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"As a brunette, I had previously been this serious actress. Then I became a blonde and got to play a completely different, comic role." Loni Anderson may be well-known for her work as the sultry receptionist on WKRP in Cincinnati, but don't typecast her for it! Anderson would win a literal armful of award nominations for her work on WKRP in Cincinnati, but that would only be the beginning of her illustrious career. 

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Despite her cheery personality and her large body of comedic work, Anderson is probably most proud of her accomplishments off of the stage. After losing both of her parents to COPD, Anderson would become an anti-smoking spokesperson. Specifically, Anderson would partner with a company in Seattle in order to launch an education campaign to help deter young people from taking up the dangerous habit.

With over 40-years of work on her resume, Anderson has done just about everything that there is to do. From her high-profile marriage to Burt Reynolds to her voiceover work on the animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), Anderson has pretty much seen it all.  While Anderson continues to pick up the odd job here and there, the bulk of her work came when she was bright-eyed and fluffy-tailed. Let's hop into a time machine in order to learn a little bit more about her formative years.

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Meet Miss Roseville

Loni Kaye Anderson came into this world on August 5th, 1946 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Despite her high-profile career, much of Loni's early life has been kept relatively close to the chest. Despite her reticence in revealing too much of her childhood, we do know a little bit about her. Anderson's father was an environmental chemist named Klaydon Anderson. Loni's mother was Maxine Hazel, a prominent model. It's easy to see how Loni came away with both brains and beauty.

Anderson was raised in Roseville, Minnesota. Even as a child, it was clear to see that Loni was aiming to do something special with her life. Loni routinely competed in beauty pageants throughout the region. Loni proudly won the Miss Roseville pageant before representing St. Paul in the Miss Minnesota contest. By the time that Loni was 18-years-old, she was young and in love. Anderson would marry Bruce Hasselberg in 1964, and they would have their daughter, Deidra, shortly thereafter. Loni and Bruce would ultimately call it quits after two years and Loni would be forced to put her dreams on the backburner as she raised her young daughter. Loni exchanged her beauty pageants for college courses, and she would soon find herself working as a teacher.

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While attending the University of Minnesota, Loni would become fascinated by acting. After participating in a number of classes, Loni would end up auditioning for local shows and commercials.  It was around this same time that Loni would develop feelings for another aspiring star, Ross Bickell. The two would decide to pack up their car in order to make the move to Los Angeles. Ross and Loni would marry in 1973. By the mid-'70s, a brunette Loni Anderson would find herself on television with bit-parts in S.W.A.T. (1975) and Police Woman (1975). While she wasn't a star yet, Loni was certainly trending in the right direction!

Now firmly entrenched in Hollywood, Loni was ready to make her big break.

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Winning With a Failed Audition

By this point in time, Loni Anderson was developing as a performer and production companies were beginning to take notice. In 1977, Loni would score episodic roles on The Bob Newhart Show and The Love Boat. With momentum on her side, Loni would land a role on one of the most popular productions of the era, Three's Company (1977). Firmly a burgeoning star, Anderson was ready to take her work to the next level. After briefly modeling, Loni would find her resume in front of the producers of WKRP in Cincinnati. Anderson would, of course, land the role of Jennifer Marlow. In doing so, Anderson's star would officially burst despite the series relatively low Nielsen ratings. Anderson was regarded as one of the primary draws of the comedic sitcom, and she was awarded a pair of Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for her work. WKRP in Cincinnati would be canceled in 1982, but Anderson wouldn't suffer for it.

Seemingly overnight, Anderson would become a global sex symbol. Despite her oozing sex appeal, Loni didn't want to be revered solely for her looks. Anderson would insist that her next major role show a different side of her personality. Enter The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980) with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  This made-for-TV movie would give Anderson one of the largest film roles of her career. She would use her success in the film in order to create her own production company.  Always looking to make progress, Loni's production company would give her the chance to star in several more films.

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In 1983, Loni Anderson would find herself on the set of the stock-car racing comedy, Stroker Ace.  Anderson would co-star alongside Burt Reynolds and the two would quickly fall in love. By this point in time, Anderson had been divorced from Ross Bickell for two years. Burt and Loni would start a long-lasting relationship that would culminate in their marriage in 1988. Burt and Loni would adopt their only child, a son named Quinton.  Unfortunately, Loni and Burt would end up flaming out over the course of their five-year marriage. The two would divorce in 1994 and a high-profile custody battle for Quinton would follow.

By the early '90s, Loni would slowly begin to take her foot off of the gas pedal with regards to her acting career. She could still be found regularly on television in programs like Nurses (1993) and Melrose Place (1996) but her star was undeniably starting to dim. Loni would release her autobiography, My Life in High Heels in 1997. A year later, Loni would star in the cult-class comedy, A Night at the Roxbury. The film received mostly negative reviews but has since aged with relative grace.  In 1999, Loni would become an official spokesperson for the fight against COPD, the lung disease that had killed both of her parents. Loni says of her mother, "My memory of my mom is a wine glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other."

In 2003, Loni would land an 11-episode arc on The Mullets and in 2006 she would star on the show, So NoTORIous. In 2008, Anderson would find herself tying the knot with Bob Flick. Flick is most well-known for creating the folk musical group, The Brothers Four. Bob and Loni are still happily together, to this day. Since their marriage, both Bob and Loni have mostly stayed out of the limelight. Loni has since appeared in a couple of TV shows, like Baby Daddy (2016) and Love You More (2017), but she has largely been content to spend her time with her family.