Maryedith Burrell is an American actress, producer, writer and documentarian best known for starring roles on the television series Fridays, Throb, Ron Howard's Parenthood, and The Jackie Thomas Show as well as recurring roles in the television series Seinfeld and Home Improvement.
Early life Burrell is a native of Gilroy, California, and the daughter of Howard and Patricia Smith. After attending Santa Catalina School on scholarship, Burrell headed to UC Santa Cruz, working and studying simultaneously with American Conservatory Theater and The San Francisco Mime Troupe. While attending college, Burrell workshopped with The Royal Shakespeare Company and director Peter Brook, as well as Teatro Campensino with Louis Valdez. After two terms at UCSC, she transferred to UCLA and as a student in its Theatre Arts Program received the Hugh O'Brian acting award. The acting award judges included Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon, who became an early mentor. She graduated from UCLA in 1974. Roles on television shows such as Days of Our Lives, M*A*S*H and Remington Steele soon followed.
Early acting and writing After attending college, Burrell performed with and stage managed for LA Free Shakespeare Company and also worked as a publicist for the new Westwood Playhouse. While there she met actors Jason Robards, Shelley Winters, and Lee Grant who encouraged her to pursue an acting career. She soon began performing with the Los Angeles-based improv troupe The Groundlings, The Second City, The Comedy Store Players, Sills And Company, Off The Wall, and War Babies. At War Babies, Ann Marcus, producer of Norman Lear's Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, invited Burrell to write for The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts. This kicked off a second career in screen writing.
Fridays In 1979, the producers of Fridays saw Burrell in an HBO presentation of War Babies at The Roxy Theatre and tapped her for their new American Broadcasting Company (ABC) late-night comedy show. She became a member of the ensemble, which included Larry David, Michael Richards, and Melanie Chartoff. Her characterizations of the deadly serious Friday Focus Reporter and Battle Boy's chain-smoking mother were standouts.
Post Fridays Shelley Duvall hired Burrell to write for her series, Faerie Tale Theatre. The award-winning show was unique at the time for its cross-pollination of star talent from stage, television, and film. Burrell worked with directors Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Peter Medak, and Tim Burton as well as actors Susan Sarandon, Lee Remick, Carrie Fisher, Klaus Kinski, and Burgess Meredith.
Burrell wrote an adaptation of The Little Match Girl for NBC in December 1987, starring William Daniels. This launched a career writing films and mini-series for every major television network in America as well as several in Europe. Credits include: Mr. St. Nick, The Great Mom Swap, UFO Cafe, Mabel and the Bootleg King, The Last Vampire, Janus Highway, and Dominion for TNT.
She pursued dual careers as a performer and screenwriter. After Fridays, Burrell went on to star in the television series Throb, Ron Howard's Parenthood, The Jackie Thomas Show, and appeared in recurring roles on Seinfeld and Home Improvement. She guest-starred on television shows including Murder, She Wrote, Chicago Hope and The Tonight Show. Burrell acted in several television films, including White Hot: The Mysterious Death of Thelma Todd with Loni Anderson and Those She Left Behind with Gary Cole. She also acted in feature films including Samantha with Martha Plimpton, Ready To Rumble with Oliver Platt, and Kiss Me Goodbye with Sally Field and Jeff Bridges.
As a documentarian, she has produced for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and TLC, among other networks. In 2018, Burrell worked as creative consultant on an independent film, Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, about author and activist Molly Ivins.
An overall deal with Disney led Burrell to work as a script doctor for both feature films and television, which she continues to do. Her feature work includes Dominion for Paramount, The Dating Project for Universal, and Emily Post for Sony.
Over the years, she has continued to work in the theatre staging musicals and operas, improv review and experimental projects internationally. She mounted Gilbert and Sullivan's "Patience" for the Antaeus Theatre Company in Los Angeles as well as the "Shocked & Odd" tour for recording artist, Michelle Shocked. In 2014, Burrell created and performed her one-woman show, #OUCH!: An Accidental Comedy, based on her journey thru the American Medical system. She took it to the NY International Fringe Festival where it garnered Top 10 raves.
Filmography (actress) Year Title Role Notes 1979 Barnaby Jones Nurse 1 Episode 1979 Dallas Nurse Barker 1 Episode 1980 Taxi Hatcheck Girl 1 Episode 1980 Wholly Moses Villager Film 1980 Fridays Ensemble Cast Member 54 episodes 1982 Filthy Rich Wanda Dean 1 Episode 1982 Kiss Me Goodbye Mrs. Newman Film 1983 Trapper John, M.D. Mary Lamagra 1 Episode 1984 Last of the Great Survivors Vie TV movie 1984 Faerie Tale Theatre Beggar Woman 1 Episode 1984 Paper Dolls Polly Loftus 1 Episode 1984 Newhart Attorney Arleen 1 Episode 1985 Family Ties Young May 1 Episode 1983–1986 Simon & Simon Mary Johnson, Mary DeAngelo 2 episodes 1984–1986 Remington Steele Frances Piper 2 episodes 1986 Big Trouble Gail Film 1986 Say Yes Gladys Film 1986 River's Edge Film 1987 The Little Match Girl Rita TV movie 1986–1988 Throb Meredith 48 episodes 1988 Annie McGuire 1 Episode 1989 Those She Left Behind Ann Hobson TV movie 1991 Eve of Destruction Dawn Perlin Film 1991 White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd Patsy Kelly TV movie 1990–1991 Parenthood Helen Buckman 12 episodes 1991 Bad Attitudes Katyana TV movie 1992 Samantha Charlotte Otto / Mrs. Samantha Film 1992–1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Nancy Mincher 18 episodes 1992–1993 Seinfeld Maryedith / Mother 2 episodes 1994 Camp Nowhere Gwen Nowicki Film 1996 Murder, She Wrote Nattie Holt 1 Episode 1996 Duckman 1 Episode 1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Veronica Stewart 1 Episode 1996–1997 Home Improvement Tracy 2 episodes 1998 Chicago Hope Dr. Louise Ginsberg 1 Episode 1998 Mike Hammer, Private Eye Calvin's Neighbor 1 Episode 2000 Ready to Rumble Nun #1 Film
Filmography (writer) 1985 From Here To Maternity TV Short 1986 Popples TV movie (teleplay) 1984–1987 Faerie Tale Theatre TV series (5 episodes) 1987 The Little Match Girl TV movie 1991 In The Nick of Time TV movie 1992 Hot Chocolate TV movie 1995 The Great Mom Swap TV movie 2001 Second Honeymoon TV movie 2002 Mr. St. Nick TV movie
Publishing and teaching Burrell earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree at the University of North Carolina Asheville, and now lectures in universities, conservatories, and film festivals around the country. She also coaches corporately.
An author and journalist, she has contributed to Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Great Smokies Review, and other publications. Her essay, An Affair to Forget, is included in the anthology What Was I Thinking? 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories §(St. Martin's Press).
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