From switching careers to embracing motherhood, here’s what happened to the actress who rose to fame on “All in the Family” after deciding to pursue her true passion beyond Hollywood.
This former actress became successful early in Hollywood, starring in one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, “All in the Family.” Her talent earned her award nominations, and her future in acting seemed bright.
But by 18, she had grown tired of acting and decided to start a whole new career “from scratch.” Curious about where her bold decision led? Here’s what happened to this “All in the Family” star and where she is now.
From Broadway to ‘All in the Family’
This young actress first captured attention on Broadway. At just eight years old, she starred as Molly, the orphan, in the original 1977 production of “Annie.” By 1978, she landed a significant role in one of television’s most iconic shows, “All in the Family.”
She joined the cast as Stephanie Mills, the bright, witty niece of Archie and Edith Bunker. Her portrayal of Stephanie quickly won over audiences and critics alike. The actress was honored in 1981 with the Best Young Actress Award at the Young Artist Awards.
The CBS sitcom’s spin-off, “Archie Bunker’s Place,” gave her even more room to showcase her abilities, and she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance, further solidifying her place as one of the show’s standout stars.
Her contribution to television was recognized once again when she was ranked No. 50 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Kid Stars.” However, despite all the acclaim, the “All in the Family” star made a life-altering decision at 18 — she walked away from acting, setting the stage for a new chapter in her career and life.
Shifting Gears
This young star turned her back on her flourishing acting career and decided to pursue her passion for music. The former actress revealed that music had always been her true calling. She said, “I found out that after doing the TV show, I wanted to do music and more than anything to write music.”
She added, “I had already done the acting thing, and when you are 16 and 17 years old you are all cocky. I felt I am going to go for it and start from scratch.”
She joined forces with Gregg Alexander, a fellow singer-songwriter and producer. With their strong creative partnership, they co-wrote several songs.
“We became soul mates rather quickly. […] She was a big TV star, was just getting out of TV and going to launch into a film career. But she had this passion for music and singing and songwriting,” Alexander noted.
The “All in the Family” star’s songwriting talent shone brightly, particularly through songs like Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine.” Her work garnered critical acclaim, including an Oscar nomination for the romantic ballad “Lost Stars,” featured in the 2014 film “Begin Again.”
In the film, the song is first sung by the movie’s star, Keira Knightley, and then sung twice more by pop star Adam Levine, who played Knightley’s boyfriend.
“Begin Again,” written and directed by John Carney, marked the first time the former actress and Alexander composed for a film. The latter revealed that Carney called him out of the blue after getting his name from a few mutual friends.
“It was a very fluid process, doing the music for this film,” said the actress-turned-songwriter, who also co-wrote two of the film’s other songs, “A Step You Can’t Take Back” and “Coming Up Roses.”
She and Alexander knew they had gold in their hand with “Lost Stars.” When they finished the demo and sent it to Carney, they received an email saying tears were hitting his computer.
Though the former actress’s transition to music was not without its rough patches, the musician’s courage to embrace this new challenge paid off as she continued to build a career in music over the years.
The actress-turned-songwriter also released her solo work, with her 1994 album “Arrive All Over You” gaining attention overseas, especially in Europe. However, she admitted that competing with American rock bands at the time made it difficult to break through in the U.S. market.
“It did really well in England, Germany, and Europe, but in America, we had a bit of a struggle because it was coming out at the same time as Pearl Jam. I was on the same label,” the former Hollywood star explained.
Alexander added, “We stuck [together] through the lean years. There was a period when both of us got dropped by our record labels because we didn’t sound like everything else that was out there at the time.”
Nonetheless, the “All in the Family” actress’s collaboration with Alexander led to the formation of the New Radicals. Together, they created the album “Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too,” featuring hits like “Someday We’ll Know.”
As of 2024, 25 years after they parted ways with only one album, New Radicals, now comprising only Alexander and the former actress, released new music, including their version of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor.”