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Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the long-running NBC sitcom The Facts of Life.

Biography

Early life & career

McKeon was born in Westbury, New York, to a show business family; she and her older brother Philip did numerous commercials. She also appeared on the soap operas The Secret Storm and Another World. The McKeons moved to Los Angeles in 1975, when Philip got a job as Linda Lavin's son on the television series Alice.

In 1979, McKeon was discovered by a casting director for The Facts of Life after a performance in a Hallmark greeting cards advertisement. She was cast as tough and independent tomboy Jo Polniaczek, and debuted on the show in the fall of 1980. This would be her most famous role and her shot to stardom; she would play the role until the show was canceled in 1988. McKeon also provided the voice for many ABC Weekend Special cartoon characters, including the voice for Scruffy.

McKeon has also been noted for her ability to cry on command. While on The Facts of Life, this ability earned her the nickname "Faucet Face" by her castmates.

Later career

Since then, McKeon has starred in many made-for-TV movies, including A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story, in which she portrays an abuse victim. She starred in her own series, Can't Hurry Love, in 1995, which lasted only one season. In 1998, she starred in a sitcom with Jean Smart titled Style & Substance. McKeon played Inspector Jinny Exstead on the Lifetime police drama The Division from 2001 to 2004, with her pregnancy incorporated into the storyline of the last year of the series. Previously, she starred in the movie The Wrong Woman, as a woman framed for killing her boss. McKeon starred in the film Comfort and Joy. McKeon also has a recurring role in a new Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny With a Chance, as Sonny's mother Connie Monroe.

Personal life

McKeon married key grip Marc Andrus in June 2003, and in March 2004 gave birth to their daughter, Aurora. According to Lisa Whelchel's website, McKeon had a second baby, a boy, at the end of December 2006.

A devout Roman Catholic, McKeon, with her parents, was granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II while she was on The Facts of Life.^[1]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Marco Island Film Festival

• 2000: Won, "Audience Award for Best Short Drama" - A Wakening
• 2000: Won, "Crystal Palm Award for Best Short Film" - A Wakening

Prism Awards

• 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Episode" - The Division
• 2003: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series" - The Division
• 2004: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi Episode Storyline" - The Division

TV Land Awards

• 2007: Nominated, "The 'When Bad Teens Go Good' Award" - The Facts of Life

Young Artist Awards

• 1982: Nominated, "Best Young Comedienne in Motion Picture or Television" - The Facts of Life
• 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Television Special" - Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
• 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television" - The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
• 1983: Won, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series" - The Facts of Life
• 1984: Nominated, "Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series" - The Facts of Life

References

External links

• Nancy McKeon at the Internet Movie Database
• Nancy McKeon at TV.com
• Nancy McKeon on the Facts of Life site
• Nancy McKeon on Yahoo movies