Ann Dusenberry

Ann Dusenberry
Dusenberry in Captains and the Kings (1976)
Born	(1953-09-13) September 13, 1953 (age 71) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Alma mater	Occidental College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1975–present
Spouse	Brad Fiedel ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	2

Ann Dusenberry (born September 13, 1953^[1][2]) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She appeared in about 50 film and television productions from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. Among her best-known roles are those of Tina Wilcox in the horror film Jaws 2 (1978), Stevie in the drama film Heart Beat (1980) and Valerie in the thriller Cutter's Way (1981). After her retirement from the film industry in 1992, she remained active as an actress on stage, performing sporadically.

Biography

Early life and education

Ann Dusenberry was born in Tucson, Arizona as the daughter of Bruce and Katie Dusenberry.^[3] Dusenberry studied theater arts for four years, first at the University of Arizona, then Occidental College,^[3][4] where she earned her degree.^[5] She got her first role by circulating her resume and photograph within the Universal Studios offices using internal envelopes obtained by her boyfriend, a truck driver for Universal. She then signed a seven-year contract with Universal.^[4]

Acting career

Dusenberry made her acting debut in 1975 with a small role as a barmaid in the film White Line Fever. She gained attention in 1978 for the role of Tina Wilcox in the horror film Jaws 2, the sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic.^[3] Dusenberry was hired as a contract actress by Universal for the role. Due to the long shooting time away from her home in Los Angeles, she actually had no interest in playing the role. While the film originally directed by John D. Hancock, he was fired after a short time of shooting and replaced by Jeannot Szwarc. This also resulted in the dismissal of many actors who had already signed on. Dusenberry's role, however, was still expanded during script changes and she received co-starring credit.^[6] She had another success in 1978 with the role of Amy March in the miniseries Little Women, an adaptation of the novel of the same name. She also took on the role in the short-lived 1979 television series based on it, which failed to match the miniseries' success and was canceled after 4 episodes.^[7]

Dusenberry's best-known film appearances in the 1980s include her role as Stevie in Heart Beat alongside Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek, and as Valerie in Cutter's Way alongside Jeff Bridges. In the 1986 film The Men's Club, she again starred alongside Roy Scheider, her co-star from Jaws 2. In addition to her appearances in films, she mainly played roles for television. In 1977 she starred alongside Harrison Ford, shortly before the latter's breakthrough with Star Wars, in the television thriller The Possessed. Other television roles included that of Amory (aka Angel Collins) in Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? (1977) and the dual role of Joy Morgan and Elaine Steel in Killjoy (1981) alongside Kim Basinger. She also appeared in numerous successful series of the period, including Magnum, P.I. (1982), Remington Steele (1983) and Murder, She Wrote (1986 and 1987). In 1986, she starred as the daughter of Lucille Ball's character in the short-lived series Life with Lucy.^[8][9]

After co-starring in the 1992 thriller Play Nice and a guest appearance in the series The Commish (1992), she retired from acting in front of the camera in the early 1990s. However, Dusenberry continues to be active as a stage actress. Among other roles, she played Mrs. Gibbs in the play Our Town (1998). Other plays have included 2014's Noises Off and 2021's Ripcord.

