| 79th | Top University of Florida people |
| Nancy Stafford | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Nancy Elizabeth Stafford June 5, 1954 Wilton Manors, Florida |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Larry Myers (May 28, 1989 - present) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title(s) | Miss Florida 1976 |
|---|---|
| Major competition(s) | Miss America |
Nancy Elizabeth Stafford (born June 5, 1954, in Wilton Manors, Florida) is an American prolific character actress of stage, speaker and author, known for her roles in soap operas and television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Andy Griffith's law partner and friend, Michelle Thomas, on Matlock (a role she played from 1987 to 1992), before she played Judge Bell on Judging Amy. She hosted a syndicated TV series called "Main Floor" (1995 - 2005), a show about fashion and beauty.
Husband Larry Myers is a pastor. They have a daughter and grandson.
Her older brother Tracy Stafford was a two-term Mayor of Wilton Manors and a five-term member of the Florida House of Representatives.
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After Stafford became Miss Florida 1976, that following year, she competed in the 1977 Miss America Pageant. She began her career working as a Public Relations specialist, in addition, she worked as a top model in New York City at the Ford Model Agency. Her career was going on strong, until she was also diagnosed with skin cancer, where she underwent successful surgery in 1978. That same year, she became a spokesperson for 250 commercials, before she began her career in acting.
In 1982, she moved to L.A., where her first guest-starring role playing the dual role of both Adrienne/Felicia Hunt on the Soap Opera The Doctors, the show she grew up watching. This one part led to other roles such as: Riptide, Remington Steele, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Who's the Boss?, Hunter, and Quantum Leap. She also guest-starred on an episode of Magnum, P.I.. In an interview, Stafford said that she wanted to work with Tom Selleck, who also helped her career launched. Stafford joined the cast of the second season of St. Elsewhere, as Joan Halloran, where she played the role for three seasons. She also starred as Patricia Blake on Sidekicks, which lasted only one season.
Her biggest claim to fame on television was portraying lawyer's assistant, Michelle Thomas to Andy Griffith's, Matlock, from 1987 to 1992, replacing Linda Purl, who left the last year, because she was very unhappy with her character. Stafford, who'd been a fan of Griffith's, since the 1960s, having been a six-year-old girl, auditioned and won the role. She also recalled as a six-year-old girl, she resembled that of the great Don Knotts (best friend of Griffith's) in his movie The Incredible Mr. Limpet, wearing glasses. Before she played Michelle, she also guest-starred on the same show where she played a call girl who hired a man feeling real guilty that he was. There was a lot of friction on- and off-the set between Stafford & Griffith, in the five years she'd work, along with Kene Holliday, who was fired from the show, after the third season (due to his ongoing drugs/alcohol abuse), hence, Clarence Gilyard took over the role, the following season, at the same time, her on-screen appearances on Matlock was reducing. She left the show for good at the end of her fifth season, to spend more time with her husband, while moving on to other ventures.
After her departure from Matlock, she became a world-renown public speaker, traveling all over from churches, colleges, universities, women's group to other businesses. During the last part of the 1990s, she appeared on Great Day America. She gained greater fame as the hostess of Main Floor, which was a talk show that was seen in over 40 countries, making Stafford, a household name. In 2008, she co-hosted the first season of Love, Marriage and Stinkin' Thinkin' alongside Mark Gungor.
She also guest-starred in many shows in the late 1990s such as, ER, Frasier, Babylon 5, Baywatch and most recently, The Mentalist.
She is also the best-selling author of many Christian books such as: Beauty by the Book: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You, A Journey into the Heart of God, Seeing Yourself as God Sees You, Mothers and Daughters, and her latest book, Beauty by the Book.
| Preceded by Ann K. Schmalzried |
Miss
Florida 1976 |
Succeeded by Cathy La Belle |
   | Nancy Stafford - Speaker, Actress, Author - Nancy Stafford - Speaker, Actress, Author |
| | All Things NANCY STAFFORD - All Things NANCY STAFFORD: An Affectionate Tribute |
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