Priscilla
Barnes
The
daughter of an Air Force career officer, Priscilla Barnes originally
dreamed of becoming a dancer--a dream that was dashed when she slipped
on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl and broke her leg. Priscilla then
took on a series of odd jobs, including a waitress stint at Pips,
a private Los Angeles club. There she made the acquaintance of actor
Peter Falk who, impressed by Priscilla's all-American good looks and
self-deprecating sense of humor, arranged for her to play a bit role
on a 1976 Columbo episode. One thing led to another, and Priscilla
found herself co-starring in the short-lived TV Charlie's Angels rip-off
American Girls (1978). She was better-served with a sizeable supporting
role opposite Michael Caine in the 1980 theatrical feature Sunday
Lovers. In 1981, Priscilla was handed the unenviable task of replacing
pin-up phenomenon Suzanne Somers (whom she'd never met) on the popular
ABC sitcom Three's Company. In the light of the well-publicized clashes
between Somers and her co-workers, much was made of Priscilla's cooperative
nature and team spirit. She remained in her Three's Company role of
nurse Teri Alden until the series' cancellation in 1984; she then
dived into the Special Guest Star pool, making one-shot appearances
on a variety of programs, including the obligatory "mystery killer"
gig on Murder She Wrote. One of Priscilla Barnes' post-Three's Company
assignments was the part of Hildy Granger on the pilot episode of
the syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff....a part played in the subsequent
series by none other than Suzanne Somers!
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