Personal life

She is married to composer Brad Fiedel,^[10] with whom she lives in Santa Barbara, California. They have two daughters named Alixandra and Zoe. She received an MA degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and works as Artistic Director of the Actors' Conservatory Theatre in Santa Barbara.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	White Line Fever	Barmaid
1975	Speeding	Girl in Corvette	Short film
1978	Goodbye, Franklin High	Sharon Browne
1978	Jaws 2	Tina Wilcox
1978	Tarzana	Thelma	Short film
1980	Heart Beat	Stevie
1981	Cutter's Way	Valerie Duran
1982	National Lampoon's Movie Madness	Dominique Corsaire	segment: Success Wanters
1983	Lies	Robyn Wallace
1985	Basic Training	Melinda
1986	The Men's Club	Page
1991	Rich Girl	Additional Voices	Voice role
1992	Play Nice	Pam Crichmore
2012	Roaring Camp		Short film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Captains and the Kings	Anne-Marie	2 Episodes
1976	The Six Million Dollar Man	Clerk	Episode: "A Bionic Christmas Carol"
1976	McCloud	Peggy	Episode: "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas..."
1977	Emergency!	Candy Striper	Episode: "Loose Ends"
1977	Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?	Amory Osborn alias Angel Collins	Television film
1977	The Possessed	Weezie Sumner	Television film
1978	Eight Is Enough	Andrea Jenkins	Episode: "Poor Little Rich Girl"
1978	Little Women	Amy March	Miniseries
1978	Desperate Women	Joanna Dance	Television film
1979	Little Women	Amy March	4 Episodes (Follow-up series to the 1978 miniseries)
1979	Buck Rogers in the 25th Century	Ariela Dyne	Episode: "Planet of the Amazon Women"
1980	The Secret War of Jackie's Girls	Donna	Television film
1981	Elvis and the Beauty Queen	Jeannie	Television film
1981	Killjoy	Joy Morgan / Elaine Steel	Television film
1982	Magnum, P.I.	Katrina Tremaine	Episode: "Italian Ice"
1982	Trapper John, M.D.	Maggie Nolan	Episode: "Medicine Man"
1982	Seven Brides for Seven Brothers	Molly McGraw	Episode: "I Love You Molly McGraw"
1983	Confessions of a Married Man	Jennifer	Television film
1983	The Family Tree	Molly Nichols Tanner	Episode: "Tess's Birthday"
1983	Remington Steele	Tracy Crockett / Roxie Tyler	Episode: "My Fair Steele"
1983	Simon & Simon	Frankie Gillard - Compulsive Gambler	Episode: "All Your Favourite Games"
1984	Hardcastle and McCormick	Casey O'Bannon	Episode: "Whistler's Pride"
1984	Emerald Point N.A.S.	Betsy	Episode: "Secrets"
1984	He's Not Your Son	Holly Barnes	Television film
1985	MacGruder and Loud	Elaine Kinney	Episode: "For Better or for Worse"
1986	Murder, She Wrote	Elizabeth Gordon	Episode: "Murder by Appointment Only"
1986	Long Time Gone	Marilyn	Television film
1986	Life with Lucy	Margo Barker McGibbon	Main role (13 Episodes)
1987	Murder, She Wrote	Carol Selby	Episode: "Simon Says, Color Me Dead"
1988	Jake and the Fatman	Leslie Randall	Episode: "It Had to Be You"
1989	Paradise	Lorna	Episode: "Treasure"
1989	Designing Women	Belva McPherson	Episode: "The Proxy Pig and Great Pretenders"
1991	Matlock	Amy Boggs	Episode: "The Parents"
1992	The Commish	Laura Daley	Episode: "Skeletons"

Theatre

• Our Town (1998) - Mrs Gibbs^[12]
• Noises Off (2014)^[13]
• Full Circle (2020)^[14]
• Ripcord (2021)^[15]

References

1. "Ann Dusenberry | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos".
2. "Ann Dusenberry - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
3. "Ann Dusenberry Adapting to Rigors of Film Life". Boxoffice. July 19, 1978.
4. Scott, Vernon. "One Way To Succeed". Reading Eagle. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
5. "Ann Dusenberry". University of Arizona. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020.
6. "Ann Dusenberry ('Tina Wilcox'): JAWS 2 45th Anniversary Interview". YouTube. June 16, 2023.
7. "'Little Women' Becomes New NBC Series". The Sumter Daily Item. February 8, 1979. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
8. O'Connor, John J. (September 22, 1986). "TV Reviews; Lucille Ball Returns in ABC Comedy Series". New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
9. Bobbin, Jay (October 3, 1986). "TV Daughter Likes 'Life with Lucy' Just Fine". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
10. Ryon, Ruth (October 3, 1999). "Prolific Cannell Can Set Up Typewriter In Laguna Beach". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
11. "Ann Dusenberry profile". Women's Plaza of Honor. University of Arizona. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
12. Shirley, Don (July 9, 1998). "'Our Town' for Our Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
13. "Review: Noises Off! at the Garvin Theatre". Independent.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
14. "Brad Fiedel Releases 'Full Circle'". July 2020.
15. "Review | 'Ripcord' at SBCC on October 15". October 19, 2021.

External links

• Ann Dusenberry at IMDb