Lynda Goodfriend is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who is best known for playing Lori Beth Cunningham (née Allen), Richie's girlfriend then wife on the TV

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...

''.

Early years

Goodfriend graduated from Coral Gables High School and from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , p ...

, from which she received a degree in drama.

Career

Before ''Happy Days'', Goodfriend played Ethel "Sunshine" Akalino on the short-lived series ''

Blansky's Beauties ''Blansky's Beauties'' is an American sitcom television series and ostensible spin-off of ''Happy Days'' that aired on ABC from February 12 to June 27, 1977. The main character of the series was introduced on an episode of ''Happy Days'', then ...

''. After that show left the air, she and co-star

Scott Baio Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off ''Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on t ...

joined ''Happy Days''. She originally played a guest role in the fourth season of ''Happy Days'' as Kim in "Time Capsule" and "Graduation (Part 1)", before returning to the show as Lori Beth in season five. Goodfriend went on to play several parts in notable Garry Marshall films, playing a tourist in ''

Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance) ...

'' as well as cameo and guest star roles in ''Exit to Eden'', ''Nothing in Common'' and ''

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...

''. During the mid to late 1980s, Goodfriend appeared in several independent projects, including ''An All Consuming Passion'', a film written and directed by Kathryn Nesmith. Goodfriend directed the teleplay pilot'' Four Stars'' that was financed by

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play '' The Odd C ...

and starred veteran actor

Bert Kramer Bert Kramer (October 10, 1934 – June 20, 2001) was an American actor, who was born in San Diego. He appeared in many different television shows including '' Kojak'', '' The Bionic Woman'', ''The Rockford Files'', '' Dallas'', '' Dynasty'', ...

and actress Julie Paris. Most recently, she directed the short film ''The Perfect Crime'' in 2009. On Broadway, Goodfriend performed in ''Good News'' (1974).

Personal life

Goodfriend married Giora Litwak in 1982. She holds a BFA from

and is the acting chair at the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former f ...

Filmography

References

External links

*
In teaching, 'to see this wonderful, exciting person emerge is very satisfying.'

New York Film Academy Highlights Acting Chair Lynda Goodfriend

Acting Chair Lynda Goodfriend Speaks at NYFA Australia Campuses
* 1953 births Living people Actresses from Miami American television actresses American film actresses Southern Methodist University alumni 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1950s-stub