Girls | Tracy | Television movie |
| 1990 | Family Double Dare | Herself | Celebrity contestant |
| 1993 | Spunk: The Tonya Harding Story | Tonya Harding | Television movie |
| 1995 | A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester | Claire Howard | Television movie |
| 1996 | Married... with Children | Herself | "Kelly's Gotta Habit" |
| 2001 | The Weakest Link | Herself | Child TV stars special edition |
| 2006 | Celebrity Fit Club | Herself | Reality Television |
| 2006 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Herself | Reality Television |
| 2012 | Celebrity Wife Swap | Herself | Reality Television |
| 2013 | What Not to Wear | Herself | Reality Television |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Family Ties |
| 1984 | Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series | |||
| 1985 | Won | Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series | ||
| 1989 | Nominated | Best Young Actress - Starring in a Television Comedy Series |
References
- ^ "Michael J. Fox admits he was in 'denial' for years after Parkinson's diagnosis: 'I was told I only had 10 years left to work'". celebrity.nine.com.au. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
External links
- Tina Yothers at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database