Nancy Elizabeth Stafford (born June 5, 1954) is an American actress, speaker and author, known for her roles on television. She came to prominence in the 1980s as Michelle Thomas, law partner, on five seasons of '' Matlock''. She later hosted a syndicated TV series called ''Main Floor'' (1995–2005), a show about fashion and beauty.

Early life

Nancy Elizabeth Stafford was born in

Wilton Manors, Florida Wilton Manors is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,426. Wilton Manors is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,166,488 people at the 2020 census. Histor ...

, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, in 1954, where she was raised as a Southern Baptist. She graduated from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

. She is a practicing Christian. After graduating from Ft. Lauderdale High School in 1972, she was

Miss Florida The Miss Florida competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Florida in the Miss America pageant. Florida has twice won the Miss America crown. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated Miss F ...

1976, competing in the 1977 Miss America Pageant.

Career

Stafford moved to Los Angeles in 1982, where she had her first contract role playing the dual role of Adrienne/Felicia Hunt on the daytime soap opera '' The Doctors''. She had guest starring roles in shows such as ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...

'', ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from O ...

'', '' Scarecrow and Mrs. King'', '' Who's the Boss?'', '' Hunter'', ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'', and ''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...

''. In 1983, Stafford won her first regular role on the NBC medical drama series '' St. Elsewhere'' as Joan Halloran. She played the role for two seasons and came back for one more episode in 1986. She later starred as Patricia Blake in the short-lived ABC series '' Sidekicks'' from 1986-87. Stafford is best known for her role as Ben Matlock's legal partner Michelle Thomas in the legal drama '' Matlock'', from 1987 to 1992. When the show relocated its filming from the west coast, Stafford opted to leave ''Matlock''. After her departure from ''Matlock'', she began public speaking and hosted ''Main Floor'', a 1990s talk show. In 2008, she co-hosted the first season of ''Love, Marriage and Stinkin' Thinkin'' alongside Mark Gungor. Stafford continued to guest star in many shows, such as '' ER'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'', ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...

'', ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'' and ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...

''. Stafford is the author of many Christian books, such as: ''Beauty by the Book: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You'', ''The Wonder of His Love: A Journey into the Heart of God'', and her 2006 book, ''Mothers & Daughters Taking Your Adult Relationship to a Deeper Level''.

Personal life

Stafford married Larry Myers, a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

. She has a step-daughter and grandson. Her older brother, Tracy Stafford, was a two-term Mayor of

and a five-term member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Nancy 1954 births Living people 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American film actresses American television actresses Christian writers Fort Lauderdale High School alumni Miss America 1977 delegates University of Florida alumni People from Wilton Manors, Florida 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women