Cathy Lee Crosby

Cathy Lee Crosby
Crosby in 1984
Born (1944-12-02) December 2, 1944
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Actress

Cathy Lee Crosby (born December 2, 1944) sometimes referred to as just Cathy Crosby[1] is an American actress and former professional tennis player. She achieved TV and film success in the 1980s and was a co-host of the television series That's Incredible!.[1][2]

Early life

Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Lou Crosby, was a scriptwriter-songwriter.(He was also the National Commercial Spokesman for Dodge Automobiles on The Lawrence Welk Show),[3][4][5][6] and her mother, Linda Hayes, was "an RKO contract actress in the 1940s".[7] Cathy Lee was the middle daughter of three.[7] Her family is not related to Bing Crosby.[8][7] Her parents eventually separated, and her father relocated to Australia.[8]

She excelled at tennis as a youth, starting the game at age 12.[7] She was ranked as high as #7 in singles[8] in US junior tennis competition and #4 in doubles,[9] which she often played with her sister Linda Lou as her partner.[8]

She graduated in 1968[7] cum laude from University of Southern California with a degree in psychology,[7] although she originally was pre-med.[8]

Career

Crosby was a professional tennis player who played at Wimbledon[2] twice, quitting the sport professionally sometime between 1967[7] and 1970.[8]

As an actress, her first TV appearance was as Susan in the episode 'The Lay of the Land' in the first season of It Takes a Thief (1968). Her first movie role was as Kay Butler in the 20th Century Fox crime drama The Laughing Policeman (1973) starring Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, and Louis Gossett, Jr.[8]

In 1974, she starred as the title character in the television film Wonder Woman,[8] a year before Lynda Carter would popularize the role in the weekly series Wonder Woman. Crosby starred in the movie Trackdown (1976) with James Mitchum, and in Coach (1978) with Michael Biehn, in which she played the coach of a high school basketball team who falls for one of her players. She starred in the horror movie The Dark (1979), opposite William Devane, and appeared in the 1982 TV miniseries World War III, with Rock Hudson and David Soul.

Crosby was a co-host of the TV series That's Incredible![2] from 1980 to 1984 on ABC, which remains in world-wide syndication. In 1986, she was a guest commentator for the nationally televised special of World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s WrestleMania 2.

Crosby starred in the Lifetime movie Untamed Love (1994), based on Torey Hayden's One Child, and appeared in the film Ablaze (2001), opposite Ice-T and Tom Arnold.

Personal life

Crosby was married at age 21 but divorced within two years.[7] She was in a relationship with football star Joe Theismann[10] throughout the early 1980s. Their romantic relationship ended in 1991, after which she sued him for $4.5 million because he "abandoned his promise to financially support her."[11] Theismann responded with a countersuit, ultimately leading to both settling out of court.[12] According to her autobiography, Let the Magic Begin, when Theismann sued for half of her assets, Crosby declared bankruptcy to stop his litigation, although these allegations have not been confirmed by other sources and the lawsuit documents were kept confidential.

She was briefly a follower of Scientology.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Cathy Crosby Talks About Drugs". The Evening Independent. 26 Sep 1980. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Lewis, Dan (15 Aug 1981). "Cathy Lee Crosby has an 'Incredible' job". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Td2BXlCb_A
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH6QFuFtvPY
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHv5Rd0-mP0
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZofESfdhQc
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gritten, David (October 13, 1980). "Cathy Lee Crosby Seems the Perfect Host: She Has Taken Risks All Her Professional Life". Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lewis, Dan (17 Mar 1974). "She Played Wonder Woman". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Cathy Lee's Resume". cathyleecrosby.com.
  10. ↑ "Crosby, ex-friend file cross lawsuits". The Press-Courier. 2 Feb 1991. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  11. ↑ "NAMES IN THE GAMES : Ex-Girlfriend Sues Theismann". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. January 31, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Theismann, Crosby Settle Estates Lawsuit". The Free Lance Star. Alexandria, Virginia. Associated Press. June 8, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
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