In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her two sons, who also live in the area. McKeon currently resides in Marana, Arizona, 30 miles north of Tucson. In addition, McKeon has been busy as a director, often working on projects related to children and animal welfare. In 2020, McKeon released her first book, “Wish You Were Here: A Memoir”, chronicling her life and experiences as an actress in Hollywood. McKeon also goes by her real name, Nancy Justian. Recently, she appeared in the 2018 film The Sandwhich Nazi, as well as a 2019 episode of NCIS. She has appeared in several independent films, and had a recurring role on Jane the Virgin in 2015. Over the past decade, McKeon has continued to work in television and film, as well as pursuing personal interests. She is best known for her roles in the classic 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, as well as subsequent TV and film roles. Nancy McKeon is a veteran actress who has been active in Hollywood since the early 1980s. With her rough exterior, sharp wit and genuine heart, she served as an example for young viewers and played a crucial, vital role in the show’s later seasons. She eventually marries and has two children, although her husband’s name is never revealed.Īlthough she was initially the most troublesome of the eight main characters, Jo blossomed over the course of the show to become one of the most mature and responsible characters. In later seasons, she takes on more responsibility as a housemother to the school girls and ultimately becomes the head of the household at the fictional boarding school.Īt the end of the series, Jo has attended college and received her degree, going on to become a successful magazine editor. She initially started out as a troublemaker-a street-wise, sarcastic, masculine girl who was sent to Eastland Academy by her wealthy parents after being expelled from multiple public schools.Īs the series progresses, Jo matures, becoming more compassionate and responsible. Jo, a rebellious tomboy, is the main antagonist of the show. Joan Marie “Jo” Polniaczek (originally played by Natalie Schrader, then replaced by Lisa Whelchel from season 3 onward) is a fictional character from the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. Why wasn t Jo on the Facts of Life reunion? She eventually left the show in order to focus on her burgeoning movie career. She was introduced as Tootie’s stepsister in season seven and her cutting humor made her stand out among the other characters. While Clooney left to pursue his movie career, Leachman left due to her own creative differences with producers.īy the end of the show’s run, another major character was missing from facts of life, Maggie McKinney (Molly Ringwald). Garrett’s mother, Beverly Ann Stickle, and the handyman, George Burnett, respectively. The show also saw the departure of actors Cloris Leachman and George Clooney who played Mrs. After he was written out of the show, he went on to play an iconic role on Diff’rent Strokes and eventually Small Wonder. She played a vital role in helping the students at the boarding school, but eventually left the show due to creative differences with the producers.ĭanny Cooksey also appeared in four seasons of the show, playing the Malcolm Drummond, a young boy adopted by Mr. Joanna Jefferson (Janet Jackson) began as a recurring character in the show’s first four seasons, playing the adopted daughter of Edna Garrett. The show’s main characters were Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae), a housemother and dietitian Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel), a wealthy, privileged student Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn), an outspoken, tomboyish girl from the Bronx and Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields), a young, sweet girl from an impoverished family.ĭespite its eight-season run, several major characters went missing from the show throughout its time on air. It followed the lives of four very different girls living in a boarding school. The Facts of Life was an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988. In 2018, Rae passed away at the age of 92, due to complications from her cancer, but her legacy lives on. Although, Rae was initially against the replacement, actress Cloris Leachman was hired to fill the role. Rae stayed with the show for an additional season after she was diagnosed, in order to give the show time to replace her character, Mrs. ” Rae ultimately left to focus on her health and for over a year, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation. I needed to go away and take care of myself. In a 2017 interview with People Magazine, Rae said, “I had to leave the show because my five-year bone-marrow cancer returned. In 2017, after 37 years, she revealed her diagnosis of bone cancer and bone marrow cancer, which ultimately caused her to leave the show. Charlotte Rae left The Facts of Life due to health concerns.
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