Loni Anderson, the American actor best known for playing the intelligent receptionist Jennifer Marlowe in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, has died at the age of 79 after a long illness.
Anderson's portrayal of Jennifer Marlowe, the cool and collected receptionist at a struggling Ohio radio station, earned her two Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations. The show ran for four series between 1978 and 1982. Creator Hugh Wilson said he cast Anderson for her looks, but she insisted her character not be a 'dumb blonde'. 'Let's make her look like Lana Turner and be the smartest person in the room,' she told Wilson.
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Anderson studied art at Minnesota University and began acting in community theatre. She moved to Los Angeles in 1975, had breast reduction surgery, and dyed her hair platinum blond, noting that 'the lighter my hair got, the more work I got'. Early TV roles included parts in S.W.A.T., Police Woman, and The Incredible Hulk.
Anderson married Burt Reynolds in 1988, calling him 'Prince Charming', but the couple divorced acrimoniously six years later. She later accused Reynolds of physical abuse and failing to make child support payments for their adopted son, Quinton. Despite the bitterness, after Reynolds died in 2018, Anderson said he was 'a big part of my life for 12 years' and that she and Quinton 'will miss him and his great laugh'.
