Shanna Reed
Shanna Reed | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shanna Herron[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1980–1999 |
| Spouse | Terrence O'Hara |
Shanna Reed is an American retired actress and dancer. She is best-known for playing Polly Cooper McGillis on the sitcom Major Dad.
Early years
Kansas City, Kansas-born Shanna Herron was seven years old when her father, Carl Herron, an engineer, died in a car accident in 1962, leaving her mother, Mary Lou (née Thompson; 1928–2014) with five children and pregnant.[1] Within two years she married ex-Marine Tommy Reed (1913–2012), a jazz saxophonist and leader of the Tommy Reed Orchestra.[2][3] Mary Lou and Tommy Reed had a child, creating a blended family of seven children.[4] Mary Lou Reed taught dancing for Arthur Murray dance studios. After the marriage, the family moved to Phoenix, where Reed grew up. Her mother and stepfather operated a talent-booking agency there, and her mother had another child. Reed attended Arizona State University for a year.[2]
Career
After she left Arizona State, Reed danced at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, and in 1975 she was one of 12 dancers who, along with a singer, entertained in the Middle East and Europe. After they returned to the United States, she joined the national touring company of A Chorus Line.[2] She also had a replacement role in A Chorus Line on Broadway, and she performed on Broadway in Dancin' (1978).[5]
Reed's additional television credits include roles in Promised Land, Beverly Hills, 90210, Touched by an Angel, Cheers, Magnum, P.I., The Colbys, Simon & Simon, Hotel, I Had Three Wives, Knight Rider, T.J. Hooker, Fantasy Island, Texas, and Newhart.
Personal life
Reed married film director Terrence O'Hara.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Texas | Terry Decker | 1980–1981 (TV series) |
| 1982 | Gavilan | Episode: "Best Friend Money Can Buy" | |
| 1983 | Legs | Lisa | TV movie |
| Casablanca | Episode: "Jenny" | ||
| The Dukes of Hazzard | Anna Lisa | Episode: "Lulu's Gone Away" | |
| Newhart | Iris Beecham | Episode: "The Looks of Love" | |
| For Love and Honor | Phyllis Wiecek | 1983–1984 (12 episodes) | |
| 1984 | The Master | Kelly Patterson | Episode: "Out-of-Time Step" |
| T.J. Hooker | Angie Quinn | Episode: "Hooker's Run" | |
| Fantasy Island | Laura Martin | Episode: "Mermaid and the Matchmaker/The Obsolete Man" | |
| Knight Rider | Barbara Bellingham | Episode: "Let It Be Me" | |
| Simon & Simon | Valerie Bartlett | Episode: "The Dark Side of the Street" | |
| Mike Hammer | Ana | Episode: "Warpath" | |
| 1985 | Braker | Dede Drummond | TV movies |
| Midas Valley | Lillian Hammond | ||
| Mirrors | Diane | ||
| Hotel | Joanna Korsak | Episode: "Anniversary" | |
| I Had Three Wives | Liz | 5 episodes | |
| 1986 | The Colbys | Adrienne Cassidy | 1986–1987 (14 episodes) |
| 1988 | Magnum, P.I. | Sarah Amlin | Episode: "The Great Hawaiian Adventure Company" |
| Throb | Sheri | Episode: "Men Without Lips" | |
| Houston Knights | Episode: "Cajun Spice" | ||
| Heartbeat | Caroline Petrie | Episode: "Where's Solomon When You Need Him?" Episode: "Cory's Loss" Episode: "To Heal a Doctor" | |
| Desert Rats | TV movie | ||
| 1st & Ten | Episode: "The Bulls Own Up" | ||
| Cheers | Suzanne Porter | Episode: "Swear to God" | |
| 1989 | The Banker | Sharon | |
| Major Dad | Polly Cooper McGillis | 1989–1993 (96 episodes) | |
| 1990 | The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage | Nina Morgan | TV movies |
| Coins in the Fountain | Bonnie | ||
| 1993 | The Trouble with Larry | Sally Easden Burton Flatt | 7 episodes |
| Shadowhunter | Waitress | TV movies | |
| Moment of Truth: Stalking Back | Linda Anello | ||
| 1994 | The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story | Sue Castellano | |
| Don't Talk to Strangers | Jane | ||
| 1995 | The Sister-in-Law | Madeleine Richards Warner | |
| Remember Me | Elaine Archer | ||
| 1996 | Stand Against Fear | Anne Wilson | |
| Alien Avengers | Rhonda | ||
| Rattled | Krista Donohue | ||
| Touched by an Angel | Morgan Bell | Episode: "Statute of Limitations" | |
| 1998 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Patricia Myers | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| The Night Caller | Dr. Lindsay Roland | ||
| 1999 | Promised Land | Helen Saunders | Episode: "In the Money" |
References
- ^ a b Biodata, sitcomsonline.com. Accessed April 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Brennan, Patricia (November 20, 1989). "Shanna Reed having fun playing Mrs. Major Dad". The Toronto Star. p. B 4. Retrieved February 15, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tommy Reed Obituary". Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home | Phoenix AZ. February 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Obituary: Mary Reed, legacy.com. Accessed April 22, 2025.
- ^ "Shanna Reed". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ Buck, Jerry (August 27, 1990). "Shanna Reed has the scoop on 'Major Dad' this season". The San Bernardino County Sun. Associated Press. p. D 4. Retrieved April 30, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links